Crews fixing E. Oregon onion storage damaged by snow

NYSSA, Ore. (AP) – Workers are rushing to rebuild onion storage and packing facilities that were damaged by snow and ice in eastern Oregon and Idaho.

The Capital Press reports (https://is.gd/ydwRhf ) that four feet of snow and ice crushed buildings and destroyed onions and equipment inside in January. Estimates place the total damage between $50 million and $100 million, including the loss of about 100 million pounds of onions – about 7 percent of this year’s crop.

About 60 storage sheds and packing facilities either collapsed or sustained major damage this winter.

The onion industry is working to fix the damage before fall’s 1 billion-pound-plus harvest. Most of the Spanish big bulb onions that grow along the border between southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon are stored to be marketed later in the year.