© 2024 KRWG
News that Matters.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

NMSU Hosts Onion Field Day

NMSU hosted an Onion Field Day to show the public the importance of the onion crop to New Mexico’s Economy.

Most people know New Mexico for it’s Green Chile, but Chris Cramer Professor of Horticulture at NMSU says many people don’t realize the importance of the onion crop.

“Well it’s a very important crop,” Kramer said. “It’s about 5,000 acres and annually on a farm gate value it brings in anywhere from $50- $90 million to the state. And that’s to the growers here in New Mexico. It places it roughly about third or fourth depending upon the year among the most important crops here in New Mexico.”

Cramer says the onion is a good crop to grow in Southern New Mexico, and the field day showed off how NMSU works to help the onion continue to thrive in the hot and dry climate.

“Our job is to support the onion industry here in Southern New Mexico by developing varieties that are adapted to this particular area,” Cramer said. “Varieties you can plant in autumn, and then would tolerate sometimes we do get a little colder temperatures in the winter it would tolerate those temperatures, survive, grow well and produce a bulb. Even when it gets hot like this. And deal with some of the pest problems we have here in New Mexico.”

Stephanie Walker, Extension Vegetable Specialist at New Mexico State University says if you want to start planting onions in your home garden, fall is the time to start planting.

“We can very successfully fall seed onions,” Walker said. “They will over winter in our winters without any serious issues, usually it doesn’t get cold enough here to do any damage. And then come spring, short day onions will start growing, and you can get the very large bulbed onions by doing this.”  

Walker says events like Onion Field Day can help the public gain a sense of pride in New Mexico grown crops.

“I think identification,” Walker said. “And having people feel a good kindred spirit with the crops that we grow in the state is important. In fact for me personally, we all know Vidalia onions, and it disturbs me that people think Vidalia onions are somehow special. When the onions we grow in New Mexico, the quality is as good or better than Vidalia onions.  I think having local people support crops we grow here in New Mexico. Its important for both our identity, it’s important that we know to grow crops that are produced locally.”

The onion field day also showed growers ways to control weeds and pests.

Samantha Sonner was a multimedia reporter for KRWG- TV/FM.