Vidalia onions marketing season opens in two weeks

ATLANTA — The latest crop of Georgia’s signature sweet onion, the Vidalia, will be on store shelves in a couple of weeks.

On Monday, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black set April 25 as the official pack date for Vidalia onions, which are grown in a 20-county area of Southeast Georgia. The onions will be available in stores and at markets after that date.

“I know that every family farmer in Georgia that grows Vidalia onions wants to put the best product on the market every day,” Black said. “It’s not just about being first to market with something; it’s about going to market on the first day with the best.”

He said the goal this year is for 100 percent consumer satisfaction with the specialty crop.

The General Assembly, in 1986, authorized the commissioner of agriculture to set the season-opening date for packing and selling to protect the integrity of the crop and to ensure consumer satisfaction. Black said the date was recommended to him at three meetings with growers from the Vidalia onion production region.

“The worst thing we can do is start too early,” said Brett McLain of McLain Farms. “In the past we’ve done just that and have shipped immature onions and it has just about ruined our industry.”

McLain, who is chairman of the advisory panel, said, “That is what we have been working with the commissioner to avoid, and I think this date will help us accomplish that.”

Agriculture Department officials note that the onions are prized for their sweetness and mild flavor. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Georgia farmers harvested 268 million pounds of Vidalia onions from 11,200 acres in 2015. Value of production for last year’s crop exceeded 120 million.