Onion World September/October 2018 by Columbia Media Group

PROTECT ONIONS from NEMATODES

High-yielding, high-quality onions begin with Telone® II soil fumigant. Telone provides the greatest level of nematode management and creates a zone of protection throughout seedbeds. Blending Telone with chloropicrin will also help manage pink root. By significantly reducing nematode populations, Telone becomes part of an effective long-term nematode management program. Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow Always read and follow label directions. Telone is a federally Restricted Use Pesticide. www.dowagro.com ®

STRIKE BACK AT SOIL BORNE DISEASE AND NEMATODES. The best way to manage soil borne pathogens in onions is before they become an issue. Strike soil fumigants are chloropicrin based and are used to manage soil borne diseases such as Phoma (pink root), Rhizoctonia, Fusarium, Pythium and pathogens such as nematodes. No other products are as effective in managing Pink Root as Strike. When targeting soil borne disease and nematodes Strike formulations with Telone II can be applied in a single pass. This reduces application costs and shortens plant back intervals. Strike promotes vigorous root growth and improves soil health.

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Table of Contents Magazines For Maximum Yield

ONION WORLD Volume 34, Number 6

September/October 2018 6

PO Box 333 Roberts, Idaho 83444 Telephone: (208) 520-6461

www.O n i o n W o r l d .n e t Onion World Contacts

The California Dream

National Onion Association Summer Convention

Publisher / Advertising Manager Dave Alexander dave@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com

Storage Essentials

Editor Denise Keller editor@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com

Battling Bacterial Diseases

Director of Operations Brian Feist brian@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com

Testing the Waters

Asian Imports of Fresh Onions, Shallots

Summer Meeting Covers Ag’s Hot Topics

Buyers' Guide

Managing Center Rot, Botrytis Leaf Blight of Onions in Georgia EDITORIAL INFORMATION

Is Drip Irrigation Feasible in Sandy Soil?

Trade Trends

Washington Potato & Onion Association

Onion World is interested in newsworthy material related to onion production and marketing. Contributions from all segments of the industry are welcome. Submit news releases, new product submissions, stories and photos via email to: editor@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com, or call (509) 697-9436.

ADVERTISING SALES For information on rates, mechanics, deadlines, list rental, direct mail, inserts or other information, call (208) 520-6461 or email: dave@onionworld.net

SUBSCRIPTIONS U.S. $24 per year Canada $40 per year Foreign $80 per year Payments may be made by check, Visa, MasterCard or American Express.

A research study at Oregon State University’s Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center aims to evaluate the efficacy of drip irrigation in the area’s coarse-textured soils. See the story on page 16.

On the Cover Top Air demonstrates its model 90A topper windrower during the National Onion Association Summer Convention in Bakersfield, Calif. See the story on page 6.

Departments

19 20 22

Onion World • September/October 2018

In the News Calendar From the NOA

Subscribe online at: www.OnionWorld.net or call (503) 724-3581. Email address changes/corrections to brian@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com or mail to: Onion World PO Box 333 Roberts, ID 83444 Onion World magazine (ISSN 1071-6653), is published eight times a year and mailed under a standard rate mailing permit at Idaho Falls, Idaho and at additional mailing offices. Produced by Columbia Media Group PO Box 333, Roberts, ID, 83444. Copyright 2017. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose without the express written permission of Columbia Media Group. For information on reprints call (208) 520-6461.

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NOA Summer Convention

California Dream The

Story and photos by Dave Alexander, Publisher

The field day is always a lot of fun at NOA conventions. This year’s tour showcased a Top Air harvester, a PlantTape planter and a just-completed packing line at Rio Farms. All the equipment was working well and running smoothly.

Julie Locke with CVS Ag shows off the company’s airEoso electric truck during a field day stop at Rio Farms. Attendees listen intently to a presentation at Rio Farms.

The PlantTape planter attracts a lot of attention – and cameras – at Bakersfield. The planter promises to save a ton of labor and pay for itself.

Sprouts are sewn into a cloth mesh and then fed into the PlantTape planter like a machine gun belt. One grower involved in tests said the cloth is sticking to some onions. “Once that is figured out, it is going to be great,” he said.

Palogix rents plastic bins to growers and packers. The company needed a way to speed up bin washing and built this one-off custom machine that picks up and moves bins through the washer at a quick pace. Rio Farms saw it and rented the machine along with bins from Palogix.

Convention attendees enjoy the field day despite temperatures over 105 degrees.

ome people in northern climates see Southern California in a romantic light. It’s easy to understand why, when Al Roker is plopping 60- and 70-something temperatures on the left part of his big map in mid-winter. There may be a foot of snow to clear from northern driveways with temperatures that would make penguins happy, but there sit those 70s – on that massive HD-screen map. It’s enough to make you change the channel. Or dream of a trip to the coast. Perhaps when you get to California, you’ll climb a palm tree and pick a coconut. Maybe cruise the endless freeways, or camp on the beach. The reality, of course, is different. You won’t find anything at the top of palm trees except giant rats’ nests. More often than not, the freeways resemble parking lots. If you camp on the beach, you might get murdered. But you can still hum the tune of “California Dreamin’” if you head farther inland and north to the one of the largest agricultural production areas in the world. The National Onion Association (NOA) did just that and held its summer convention in Bakersfield, California, July 18-21. Bakersfield is quieter and less hectic than the L.A. metropolis 120 miles south. There are still freeways, but traffic is usually moving. Since the city is inland, there are no beaches for camping, but plenty of air-conditioned hotels. If there are rats in the trees, they weren’t seen or heard (not that we went looking). In any case, the Bakersfield convention was a success with knowledgeable speakers and a terrific field day tour. If you missed Bakersfield, you will want to catch retiring Executive Vice President Wayne Mininger’s last convention in Maui, Hawaii, set for Nov. 28 - Dec. 2.

Sorters work at Rio Farms during the NOA ag tour.

Sharla Johnston with NOA and Doug Bulgrin with Gumz Farms confer during the field day.

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Onion World • September/October 2018

Huib Smit (left) with Allround Vegetable Processing and his distributor, John Rietveld with Rietveld Equipment, designed and built the new smooth-running packing line at Rio Farms.

The catwalk provides a bird’s-eye view of Rio Farms’ new sorting line from Allround Vegetable Processing and Rietveld Equipment.

OnionWorld.net

NOA Summer Convention

Five Minutes With…

René Hardwick, National Onion Association Director of Public and Industry Relations

he newest employee at the National Onion Association (NOA) is a published author and accomplished journalist. She is only 5 feet tall, but don’t let that fool you. Get out of line, and she may just kick your butt. What’s your background? My background is mostly in newspapers and the journalism world. I spent 23 years with the Greeley Tribune. I did PR with a local community college for almost three years. Are you married; do you have kids? I am married, and I have one daughter who is in college. Tell us something about yourself that people might find surprising. I have been training in martial arts for 14 years. I guess that would be surprising when you look at me; I’m all of 5 feet, so you wouldn’t know that I could probably inflict some pain if you tried to come after me. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Journalist, since I was nine years old.

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Onion World • September/October 2018

René Hardwick says her new job at the NOA is the most interesting of her career.

What’s the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had? That’s a really good question. I’d almost say this one (laughs) because I get to do so many different things. I’m a writer by nature. I’m an editor by nature. But here I get to be a photographer, a designer, a full-contact media professional, if you will. And I’m just meeting tons of people all the time. To me, that’s pretty interesting. You said you worked in PR, so this seems like a pretty good fit for you. I hope so. The first gig that I had as a PR person was at a local community college, so I was really concentrated on selling the local people on what the college had to offer. I wrote some articles for some national newspapers involving community colleges, but this here really concentrates on national publicity, so it’s a bit of a learning curve. But it’s a really fascinating world to walk into. What is the one thing you would like to be famous for? I’d love for my book to be turned into a movie. It’s a true crime book. It’s on Amazon. I self-published, but it is on Amazon, as well. It’s called “In Tina’s Shadow.” It chronicles a 14-year mystery. This young nurse goes to meet her estranged husband for one last visit to settle an IRS debt, and she’s never seen again. But, there’s no body; there’s no fingerprints; there’s no crime scene; there’s no confession; there’s no evidence; there’s no DNA; there’s nothing. Fourteen years after this crime, a new DA comes on. The police are still smarting over this crime. They know he did it, he got away with it, and it ticks them off. So they convince the prosecutor to try him. It turns into the longest trial in Weld County history. My butt was numb every day for 30 days in this trial. I took meticulous notes. I tweeted all day long. We’ve got photos. If you want to hear more of this interview, go to: www.TheOnionPodcast.com.

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NOA Summer Convention

We Got Your Back It’s official. After 32½ years, NOA Executive Vice President

Wayne Mininger will retire to the Austin, Texas, area with his wife, Ardith, in April 2019. With the association beginning the search for his replacement, the summer convention seemed like the perfect time to recap the NOA’s accomplishments. As NOA President Doug Stanley said, “We don’t give ourselves enough credit.” Speaking to attendees during the meeting day of the convention, Mininger characterized the support NOA gives the industry as “We got your back.” He said that from 1982 to 2017, onion consumption per capita in the U.S. increased 80 percent to nearly 21 pounds. He went on to say that Libyans eat 75 pounds per person, so “we’ve got a ways to go.” No other commodity has risen to this extreme, however, and Mininger thinks the NOA’s work has helped this growth. Mininger outlined nine of the NOA’s accomplishments through the years and presented a good case why the onion industry should support the NOA and become members.

1 2 3

Founded in 1913, the NOA brought the industry together for the first time as a special interest group. In 1958, a lifetime ban on onion futures trading was realized. According to Mininger, if onion futures trading had remained, the industry would look nothing like it does today. The work NOA did on NAFTA 25 years ago was worth over $38 million to the U.S. onion industry (approximately $65 million in today’s dollars). NOA delegates were among the first to conceptualize and present an idea that eventually became known as the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) to congressional leaders. SCRI has paid handsome dividends to the U.S. dry bulb onion and garlic industries, with approximately $12.4 million in prior year grants. The industry is seeking $3.2 million in grants this year. In 2008, NOA began working on soon-to-be-enacted food safety regulations. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FMSA) became law in 2010. The association engaged Congress during lawmaking, and then worked with FDA, states, and private and land grant university researchers throughout the rulemaking process. Most recently, NOA submitted comments supporting the extension of water quality and testing stipulations, granting more time for study, research and contemplation of consequences that follow whatever FDA decides to do.

4 12

Onion World • September/October 2018

5 6 7 8 9

The NOA was the first special interest group to lobby Congress to lower the commercial driver’s license (CDL) age from 21 to 18. Over 63,000 drivers are currently needed in the U.S.; the “Drive Act” and other proposals are currently before Congress. If the minimum CDL age is dropped, the driver shortage should be lessened. NOA is part of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Coalition (SCFBC) working on the 2018 Farm Bill. There is significant lobbying on the part of individual trade associations like NOA, as well as through coalitions such as the SCFBC. Working with Western Growers, USDA’s Foreign Ag Service and Taiwanese officials, the NOA is seeking approval of a Taiwan onion import compliance plan. Though progress has been slow, the plan should help alleviate future trade disruptions. The Allium leafminer originally came to the U.S. from Europe. NOA is asking USDA/APHIS PPQ (Animal Plant Health Inspection Service – Plant Protection & Quarantine) to shore up its defenses and provide better control at the borders to detect and stop the crop-damaging pest before it moves into multiple production areas in the U.S. NOA President Doug Stanley is actively working with key NOA members at the state level to get the states to petition the federal government to enact more border control. The NOA participated with several other trade associations to get Kroger’s payment policy to follow Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) guidelines. The NOA communicated the onion industry’s concerns directly to an onion-friendly congressional office that held face-to-face meetings with Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue during the midst of the debate.

Storage Essentials Buyers’ Guide Agri-Stor Companies • www.agri-stor.com Agri-Star Control Panel

Agri-Stor Companies helps growers take control of their onion storage with Gellert’s Agri-Star Control Panel. Since 1964, Agri-Stor has designed and sold thousands of Agri-Star panels for a wide range of postharvest products. Through all these years of application experience and universitybased research, Agri-Stor Companies has developed a user-friendly, advanced control panel. Features include a full-color, interactive touchscreen, easy-tounderstand programming and internet capabilities with an intuitive app. Fully adaptable to growers’ onion storages, the Agri-Star panel can handle everything including curing mode, burners, humidity, refrigeration, airflow, temperature, carbon dioxide levels, heat and lights. When growers match the Agri-Star panel with Gellert’s climate control equipment, their onions are wrapped in the perfect climate, extending their life and quality.

BioSafe Systems • www.biosafesystems.com/agriculture Thermal Fogging Program

BioSafe Systems’ thermal fogging program offers control reliability, effectiveness and the added benefit of extended storability for onions. By fogging with StorOx 2.0 and/or SaniDate 5.0, the chemical compounds become part of the water vapor and are carried up through the onions, reacting with bacterial and fungal organisms. This application penetrates every nook and cranny of the pile, thoroughly enveloping it. Intermittent applications during storage can reduce the incidence and severity of storage losses from common pathogens.

Jet Harvest Solutions • www.jetharvest.com Jet-Ag

Jet-Ag’s original and unique patented formulation and process superheats and produces a thermal fog, which creates a vapor that permeates throughout the storage facility. The patented technology utilizes the free radicals generated from superheated Jet-Ag into super microbial oxides which kills all microorganisms including bacteria, fungi and algae such as bacterial soft rot pathogens, Botrytis and black mold. Jet-Ag also has a desiccant effect which creates a curative effect on the onion bulb in storage to help control disease. Jet-Ag can be applied at any time, but ideally upon completed storage of onions. Jet Harvest Solutions and Industrial Ventilation (IVI) offer application of this cost-effective treatment.

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Battling Bacterial Diseases Managing Center Rot, Botrytis Leaf Blight of Onions in Georgia By Bhabesh Dutta, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia

ew research at the University of Georgia could help onion growers better manage bacterial diseases while also reducing expenses and increasing profits. Vidalia sweet onion is a specialty vegetable crop that accounts for 40 percent of the national spring onion production and had an annual farm-gate value of $148 million in 2016. Center rot is the most damaging bacterial disease affecting onions in Georgia, with severe losses occurring both in the field and in storage. Since its first report in Georgia in 1997, center rot has been a constant threat to onion producers in Georgia and other onion producing states. Based on crop-loss estimates in 2016,

The necrotic lesions on these onion bulbs are symptoms of center rot. Photo courtesy Bhabesh Dutta, University of Georgia

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Onion World • September/October 2018

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center rot resulted in $3.5 million in losses in Georgia. The disease is primarily caused by a Gram-negative bacterium, Pantoea ananatis, which is endemic to Georgia, as more than 20 weed species have been reported as possible inoculum reservoirs. Other Pantoea species such as P. agglomerans and P. alli can also cause center rot symptoms, and all three bacterial species have been reported in Georgia. Center rot symptoms include necrotic and bleached streaks on young leaves, and in severe cases, it may lead to wilting of plants. The bacterium may also progress to the bulb and predispose bulbs to rot in storage. Under favorable conditions, the disease has potential to cause yield losses up to 100 percent. The bacterium has the potential to move from foliage to the bulb, causing rotting and liquefaction in bulb scales. P. ananatis has the ability to be seed-borne, and it is recommended that growers use clean seed to reduce potential introduction of inoculum.

Evaluating Center Rot Management

Dr. Bhabesh Dutta with the department of plant pathology at the University of Georgia evaluated and identified susceptible growth stages of onion that can cause bulb infection. He also evaluated if there are differences in susceptibility to bulb infection among sweet onion cultivars. Dutta identified two cultivars, 1518 and 1407, with significantly lower bulb incidence compared to others. Furthermore, Dutta identified three susceptible growth stages in onion that can cause bulb incidence in field as well as in storage. As a follow-up study, Dutta protected these susceptible growth stages with Kocide 3000 (copper bactericide) or a plant defense inducer (Actigard). Dutta

observed that protective treatments with Kocide 3000 or Kocide 3000+Actigard at bulb initiation and bulb swelling growth stages significantly reduced bulb incidence of center rot. In contrast, applications of Kocide 3000 or Actigard, or Kocide 3000 + Actigard did not significantly reduce bulb incidence after onion seedlings were exposed to thrips, indicating that thrips infestation can reduce the efficacy of protective chemical treatments against P. ananatis. In a field study, Dutta evaluated the onion growth stage-directed chemical applications on center rot incidence in onion bulbs. Onion plants were protected with Kocide 3000 or Actigard, or Kocide 3000 + Actigard at all three growth stages (first leaf senescence, bulb initiation and bulb swelling). The field plots were aggressively protected with insecticides for thrips control. Dutta observed that Kocide 3000 and Kocide 3000+ Actigard, when applied at either bulb initiation or bulb swelling stage, resulted in significantly lower disease incidence in bulbs compared to Actigard only and the untreated control. Marketable yield was also significantly higher when Kocide 3000 and Kocide 3000 with Actigard were applied at the bulb initiation and bulb swelling stages. Dutta has demonstrated that growth stage-based targeted spray under good thrips control settings can reduce the frequency of copper sprays by at least three applications, which may account for $300350/acre in savings for Georgia onion growers.

included one application of a SDHI fungicide: Fontelis or Endura or Merivon at 10 days after transplanting followed by late-season fungicide sprays comprising of Scala, Inspire Super, Pristine, Bravo, Luna Tranquility and Omega 500. The current recommendation may result in a $2,000/acre increase in profit. Based on a recent survey with county agents, the adoption rate of this recommendation in 2018 is 40 percent, and in coming years, it is expected to be widely adopted by Georgia onion growers.

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Improving Botrytis Leaf Blight Management

Botrytis leaf blight, caused by a fungal pathogen, Botrytis squamosa, has been a continued threat to onion growers in Georgia. The disease is commonly managed by late-season fungicide applications. However, the level of disease control varies year to year and field to field. In a multi-year study from 2015 to 2017, Dutta demonstrated that earlyseason overhead Fontelis application can significantly improve the efficacy of late-season fungicides against Botrytis leaf blight. The new fungicide recommendation was extended to the onion growers that

Botrytis leaf blight lesions appear as small, sunken, light tan areas surrounded by pale green tissue or “ghost halos.” Photo courtesy David Langston

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Testing the Waters Is Drip Irrigation Feasible in Sandy Soil? Story and photos by Denise Keller, Editor

espite the benefits of drip irrigation, the technology has yet to become the irrigation method of choice for most onion growers in the Umatilla Basin of Oregon. A lack of research-based recommendations specific to the region’s super sandy soil has kept many growers from making the move to drip. But now, a research study at Oregon State University’s (OSU) Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center aims to evaluate the efficacy of drip irrigation in the area’s coarse-textured soils.

Soil Moisture Monitoring

Scott Lukas, an assistant professor of horticulture with OSU, chose to conduct the research after identifying irrigation as an area with room for potential improvement in the region. Unlike onion production areas to the north and south that commonly use water-efficient drip irrigation, less than 10 percent of the onions in the Umatilla Basin are grown under drip irrigation, Lukas estimates. Lukas’ research is one of the first studies of drip irrigation in such sandy soil, he says. The work focuses on soil moisture monitoring and is designed to determine when to initiate irrigation and model where water moves from the drip emitters. “Field men have a ton of experience

and can look at the soil and see what the crop needs, but it doesn’t hurt to have a little more data behind it to see what’s happening underground,” Lukas explains. In this first year of the project, Lukas is evaluating four treatments including two drip tape flow rates: ultra-low and low. For each, water is set to turn on at two soil moisture onset thresholds: 20 centibars (cb) and 10 cb. A network of sensors measure soil moisture values every 30 minutes. In turn, the system logs the data and directs valves to turn on or off. With the ultra-low flow drip tape typically used in areas with denser soil, water tends to move straight downward through Hermiston’s sandy soil, rather than laterally toward the crop rows. Thus, Lukas is looking at low-flow drip tape as a means of pushing water laterally toward the onion row. Lukas will compile preliminary data this fall and plans to continue and expand the trial during the next two years.

Potential Benefits

Ultimately, this research could help the local onion industry experience the benefits of drip irrigation. Designed to deliver water and nutrients directly to the root zone of the crop, drip irrigation can save water, reduce disease pressure, increase quality and yield, and reduce fertilizer costs and

Onion World • September/October 2018

Scott Lukas with Oregon State University is working to develop drip irrigation recommendations specific to the sandy soils in the Umatilla Basin.

The irrigation trial includes two drip tape flow rates and two soil moisture onset thresholds.

nitrate-leaching losses, according to Lukas. As part of his study, Lukas is trying to determine how much nitrogen is being lost with each of the various irrigation treatments. Treatments that put more water down through the soil profile are most likely resulting in nitrate leaching, as well, he says. “Reducing water use coupled with reducing nitrate leaching are two of the most fundamental challenges that all agriculture in this region is going to face,” Lukas says, adding that the nitrate leaching issue might eventually lead to legislation that could restrict fertilizer usage to some extent. “The best thing growers can do is to continue to be proactive and keep adopting new strategies so that when the legislature does look at it, it shows that they’re working on it.” Lukas adds that growers in the region currently are utilizing many leading-edge farming practices and that the possibility of expanding and improving on those methods is very exciting. Based on what he’s seeing in the study so far, Lukas says the prospect of using drip irrigation in the region looks promising, and he believes it will become more widely implemented in the future. “With the water scarcity issues, this is the world we’re living in. In all of agriculture, water is a precious resource. The smarter we can be with it and the more precise we can be, the better,” he says. “That’s what this is. This is precision ag at its greatest.” Scott Lukas uses a lysimeter to pull water from the soil to check for nitrates.

Scott Lukas shows off the “brains” of his drip irrigation trial. The solar-powered panel controls soil moisture sensors, records data from the sensors, and directs irrigation valves to turn on and off.

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Trade Trends Asian Imports of Fresh Onions, Shallots

By Mark Wocial, Certified Global Business Professional, Wocial & Associates LLC

ccording to the U.N. international trade statistics, countries in Asia imported approximately 2.5 million metric tons (MT) of fresh onions and shallots in 2017, valued at almost $1 billion. The top 10 countries accounted for 86 percent of imports. Malaysia was by far the largest importer in the region and purchased 582,000 MT of fresh onions from other countries, valued at $173 million. India supplied 58 percent of those imports, China 20 percent and the Netherlands 14 percent. Japan, the second largest importer, purchased 292,000 MT of fresh onions last year, valued at $135 million. China supplied almost 90 percent of Japan’s imports, followed by New Zealand (8 percent) and Australia (2 percent). Vietnam imported 254,000 MT, primarily supplied by China and India. Sri Lanka (243,000 MT) was the fourth largest importing country in Asia, followed by Bangladesh (208,000 MT) and Indonesia (151,000 MT). India was the dominant supplier of onions to those countries. New Zealand and the Netherlands had a strong position in Indonesia, where they supplied 25 percent and 14 percent, respectively, of the country’s imports. In 2017, South Korea imported 150,000 MT of fresh onions, with China supplying over 90 percent of that volume.

Nepal (114,000 MT), Kazakhstan (79,000 MT) and Taiwan (77,000 MT) rounded out the top 10 import markets in Asia. Nepal imported almost all its fresh onions from India, while Kazakhstan imported primarily from Tajikistan and Russia. The volume of fresh onions imported by countries in Asia grew at an average annual rate of almost 12 percent in the past three years. Considering the size of the import market in Asia, U.S. exports to the region are very small. Taiwan is the largest market for U.S. exports of fresh onions. Last year, U.S. exports of 40,000 MT represented 52 percent of Taiwan’s imports. U.S. exporters shipped 4,000 MT to Japan, 1,300 MT to Hong Kong and 250 MT to South Korea. While Malaysia is the largest import market in the region, the U.S. exported only 3 MT to the country, while the Netherlands shipped 84,000 MT. Overall, the U.S. exported 46,000 MT to Asia, valued at $18 million. In comparison, the Netherlands exported 147,000 MT valued at $46 million. Author’s note: This information is based on the author’s analysis of the international trade data collected by the United Nations International Trade Statistics Database and the U.S. Census Bureau Foreign Trade Division.

Imports of fresh onions and shallots by countries in Asia in 2017

U.S. exports of fresh onions and shallots to Asia in 2017

MT x 1,000

MT 40,000

582

4,000 1,300

250

292 254 243 208 151 150 114

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In the News

Riner Joins G&R Farms

Cliff Riner, a familiar face in the Vidalia onion industry, is the new crop production manager at G&R Farms. The Glennville, Georgia, farm grows 1,000 acres of onions and operates a storage, packing and shipping facility. Riner will be working to improve efficiency and explore various growing options to enhance the farm’s onion crop and strengthen the company’s commitment to quality. Previously, Riner worked as the University of Georgia’s Vidalia onion area extension agent and coordinator of the Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center. He is known in the Vidalia onion industry for his research in the mechanization of onion planting, variety selection and evaluation, onion flavor and pest control. He also helped establish the University of Georgia’s Crop Quality Laboratory, which evaluates sweet onion pungency and provides research on sweet onion flavors through seed variety and soil analysis.

2017

2016

21.91 pounds

19.58 pounds

21.91 pounds

U.S. annual consumption of onions jumped to 21.9 pounds per person in 2017, a 15 percent increase from 2016, according to numbers from the USDA. After being rather stagnant for the last decade, U.S. annual per capita onion consumption increased more in 2017 than it had in the previous eight years. Consumption data coincides with a 2017 report from Datassential, which showed that the onion was the top vegetable at dining establishments in 2016, penetrating 93 percent of all OnionOnion consumption establishments consumption Per person Per person across the country and appearing in 12 percent of +12+12 % % all dishes, a 26 percent increase since 2005. “The American consuming public’s taste for onions has +15 % 2009 2017 +15 % naturally grown 2009 2017 Source: USDA/Vegetables and Pulses Yearbook Data/#89011/March 30, 2018. as they learn Source: USDA/Vegetables and Pulses Yearbook Data/#89011/March 30, 2018. about its outstanding nutrient value, health benefits, and varieties in tastes and cooking methods,” said Wayne Mininger, executive vice president of the National Onion Association.

e e

South Africa-based Zaad Holdings Ltd. has acquired Sakata Seed America’s onion seed breeding program. Zaad’s reputation and capabilities will allow the company to expand production and supply channels in the onion market, according to a press release from Sakata. Zaad is described as having strong research and development, production and distribution systems established in continental Africa, Europe and the U.S. Sakata’s longtime breeder will continue onion breeding efforts for Zaad. Sakata Seed America will maintain the right of first refusal to market the acquired commercial onion genetics in its existing territories.

Americans Up Onion Consumption

19.58 pounds

Sakata Sells Onion Breeding Program

Stokes Seeds Adds to Executive Team

Stokes Seeds has hired Fraser Hetherington as its new executive vice president. He will oversee the company’s marketing, product and supplier strategies, while company president, Wayne Gale, will continue to handle distribution and finance. Stokes Seeds management sees great potential in the vegetable seed market over the next several years and hired Hetherington to provide the company with top-level leadership in strategic planning and the support necessary to capitalize on

those opportunities. Hetherington is looking forward to meeting suppliers in the next few months and learning more about the vegetable seed industry and its people.

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