Vidalia, GA – The glitz and glamour of Las Vegas were on full display at last month’s annual awards banquet honoring the Vidalia® Onion Committee’s (VOC) most recent crop of winners. Approximately 275 people were greeted with larger-than-life displays of playing cards, poker chips and dice upon arriving at the Hawks Point Golf Club in Vidalia, Ga. With farmers always gambling on crops, the committee decided to go all in, betting the farm that the theme “Viva Las Vidalias” would be a hit with the crowd.
This year’s attendees included 2013 VOC executive committee members: new Chairman Kevin Hendrix, Hendrix Produce, Metter, GA; new Vice-Chairman Jason Herndon, Herndon Farms, Lyons, GA; and public member Myrtle Jones of Toombs County Ag South Farm Credit, Secretary-Treasurer. Other 2013 Committee members and alternates in attendance included outgoing Chairman Aries Haygood, M & T Farms, Lyons, Ga.; Barbara Braddy, Braddy Farms, Mt. Vernon, Ga.; Brett McLain, McLain Farms, Lyons, Ga.; Charlie Robison, Robison Farms, Ailey, Ga.; Brian Stanley, Stanley Farms, Vidalia, Ga.; Blake Dasher, G & R Farms, Glennville, Ga.; Tina Collins, Plantation Sweets, Cobbtown, Ga.; Jamie Brannen, Curry and Company, Statesboro, Ga.; Ronnie McLeod, McLeod Farms, Reidsville, Ga.; and Jerome Parker, Public Member Alternate.
At the February 16 event, the Grower of the Year and Hall of Fame inductees were announced.
The Grower of the Year award recognizes overall achievement and success as a VidaliaÒ onion producer with an emphasis on quality production and compliance with the Marketing Order. The Grower of the Year must meet the following requirements:
1. Registered Vidalia® onion grower
2. Cannot be currently serving on the Committee
3. Has submitted reports and payments in a timely manner
4. Has had no or few complaints to the Committee Office
5. Conforms to the standards set forth in the Order
6. Enhances and supports brand recognition
The 2012 Grower of the Year was awarded to Ray Farms in Glennville, Ga. Ray Farms is a real family farm that has always strived to pack a high-quality product. Avon and Annette Ray started farming in Tattnall County in the early 1950s. After Avon and Annette retired, their sons Danny and Gary took over farming operations with their wives in the late 1970s. The farm produces cotton, corn, peanuts, watermelons, peas and beans; however, its main crop is Vidalia onions. During the summer months, the entire family works in the packing house during the Vidalia onion harvest season.
Whitney, the daughter of Danny and Patsy, has been with the operation for four years. Her job duties include overseeing sales and transportation. Gary and Rhonda have two children who look forward to the time they will be old enough to join the operation.
Danny also served on the VOC for several years as the committee treasurer.
The Vidalia® onion Hall of Fame award honors a person who has significantly and positively impacted the Vidalia® onion industry by:
1. Protecting and promoting the Vidalia® onion name
2. Protecting and promoting the quality of the Vidalia® onion
3. Advertising the Vidalia® onion
4. Using creative selling methods for Vidalia® onions
5. Promoting research and growth development of the Vidalia® onion
6. Demonstrating dedication to the success of the Vidalia® brand and the industry as a whole
This year, the VOC selected Buck Shuman and Gerald Dasher to induct into the Hall of Fame.
From his early work of blending fertilizers, to becoming an onion grower and working with seed breeders to develop improved varieties, Shuman has devoted nearly four decades to serving the Vidalia onion industry and helping the Vidalia sweet onion maintain its superior brand image.
As the owner of Shuman Fertilizer, Inc., Shuman began blending fertilizers for his customers in the 1970s. He believed a sweeter onion could be achieved by customizing what was needed in the field instead of simply applying the standard blends.
“Blending fertilizers, I’m convinced, is the way to come up with a sweet, mild onion,” said Shuman.
His method took a variety of factors into consideration to allow the crop to flourish and maintain its trademark sweet, mild flavor. Working closely with former Tattnall county extension agents Max Smith and Reed Torrance, Shuman was one of the first in the industry to blend his own fertilizers to develop a sweeter onion.
In 1994, Shuman was in his early sixties when he decided to embark on a new career and transition into the Vidalia onion seed business. Shuman began working for D. Palmer Seed as the company’s Vidalia onion representative – a position he still holds today. For the last 19 years, he has worked with D. Palmer Seed and breeders from around the world to develop cultivars and varieties through trial and error that have become what are now the leading sweet onion varieties in the Vidalia onion industry. Today, his varieties represent one-third of the total Vidalia onion production, including the “Mr. Buck,” which the company named in his honor. Shuman also developed the Sapelo variety, which henamed after the Sapelo River, one of his favorite rivers on the Georgia coast. The Sapelo is considered one of the cornerstone varieties in the Vidalia onion industry, with more acreage than any other variety in production today. Shuman also named another popular variety after his only granddaughter, Megan.
Dasher of G&R Farms in Glennville, Ga., was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame.Dasher is remembered as one of the pioneering forces in the marketing, growing and distribution of the Vidalia onion. He was one of the first to grow this sweet onion as well as the first to sell them to major grocery chains. In the early 1970s, Dasher began traveling all over the United States and internationally to promote and market the sweet onion and was one of the first to use aggressive marketing tactics. His growing operation had humble beginnings, with just 10 acres of onions and later blossomed into a booming industry. Dasher never hesitated to reach out and help other farmers. He marketed other growers’ onions for several years.
G&R Farms is one of the oldest in the business. Dasher, along with his brother Robert, began working together in the 1960s and formed their partnership, G&R Farms in the 1970s. They were the first growers to package the onions in the boxes that are still widely used today.
Over the years, Dasher served as Chairman of the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association and was a member of the Governor's International Board of Industry and Trade and the National Onion Association.
About Vidalia® Onions
Vidalia® onions are the pioneer of sweet onions and Georgia’s official state vegetable. Grown only in the mild climate and unique soil surrounding Vidalia, Ga., they’re loved by chefs and home cooks throughout the world. Vidalia® onions are hand planted and hand harvested each year, with sweet, juicy bulbs available seasonally from late April to late August.Vidalia® onions, with their mild, sweet taste, are versatile and can be used in a variety of amazing recipes. These Georgia sweeties are also a low-fat, low-cholesterol and sodium-free way to get a healthy dose of Vitamin C! For more information, visit VidaliaOnion.org.
About the Vidalia® Onion Committee
Because Vidalia® onions are sweetly unique, farmers were forced to unite and seek legal protection of their crop and its name. Federal Marketing Order No. 955 was established in 1989 to stipulate how and where the crop can be grown and sold. The Vidalia® Onion Committee administers FMO No. 955 and authorizes production research, marketing research and development, and marketing promotion programs. This federal protection reinforces Georgia state laws and the Vidalia® trademark. So, you can try to grow a sweet onion elsewhere, but you cannot call it a “Vidalia!” For more information, visit VidaliaOnion.org.
Source: Vidalia® Onion Committee