Onion Field
It’s 100 degrees outside. Not a tree in sight. I’m standing at the end of a row of onions, ready to harvest. Brad, of SonRise Farms is explaining how the onions are harvested by hand. The night before the rows have been prepared. A roller has dug under the soil and sliced the roots free. Some of the onions are upended in the row, others are still half under the soil. Workers will descend on this field shortly, to hand cut the tops, removing the long green tendrils, at the proper length to ensure the tops close and dry ready for market. The worker will then trim the roots to the root ball we all have seen on onions ready to purchase in stores nationwide. He tell us the burlap bags, will be filled with approximately 90 pounds of onions, or 4 boxes of trimmed and cut onions. The workers are paid by the piece.