By Clint Thompson
Vidalia onion harvests continue across the Southeast Georgia region. Producers are yearning for dry weather over the next several weeks.
Not only will a lack of rainfall allow growers to harvest their crop in a timely fashion, it will also decrease the potential for disease development as onions are harvested and placed into cold storage.
Cliff Riner, Vidalia Onion Committee chairman, discussed the importance of dry weather during harvest time for he and other producers.
“A little rain alone doesn’t hurt, but we also generally need the dry weather once we start the process. That’s where we’re at; praying for good weather, no hailstorms. We need the rain in the fields we need to irrigate but nowhere else,” Riner said. “We really see a big quality advantage when we have drier weather. That just helps that skin to look better and everything to cure up nicely once we get them in the shed. When we’re ahead of schedule, we can stay ahead of schedule and work around bad weather. When you’re getting behind because of bad weather, it’s harder to rebound. Right now, as we are getting started, we’re still ahead of the curve.”
The region has received steady rainfall, according to the University of Georgia Weather Network. In Vidalia, Georgia, from April 1 to April 16, 1.99 inches of rainfall was recorded, more than last year (1.96) and in 2021 (0.12). In Baxley, Georgia, rainfall during that same timeframe was recorded at 4.26 inches, more than last year (1.21), 2021 (0.53) and 2020 (1.99).