News and Stories

Extremely cold weather is forecast in Idaho and Oregon starting Tuesday, January 3 and continuing through Wednesday, January 11. Temperatures as low as minus eight degrees are expected in Eastern Idaho and minus two degrees in Eastern Oregon/Western Idaho. Consecutive days of cold weather could affect the number of onions and potatoes packed and may delay loading times as growers become limited to on-site storage facilities. At this time, temperatures in Washington are not expected to fall below 18 degrees; onion and potato production is anticipated to be normal. Markon will continue to monitor the situation and update further as needed.

• Temperatures must be 18 degrees or warmer for five to seven hours of the day to haul onions and potatoes from cellars to packing sheds
• If temperatures below 18 degrees persist for more than a few days, packing hours will be reduced in order to extend on-site supplies until they can be replenished (for example, from eight to four hours per day)
• Loading delays are possible due to low temperatures, however the length of delays will not be known until the cold weather arrives and growers can determine hauling and production windows
• Shipping onions or potatoes when temperatures are below 18 degrees can result in quality issues
• With onions, cold weather can generate translucent scales on outer layers, causing them to become soft and/or spongy  
• In potatoes, freezing temperatures can cause internal and external bruising, as well as black skins and interior flesh (located on the outer edges of potatoes and just under their skins)

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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