After a soggy winter, spring and start to harvest, Georgia’s famous Vidalia Onion crop is hitting markets and looking good, according to a University of Georgia onion expert.
Southeast Georgia, the state’s onion belt, weathered almost 20 inches of rain during planting time in November and December. Despite the wet weather, farmers are reaping good prices now at harvest, said Reid Torrance, the UGA Cooperative Extension coordinator in Tattnall County, where almost half of the crop is planted.
“The crop is coming in better than what we feared and the prices are just a bonus,” he said.
Farmers are getting $22 to $24 for a 40-pound box of Vidalia Onions at market now. When the market opened the third week of April, prices started at $30 a unit. Over the season, prices typically average between $14 and $16 per 40-pound box, but this year that average likely will be in the mid-$20 range, he said.
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