Growing Region
The Snake River Valley is the Ideal Location for Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Growers
The Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee is an instrumental of the federal government that represents more than 200 growers and 30 shippers in Southwestern Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon.Our goals include:
- Offering consistently sized onions at the highest quality possible by working with all segments of the produce industry
- Increasing consumption of Idaho-Eastern Oregon onions through promotional programs, education, advertising and other communications
- Creating a demand for mandatory-inspected Idaho-Eastern Oregon onions by partnering with growers and shippers to create programs that entice buyers
The Snake River Valley is the only onion storage region in the country governed by Federal Marketing Order (#958). Our onions are inspected daily by the Federal-State Inspection Service to certify that they are in accordance with grade, size, pack, and maturity requirements—another reason why our onions are some of the most popular onions in the world!
Growers in the Snake River Valley plant approximately 21,000 acres every year! The combination of the valley’s climate and soil creates favorable growing conditions for third and fourth generation farmers to harvest more than 24,000 carlots (40,000 lbs. per carlot) annually.Soil quality, sunlight, and the latitude and longitude of growing area impact the quality of onions. The rich volcanic soils and dry climate in the valley produces some of the finest onions in the world, with a unique combination of mild flavor, large size, and tight, dry skins.
Our growers plant yellow, red, and white varieties of sweet Spanish seed. These onions are sometimes called “Spanish Onions” or “Spanish Sweets.” The crop is planted in March and April, and harvest begins in August and continues into October. Yellow onions account for approximately 90% of the acreage. Premium Idaho-Eastern Oregon onions are available from August to March/April thanks to state-of-the-art storage facilities.