Onion World: The Voice of the Onion Industry

Wouldn’t One More Great Year Be Wonderful?

Onion World
November 2007

As most onion growers everywhere, Bob Gressley of Gressley Farms LLC, Vale, Ore., would like to witness another banner year for onion profits. That said, he is not holding his breath in anticipation
of seeing two record years in a row. Bob is the major shareholder in a 1,100-acre farm that includes 150 acres of onions, 100 acres of potatoes, 180 acres of sugar beets, 145 acres of hay and 280 acres of corn. Others holding shares are his son, Scott, and father, Keith, who turned 86 this year but continues to help whenever needed.

“Everybody you talk to wants this year’s crop--the yields have been better--and last year’s prices,” Bob smiles. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to do that, but I’ll have to admit that last year’s returns
made farming fun.”

Bob believes that most onion growers in the area would be happy if they could experience a good, average year in terms of onion returns.

“Our yields generally average in the 750-800 cwt.-per-acre range,” he explains. “Even if we average 700 cwt. per acre, at $5 per cwt., that’s $3,500 per acre. And while we wouldn’t be making anything like we did last year, we could come back and grow onions again next year.”

Despite poorer yields in 2006--down at least one-third from their normal expectation--the Gressleys never had it so good.

“It was one of our best years ever,” Bob acknowledges.

Acreage Up Only Slightly
It should be noted that Idaho-Eastern Oregon growers did not succumb this year to the temptation to plant more onions. During their summer regional conference in Fresno, Calif., National Onion Association (NOA) delegates estimated that acreage dropped from 22,000 acres in 2006 to 21,100 in 2007.

“I think most of us remembered the financial wreck we experienced here two years ago when there was a market glut,” the grower says.

One huge positive for the 2007 production season has been higher-than-normal commodity prices.

“The improved wheat market--we were getting $9.80 per cwt. earlier this fall--is defi nitely having an effect on everything,” Bob believes. “It’s been so easy to get rid of our hay. We’ve had semis sitting
in the fi eld waiting for the hay to come out of the back of the bailer. In a matter of minutes, everything is loaded on the truck and gone. Even sugar beet prices are looking good, and, if I can stick around for at least one more year, I am looking forward to Round-up® ready sugar beets.”

While overall, onions continue to be a good cash crop, the family recognizes there will be more ups and downs in the marketplace. Three years ago, Bob recounts the pain associated with hauling away 40 loads of onions and receiving only $300. The Gressleys have made it a habit of contracting some of their crop in the spring to insure that there will be at least some money coming in to help cover out-ofpocket expenses for fuel, fertilizer and other production costs.

Family History
The Gressleys have been involved in farming for many years. Grandpa Keith grew up on a dry land farm in Nebraska before pivot irrigation technology changed the way farming there is done.

“In the 1930s, I was old enough to know what the Great Depression and dry years were like,” he recalls. “After hearing about land opening up in Malheur County, my parents came out, looked things over and, following the war, put a little money together and bought a place here. And the reason they did it was because there was water.”

Keith grew up on the farm but spent most of his professional career as manager of Northwest Farm Credit Services in Ontario. After growing up in the area and completing a degree in business from Eastern Oregon College in La Grande in 1972, Bob purchased a farm in the Vale area, two miles from the Malheur Butte, across from the original home place. He grew his first crop in 1973. Later, in 1976, he entered into a partnership with his father, which continued until 2006, when Greesley Farms was converted into a LLC.

“I had a great deal because Dad had a job in town and my wife taught school, although she has since retired,” Bob grins.

Scott earned a degree in crop and soil science in 2001 at Eastern Oregon University, his father’s alma mater, and also returned home to begin farming full time.

A wise decision?

“Sometimes, when you are out there trying to make a go of things and you see others making good money and working an 8-to-5 job with the weekends off, you wonder,” the younger Gressley admits.
“However, life has been good. I have my own place, a nice home, a beautiful wife and a child, grow a few acres of onions on my own and run a few cows. Last winter, I had 150 head but have since cut back. Dad and grandpa helped me get started by letting me use their equipment free.”

While Scott is involved with a few private ventures, the majority of his time is committed to Gressley Farms LLC, the family farm. His father’s advice to anyone who hopes to make it in onions: “Get up
early and stay late, but don’t work so hard that you fail to see the whole picture.”

Bob has been on the Malheur County Onion Growers Board for more than 15 years, is an active member of the NOA and is a 20-year veteran of the Warm Springs Irrigation Board.

Drilled Wells
To cope with on-and-off drought conditions over the past 15 years, the Gressleys have drilled eight irrigation wells. Most are 60 to 100 feet deep but do an adequate job of providing supplemental water.

“One thing that we have done that has really paid off is laser leveling virtually all of our fi elds,” Bob points out. “This has helped immensely in getting the water to flow evenly across the fi elds. The bottoms
of each fi eld look as good as the tops.” Four years ago, the growers purchased a new John Deere self-propelled sprayer that has been a big help in keeping their thrips populations in check. They apply their insecticides with the ground rig, versus the air, and feel they are getting better-than-average control.

Despite having a high quality sprayer, weed control this year was another matter, Bob admits. Part of the problem was the lack of rain in the spring to activate their Prowl application. The major weeds in their area are hairy nightshade, lambsquarter and pigweed. Patches of yellow nutsedge occasionally crop up but, as of yet, have not been a major challenge.

Their onion crop is marketed through several Treasure Valley packing sheds, including Jamison Produce in Vale and Baker Packing and Murakami Produce, both in Ontario. Murakami Produce was helpful in getting the family started in onions.

“Packing our own onions is one thing we have not done,” the grower admits. “Occasionally, someone will encourage us to build a shed and pack our own, but we enjoy having our winters off, snowmobiling and attending the NOA annual meeting. We have been to NOA meetings in Texas, New Orleans, New York and Washington, but when we come home, it is still home.

“We have been truly blessed,” the grower says. “Here, we are not worrying about tornadoes, hurricanes and humidity and seldom do we have any hail; when hail does fall, rarely, if ever, do we lose an
entire crop. The springs are windy and the summers are hot, but the falls are beautiful. While work is hard, we have a wonderful place to live.”

There are three prominent women in the growers’ lives: Bob is married to Letha, Keith to Mildred and Scott to Kylie.

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