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 met on January 22, 2004, to elect new members to the committee. Bo Herndon was elected Chairman, Kevin Hendrix as Vice Chairman and Danny Ray as Secretary/Treasurer. Mike McDonald was elected as the public member and Jack Hill as his alternate.
Their projected income from assessments is expected to be $379,548 based on an assessment of $0.12 per 50 pounds of onions, with an estimated yield of 350 50-lb. units per acre. A subcommittee had met previously to work up a budget for the committee that would put them on a cash basis. Right now, they borrow approximately $100,000 a year for operating. This revolving credit line has allowed the committee to manage cash flow throughout the year.
The proposed budget would have no funds for marketing, research or compliance. These savings were projected to generate $182,333. It was even proposed by the subcommittee that the assessment be cut in half.
At the end of the meeting, it was decided that no funds would be spent on marketing and $1,000 be given to the Vidalia Farm as a token gesture of support, since the University of Georgia is considering closing this facility. Bob Stafford, their compliance officer, would be paid from Georgia Department of Agriculture funds for this coming year. They have also decided to scale back their annual banquet and awards ceremony to save money.
Tina Wheeler, executive director of the VOC, handed out information at the January 22 meeting on the average yields per acre for 45 growers from the previous year. These were the average reported yield used for assessment purposes. The overall average was 218 50-lb. units per acre. The lowest reported average was 14 50-lb. units per acre, and the highest was 561 50-lb. units per acre. At the Vidalia Farm this past year, we averaged 410 50-lb. units per acre in the variety trial. Last year, yields were below average and comparing plot research yields to farm-wide yields can be problematic, but these yields are much lower than what we would expect.
Since these reported yields are for the purpose of assessment, there is some incentive to under-report these numbers. Although no one likes to pay out funds, particularly when the benefit may be difficult to assess, growers should be encouraged to accurately report their yields, since the marketing and promotion efforts of the Vidalia Onion Committee benefit everyone.
Georgia Organics, the organic growers group in Georgia, plans to hold their annual conference in Athens. The event is scheduled for February 21-22. It begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday with the opening of the Trade Show. There will be educational sessions beginning at 12:30 p.m. and running until 6 p.m.
The banquet is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday night. The Georgia Organics banquet is always a special treat, featuring locally grown organic produce. The menu is always something unusual and really good, often prepared by a professional chef. The keynote speaker for the banquet is Bob Scowcroft, the Executive Director of the Organic Farming Research Foundation. The OFRF is an advocacy organization for organic production. They also offer grants for research with organic production.
Sunday morning begins with a Farmers' Caucus and a question and answer session with Bob Scowcroft. This is followed by educational sessions from 8:45 a.m. until 11:45 a.m.
There will be a couple of pre-conference workshops available. One is "How to Get (and Stay) Certified Organic," which is scheduled for Friday February 20 from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. The cost for this workshop is $35 for GO members and $45 for non-members.
The other pre-conference workshop is "Whole Farm Planning for Organic Seed Crop Production." This workshop will focus on seed saving and conservation for the organic grower. This workshop is also scheduled for Friday, February 20 from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. There is not cost for this workshop.
For more information and to get registration forms, contact Mary Anne Woodie at 770-993-5534 or at maryanne@georgiaorganics.org. You can also get information and a registration form at the GO website: http://www.georgiaorganics.org/. Please encourage your growers interested in organics to attend.
The Farmgate Survey is scheduled to be conducted in the next couple of months. I understand they have gone to a Web-based system, which should make it easier. These numbers are important as we assess the impact of our extension efforts. You should make every endeavor to be accurate and complete. If you have questions about the survey, I'm sure the folks at the Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development can answer your questions.
I am particularly interested in the number of organic acres in the state. Nationally, organic production is the fastest growing sector in agriculture. I hope to be able to track the growth of this sector of agriculture in Georgia in the coming years.
Remember, organic production may include crops other than vegetables, such as various grains and ornamental crops. In addition, there may be greenhouse operations that are organic as well. Not all organic operations will be certified under the USDA certification program, but these should be reported as well. Conventional growers wishing to become certified are required to undergo a 3-year transition period of organic production. These also would be counted as organic growers for the acres in transition.
In addition to organic production, I am interested in greenhouse vegetable production. I am particularly interested in the square feet of greenhouse space devoted to growing vegetables. Most of the greenhouse vegetable production in Georgia is for transplant production. There is a small but growing industry of greenhouse grown vegetables in the southeast. I get many calls about this and am interested in seeing if this sector is expanding.
The new year has started with a bang. The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Conference and Winter School back to back. Several research projects on onions at the Vidalia Farm keep me busy, a new disease in onions, and next week I'm off to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to attend the Southern Region meeting of the American Society for Horticultural Science. Talk to you next month.