By Clint Thompson
Georgia Vidalia onion producers are in the midst of harvest season. One industry expert is optimistic with this year’s crop.
Chris Tyson, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension area onion agent, said his growers have avoided extreme weather events this season which helped production.
“We did have some big rains earlier before harvest, but that really didn’t create any issues. Overall, the temperatures have been fairly mild, and we haven’t seen a lot of extremes. El Niño, La Niña, for us, did we run into some type of extreme that would cause an issue? This year we really didn’t run into any kind of extremes,” Tyson said. “We didn’t have any extreme cold. It’s been a little cooler up until now, but it’s been nice. There hasn’t been any extreme on any weather pattern that would be enough to cause a huge issue for us. It’s been good.
“I think we’ll have a good crop this year. I feel very confident about what’s out there, and I think we definitely have a good crop out there. Time will just tell over the next four or five weeks how everything turns out. So far, what we’ve brought in has been good.”
How Much Longer is Harvest Season?
Vidalia onion producers are expected to conclude with harvests sometime in May, though the bulk of the harvests is done in April. It will still take time to get everything in and put into storage.
“I think everybody has been pleased with what they’ve seen so far, and we’re excited about this year. Just looking at the 10-day forecast, we don’t have a lot of rain in the forecast and that’s a good thing,” Tyson said. “We can cover a lot of ground in 10 days and keep harvesting our crop and make some good headway. I’m optimistic we’re going to have a good crop.”