Cooperative Extension Service
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia
George
Boyhan, Extension Horticulturist-Vegetables
East Georgia Extension Center
Nessmith-Lane Building, 2nd Floor
PO Box 8112
Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, GA 30460
912-681-5639 | 912-681-0376, Fax | 912-682-3481,
mobile
The Vidalia Onion Committee had their monthly meeting in March to discuss the upcoming season. They went over their projected income and expenses for the coming year and discussed where they will spend their promotional money. Their projected income for the coming season is $414,000 based on 11,500 acres. They have earmarked $145,450 for marketing, $100,000 for research, $144,550 for administration, and $24,000 for compliance.
Promotional activities already approved include Family Features, Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), Produce Marketing Association (PMA), and Festival Contributions. (There are Vidalia Onion Festivals in Vidalia and Glennville.) The Vidalia Onion Festival in Vidalia is scheduled for early April because the Blue Angels are coming. The committee thought this was too early (no onions), and they decided to send a letter to the Festival Committee to suggest the last weekend of April be permanently chosen as the festival date for future festivals.
Additional promotional activities approved at this meeting included making two videos, a website, some additional print campaigns, and $60,000 for advertising on the Food Network.com website. This last item reaches 1.2 million web viewers.
The Vidalia Regional Promotion person was there to ask for onions to be featured at the General Store at Stone Mountain, Georgia. Stone Mountain apparently attracts more people in the southeast than any other venue except for Disney World. The committee agreed to buy and donate 1,000 pounds of onions for this effort. Any additional onions, the General Store at Stone Mountain will have to buy.
The Vidalia Onion Committee has moved to new offices in Vidalia, which include a small museum on Vidalia onions. The opening of the museum coincided with the Vidalia Onion Festival.
The total acres reported this year is 13,565, which is down from 14,500 acres the previous year. There were 117 growers reporting so far -- there may be a few stragglers. The grade standard agreed to this year is USDA U.S. No. 1. Growers have the option of using the Federal standards or the "Georgia Grade," which is somewhat less demanding. They decide this year by year.
The Vidalia Onion Business Council met after the regular meeting; they decided to keep Bob Redding as their lobbyist. Bob Redding will be working for them at a lower rate than in past years because he is also handling business for the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Grower Association (GFVGA) and the blueberry growers.
Georgia Organics has planned seven workshops on organic production and marketing and two field day demonstrations on conservation tillage. The cost for each workshop is $45 and GO members receive a $20 discount.
Please note the information about the workshops below. For more information, contact Georgia Organics at
Georgia Organics
2103 North Decatur Road #348
Decatur, GA 30033-5305
Wk: 770-993-5534
Fx: 770-993-7061
georgiaorganics@georgiaorganics.org
These workshops and field days should be a great opportunity for your growers as well as you to garner more information on organic production.
| 2003 Workshops |
| 7 Workshops
on organic production and marketing 2 Field Demonstrations on conservation tillage |
|
May 8,
2003 |
|
May 9,
2003 |
| * Alex McGregor has been an organic grower for more than 30 years. He currently owns and operates Walden Farm near Chattanooga, which has been in commercial production since 1991. He markets through on-farm sale and local farmers' markets, and does wholesale business to a local restaurant. As director of the Intensive Farming Educational Program, Alex has developed and taught university courses on Organic Farming and Biointensive Farming. |
|
August
15, 2003 |
|
August
16, 2003 |
|
August
28, 2003 |
|
September
10, 2003 |
|
October
30, 2003 |
|
November
20, 2003 |
| Programs
funded by Georgia Organics, USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA), and EPA's Strategic Agriculture Initiative. |
| NOTE: Schedule is subject to change. |
| Cost for each workshop: $45. GO members receive $20 discount. |
We have again scheduled to have a Twilight Summer Field Day at the Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center. This field day will highlight ongoing work in both vegetable and fruit production.
This year's field day is scheduled earlier than in previous years to accommodate early-season fruit research. The field day is scheduled for May 29, 2003, from 6-9 p.m. We will be visiting the field plots first and then have a sponsored supper around 7 p.m. We hope this will give us more face time with growers and other interested parties. Please encourage your growers and others to attend.
Those scheduled on the program are:
Gerard Krewer -- blackberry trellis systems
Phil Brannen -- methyl bromide alternatives in strawberries
Kenny Seebold and David Langston -- cucurbit pathogens
Stormy Sparks -- sweet corn insect control
Georgia Boyhan -- watermelon and cantaloupe trials, new pollinizers and new
pumpkins
For more information, please contact Randy Hill, VOVRC Superintendent, 912-565-7822, or me.
This year is shaping up to be a good one for onion growers. Prices have remained high although yields on early onions have not been stellar. We are just getting into the main part of the season.
If diseases don't become too troublesome, if the weather remains cool, and if it dries out where we can get into the fields, it should be a very good year for growers. They sorely need it.
I went to the Vidalia Onion Festival for the first time since I've been here. I saw the Blue Angels perform, and that was very exciting.
Don't forget to encourage your growers to attend our Twilight Summer Field Day. See you next month.
Regards,
George Boyhan