Integrity as a Way of Life - Columbia Publishing & Design

where his son, Fay, eventually followed in his
footsteps. Today, there are three generations
of the family that continue to farm: Dick
Corn, Fay’s son; Bruce Corn, Dick’s son; and
Dan Corn, Bruce’s son. All three farm independently
and grow onions and other crops.
Dick and Dan both have approximate 650
acres under production, while Bruce farms
approximately 700 acres.
The Corns grow multiple crops, but
despite the ups and downs of the onion industry,
recognize that over the long haul, onions
have been good to them. Bruce had 80 acres
of onions this year, Dan, 70, and Dick, 60
acres.
Most of the ups and downs in the marketplace,
at least for the Treasure Valley, are not
due to more acres being planted each year,
Bruce insists. The real problem is widespread
yield variability.
“Over the past five years in Malheur
County, I doubt that the number of acres
has varied more than 1,000 to 2,000 acres,”
Bruce notes. “But the yields have swung
from as low as 400 cwt per acre up to 900
and even 1,000 cwt. So, you can see what
that does to a market. The Columbia Basin is
in a similar situation. Production there is very
similar to the Treasure Valley, and between
the two areas, we largely determine the outcome
of the winter storage market.
Mother Nature Rules
“How can you plan for swings like that?”
he asks. “You work just as hard each year.
The 2006 crop was very poor in terms of
yield, but for those with open onions brought
record prices. On the other hand, the 2007
crop produced unheard of yields and ended
up an absolute disaster. When it comes down
to it, there isn’t much you can do to control
Mother Nature.”
Based on their experience with the
2007 onion crop, when the bottom literally
dropped out of the market, all three cut their
onion acreage slightly and this year grew
more corn and wheat.
Dating back to the family’s first involvement
in agriculture, sugar beets have also
been a family tradition. Unfortunately, the
margins on sugar beets today are also very
thin. Over the past couple of years, at least,
the returns on corn and wheat have proven
more rewarding.
“We’re still hanging in there with our
beets, and I mean literally hanging on with
10 Onion World
our finger nails,” Bruce grimaces. “Beet
returns have not been good. While all of
our input costs—fuel, fertilizer, equipment,
etc.—are going through the roof, we have a
‘sharing’ type contract, and the price of sugar
has not gone up that much.”
First Crop of Onions
Bruce grew his first crop of onions in
1977 and was the first in the family to do so.
“Paul Skeen, a good friend and long-time
onion grower, helped me get started with a
few acres,” Bruce remembers. “Dad (Dick
Corn) grew his first onions in the early 1980s
and Dan in 2005 on ground he had rented
from a neighbor. Three years later, he ended
up purchasing the place.”
Dan is especially grateful to Dirk DeBoer,
a well-know farmer in the area, who, in
addition to being a good friend, helped him
through the learning curve and also introduced
him to growing shallots. Technically,
DeBoer is retired from full-time farming but
continues to be very active in other ventures,
including advising with Dan on the shallots.
He also has introduced him to the benefits of
using drip irrigation. All 45 acres of the shallots
are under drip.
“Shallots are touchier to grow than
onions,” Dan admits. “Disease resistance
isn’t as good and there is very little room for
mistakes. Learning how to grow a quality
crop has been “pretty steep.”
“This is my second year of working with
Dirk on shallots. Both years, we’ve made
a few changes in our production practices,
attempting to be more productive. This year
we went to using intense beds with drip irrigation.
Next year, more changes are in the
works.”
The shallots are contracted with DeBoer
Farms, Dirk’s business. Dan handles the
production side, while Dirk markets the crop.
Most of the shallots are shipped to California
and then on to other markets.
Interesting Year
On the onion side of the business, it has
been an interesting year, according to Bruce
and Dan. After a delayed start in the spring,
the summer season went well.
“Overall, the year was good,” Dan says.
“Our hybrids are average or a little bit above.
Maturity has been a big problem. A late September
rain storm came through two weeks
after the crop was lifted and nearly ready for
storage. Days later, more rain fell, slowing
down the harvest and leaving us biting our
finger nails.”
In early October, the Corns were racing
against the clock, worrying over whether they
could finish the harvest before the first deep
frost hit. Also in the back of their minds was
concern over adequate curing time, important
in avoiding Botrytis neck rot in storage.
The Top Air Topper Loader used to harvest
the crop seems to help with the drying
down process, Bruce says. Since moving
in that direction, storability of the crop has
improved. There appears to be less damage
to the onions and, hence, reduced opportunity
for pathogens to penetrate the bulbs.
“Our onions have good skins,” Bruce
says. “We have more mediums than normal.
There is not much oversize. Most of our crop
are jumbos, 3 ½ inches in size.”
With this year’s acreage down and the
growing season slightly shorter than normal,
the family is hopeful of a more profitable
year. Most of their onions are contracted to
various packing sheds. The Corns do business
with a handful or so of different facilities,
depending upon needs at the time.
Cautiously Optimistic
“There were a few here that were fortunate
and did really well in 2006, when open
market onions were in short supply,” Dan
says. “However, Dad and I both feel that
2008 is shaping up to be more like 2005,
when there was an average crop. We had a
decent, but not fantastic, market that year,
and we would like to see something similar
happen again this year.”
On the production side of their business,
the Corns have concerns about Iris Yellow
Spot Virus and the damage it can cause, but
did not experience any significant damage to
their onions this year.
“We were fortunate to have excellent
thrips control,” says Bruce, “but you can
never be sure that by following the same
cultural practices next year you will see the
same outcome. There are new chemicals
coming out that may help, but all of us have
to be constantly vigilant. Once you feel you
have things figured out, just wait until next
year. Something new will come back to bite
you.”
The number one weed problem is yellow
nutsedge, which is rearing its ugly presence
almost everywhere.