Cooperative Extension Service
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia

Volume 9/Number 2
February 2005

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

Vidalia Onion Field Day

The annual Vidalia Onion Field Day is scheduled for March 31, 2005, from 12 noon until 3 p.m. at the Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center. The event will begin with a sponsored lunch followed by visits to the field plots.

Expected participants include David Langston, Stanley Culpepper, Bill Randle, Reid Torrance and me. Topics covered will include disease management, weed control, new fertility measures and onion varieties.

The onion variety trial is the largest we've ever run, with 45 entries. David Langston is handling his fungicide trial with some new equipment, and Stanley Culpepper has been working with some new herbicides. In addition, we hope to offer CCA and pesticide credits.

Please encourage your growers and other interested parties to attend. This is a great opportunity to get good information on onion production as well as offer feedback to researchers on areas of interest.

Directions to the Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center

8163 Highway 178
Lyons, GA 30436
912-565-7822

From I-16: Get off at the Swainsboro/Lyons exit (U.S. 1) and head south on U.S. 1 to Lyons. Continue south on U.S. 1 to Highway 178 south. Take this to Stanley Store and continue on Highway 147. The farm is located just before the Tattnall County line. It will be on your left, and there is a black and brown sign out front. You will pull into the driveway for the house at the location and continue back through the gate to the farm. The house has a large U-shaped hedge in the front yard.

From Reidsville: Take Highway 147 south toward the Georgia State Prison. You will pass the Georgia State Prison on your right and continue on, passing Rogers State Prison on your left. Continue unitl you cross the Toombs County line. The farm will be on your right, marked by a black and brown sign. You will pull into the driveway for the house at the location and continue back through the gate to the farm. The house has a large U-shaped hedge in the front yard.

From Athens: Take Highway 15 south to Higgston and turn left on Highway 292 to Lyons. Turn right on Highway 178, which will turn into Highway 147. The farm is on the left and has a black and brown sign out front. Pull into the driveway for the house at the location and continue through the gate to the farm. The house has a large U-shaped hedge out front. If you've entered Tattnall County, you've gone too far.

What Is OMRI?

OMRI stands for Organic Materials Review Institute. This is a non-profit organization that maintains and updates a list of generic materials that are allowed and prohibited under the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). In addition, they evaluate brand name products for compliance with the NOP rules. http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/indexIE.htm

With the advent of the NOP organic certification program, there has been a flood of brand name products that claim compliance with the rules. OMRI offers a service to both suppliers and buyers by certifying a product conforms to NOP rules. Growers can look on a package for the "OMRI Listed" designation to ensure the product they are buying conforms to the standards.

OMRI maintains a web site (www.omri.org) and offers a subscription service. The web site has a searchable data base of brand name products that conform to NOP rules. Growers can check this list to see if a particular product conforms. Since this is a voluntary service, not all products are listed. Just because a product is not on the OMRI list does not mean it does not conform to NOP standards. Companies must submit their product and request OMRI evaluation for it to appear on the list.

The OMRI generic materials list along with quarterly printed updates of the generic and brand name lists are only available through a subscription. The subscription price ranges from $50 to $200 depending on status ($50, educational; $100, individual; $150, non-profit; $200, business).

Suppliers wishing to have their product reviewed and listed by OMRI also pay a fee based on the size of the company and the type of product they wish listed.

I do have copies of both the OMRI generic and brand name lists so, if you have a question about a particular product, I can look that up for you.

The onions are growing rapidly now and, if last year is any indication, we should be harvesting some of the earliest varieties the first week of April. The onions should be at their peak for evaluation on the field day, so make an effort to come and encourage interested parties to come as well. If you have additional questions about the field day, contact Randy Hill (farm superintendent) at 912-565-7822 or me. I'm putting an addition on my house so, if I don't fall off the roof, I'll see you at the field day.