LYONS, GEORGIA (Farm Monitor) — Vidalia onions may be a bit smaller this year, as drought conditions take a toll on the crop. Chris Tyson, Extension Onion Agent with the University of Georgia, says that the lack of rain is showing up in the crop’s size.
“When you don’t really get any rain, especially in the springtime when the crop is trying to grow in, it can affect the size,” Tyson explains. “And that’s some of what we’re seeing this year. Some of the onions may not be quite as big as they would normally get, so that’s one thing that we’ve had to deal with.”
While onions are grown only in a small part of the state, they have a significant impact on Georgia’s economy, with a farm-gate value of more than $150 million each year. However, growers faced historically low rainfall during the growing period this season.
To be labeled a Vidalia onion, it must be grown in a 20-county region in southeast Georgia, where the climate and soil give it its distinct taste.
Toombs County Extension Agent Jason Enfield says growers are still focused on maintaining that quality.
“We’re able to fertilize, we’re able to irrigate,” Enfield explains. “We’re able to manage those nutrients that help give us that true Vidalia flavor that our growers are pushing so hard to get.”
This year, Georgia farmers planted more than 10,000 acres of Vidalia onions, which is in line with typical seasons.
