VIDALIA, GA – Brett McClain is the 2018 Vidalia Onion Grower of the Year.
McClain, of Lyons, GA-based McLain Farms, Inc., received the honor at the March 16 Vidalia Onion Banquet and Awards Ceremony.
Neighbor Aries Haygood, vice chairman of the of Vidalia Onion Committee and general manager of M&T Farms, spoke of McClain’s accomplishments during his induction.
“There’s no doubt about the attention to detail they put into their crop and packinghouse facility,” he says. “If anyone wants to see something neat on sweet onions, visit their place. These guys are amazing.”
Brett McClain dedicated the award to his father, James McLain, 77, McLain Farms’ owner, who died in August.
The company began operation in 1985. McLain Farms grows more than 400 acres of Vidalia onions. It markets most of its onions through Shuman Farms, Inc., based in Reidsville, GA.
Also at the ceremony, Brittany Braddy was recognized as the 2018 Courtney Wilkes Ag & Vet Scholarship winner. In its seventh year, the scholarship is offered to Vidalia onion region graduating seniors who plan to pursue careers in the agriculture or veterinary industries. It was created in honor of Courtney Wilkes, a Lyons teenager who was murdered in 2011. Wilkes’ family members work in the Vidalia onion industry.
This is the 30th year of Vidalia Onion Committee.