North Dakota’s Porter Farm Steps Into Fill Increased Onion Demand
In partnership with: North Dakota Department of Agriculture
It’s commonly understood that it takes blood, sweat and tears to make it as a farmer. But for Phillip Porter and his wife, Melissa, some of those tears may be due to their primary crop, onions, releasing a gas called lachrymator when chopped. This husband-and-wife duo own Porter Farms in the Dawson area in Kidder County, North Dakota, which is known for its agricultural productivity.
Porter grew up on his father’s dairy cattle farm in Minnesota. After meeting Melissa in college, they settled in North Dakota to help run the crop fields of Benz Farms, one of the agriculture companies co-owned by Monte Benz, Porter’s father-in-law.
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A Ripe Market
North Dakota is a leader in numerous commodities, including wheat, canola, flaxseed, honey, oats, sunflowers, rye and dry beans. However, Porter explains Benz craved something different and began investigating global produce demand, including that of onions and potatoes.
The U.S. is the world’s largest importer of Spanish onions, primarily sourcing from Mexico. This variety of yellow onion boasts a milder, sweeter flavor, making them more of a palate pleaser in both raw and cooked forms.
“In Mexico, Spanish onions are at peak harvest in late winter to early spring,” Porter says. “Whereas, in the U.S., Spanish onions peak in late summer through fall. So, we’re able to fill a gap to help meet consumer needs.”
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In close business collaboration with Kidco Farms, another Benz-founded entity, for processing, distribution and sales, Porter Farms assumed the entirety of onion production in 2020.
“We grow roughly 90 acres of onions per year,” Porter says. “This acreage produces upwards of 3.5 million pounds of onions.”
Onions represent the third most consumed fresh vegetable in the U.S. Thus, Porter strategically dedicates the majority of production efforts to onions, complemented by wheat and beans as rotational crops.
Bulbs in Bulk
According to the National Onion Association, Americans are eating more and more onions, averaging a 15% increase in recent years. This consumption surge is partly because onions are considered a superfood due to their many health benefits.
This highly nutritious, antioxidant-packed bulb vegetable may help decrease the risk of heart disease and certain cancers, improve digestive function, aid blood sugar regulation, and increase bone density, among other benefits.
Porter describes Porter Farms as a small onion operation and says the Dawson area’s naturally well-drained soil grants them a considerable advantage. Spanish onions thrive in North Dakota since the state’s climate provides the cool, relatively dry conditions that onions prefer, with long daylight hours during the growing season, which allows for good bulb development. Furthermore, these locally grown onions boast a lengthy shelf life spanning several months.
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Pitching In
Parents to two teenagers, Porter says he and his wife oversee all aspects of farm operations, with some additional support from seasonally hired harvesters.
“I’m typically in the fields all day long while she manages office administration,” Porter says.
Plus, because he initially trained to be a mechanic, Porter’s expertise in machinery maintenance and repair keeps farm equipment in ideal working order. Still, Porter admits he’s often called away from the farm for a vastly different kind of labor of love.
“I’m a volunteer fire chief for our local fire department, the Steele Volunteer Fire District,” he says.
To refuel after a hard day’s work, whether in the field or fire station, Porter enjoys a hearty sandwich topped with a slab of raw onion.
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