February 10, 2010. Vidalia, GA. The Vidalia Onion Committee (VOC) is celebrating 20 years of state and federal crop protection.
In 1989, farmers united to enact a Federal Marketing Order (FMO) for Vidalias. The USDA program established the Vidalia Onion Committee and extended the definition of a Vidalia onion, passed by the Georgia legislature in 1986, to the federal level. The FMO also provided producers a means to jointly fund research and promotional programs, which still actively benefits the industry 20 years later.
The Vidalia onion was named Georgias Official State Vegetable in 1990.
On Feb. 6, 2010, the Committee and industry supporters celebrated these milestones at their annual banquet in Vidalia, Georgia, by going back to the 1980s. While music and memorabilia from the era set the mood, 200-plus attendees were treated to life-sized photos of the onion growers and industry leaders from 20 years ago. To address the significance of 20 years of state and federal protection for Georgias #1 vegetable crop, speakers for the evening were Bobby Harris, Assistant Commissioner of Markets Division for the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA), and Doris Jamieson, Marketing Specialist with the Southeast Marketing Field Office of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Another evening highlight, the announcements of the VOCs 2009 award recipient for Grower of the Year, its latest Hall of Fame inductees, and a special recognition award.
Terry Gerrald, owner of Gerralds Vidalia Sweet Onions, Statesboro, GA, was recognized as 2009 Grower of the Year. Gerrald was among a determined group of growers who bused back and two from Atlanta in the 1980s, convincing state legislators to provide a legal definition of the Vidalia onion and its growing region. Their efforts were significant in deterring a mounting number of bootleggers who had begun bagging and selling counterfeit onions under the Vidalia name. More recently, Gerrald built one of the first completely enclosed food-safe sheds in 1999 and put in the industrys first state of the art drying rooms in 2004. A leader in food safety, Gerrald was also the first to switch to 100% plastic bins for harvest and storage. Gerrald has served as an active member of the Vidalia Onion Committee for years. VOC executive director Wendy Brannen says, Terry has had the furthest to drive to our meetings than anyone, but hes made that trip from Statesboro to Vidalia every month without complaint. He has won the respect of his fellow onion growers through his candor, dedication to the industry, good farming, and by just being an A-plus kind of guy.
Hall of Fame inductees this year were Bob Stafford of Raiford, Fla., and brothers Danny and David New of Vidalia.
Bob Stafford is the Director of the Vidalia Onion Business Council, in which capacity he represents the growers and packers in political matters and acts as a liaison with the Georgia Department of Agriculture. He is a member of the Vidalia Onion Advisory Panel, which among other duties helps determine the Vidalia onion season start date for the Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture. Stafford is a charter member of the Association of Fruit & Vegetable Inspection Services of America. He has worked for Departments of Agriculture in seven states, predominately in the Southeastern United States, and has worked tirelessly for the Vidalia industry with such career achievements as: helping implement an effective quality control inspection program by cooperating with the Georgia Federal & State Inspection Service; establishing a proper Vidalia labeling system; setting up a Vidalia royalty fund; and forming a Vidalia onion growers exchange.
The New Brothers aggressive national marketing of fresh onions and foray into processed Vidalia onion products has led many who followed in their footsteps to describe them as, visionaries ahead of their time. During the early 1970s, Georgia onion promotion had come to a standstill. Some of the crop was sold as Glennville Sweets or Tattnall County Sweets, while other onions were packaged under private labels like Pride of Piggly Wiggly Brand Vidalia Onions. The brand was confusingly fragmented. As Danny New observed, It was a special product being marketed in a very unspecial way. We were determined to change that. So, the brothers set out to market Vidalia onions, and by the late 1970s, New Brothers was the largest grower-shipper. Because the fresh onion season was so short, they decided to diversify and pioneered the processing of Vidalia products: relishes, salad dressings, onion rings and more. Danny New wrote a book about their experiences in the industry and his ongoing battle with Multiple Sclerosis titled, Body Under Siege: Two Very Different but Two Very Connected Stories that is available at Amazon.com.
Also honored was Doris Jamieson, USDA, for outstanding service and dedication to the success of the Vidalia program during her tenure as the VOCs USDA field representative. Jamieson will rotate off the Vidalia program this year, as is customary with FMO programs.
The Grower of the Year award recognizes overall achievement and success as a Vidalia Onion producer with an emphasis on quality production and compliance with the Marketing Order.
1. Is a registered Vidalia Onion grower
2. Is not a current member of 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 & supports brand recognition
The Vidalia Onion Hall of Fame award honors a person who has significantly and positively impacted the Vidalia Onion industry.
1. Protecting & promoting the Vidalia Onion name
2. Protecting & promoting the quality of the Vidalia Onion
3. Advertising the Vidalia Onion
4. Using creative selling methods for Vidalia Onions
5. Promoting research & growth development of the Vidalia Onion
6. Demonstrating dedication to the success of the Vidalia brand and the industry as a whole
Source: VOC