Onion World January 2020 by Columbia Media Group

ONION WORLD Voice of the Industry • OnionWorld.net • January 2020

Vidalia Preps for Another Sweet Season

PLUS: Trade Trends From Soil to Storage NOA Brings Washington to Florida Convention Irrigation Essentials Buyers' Guide

For the Advertiser Index click here

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Table of Contents Magazines For Maximum Yield

ONION WORLD Volume 36, Number 1

January 2020 6

Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association Conference

Seven Sightings at PNVA

Trade Trends

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

From Soil to Storage

8 10

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

NOA Brings Washington to Florida Convention National Onion Association Annual Convention

Eurasian Economic Union: Trade in Fresh Onions, Shallots

Irrigation Essentials

Vidalia Preps for Another Sweet Season

Buyers' Guide

Publisher / Advertising Manager Dave Alexander dave@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com Editor Denise Keller editor@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com Director of Operations Brian Feist brian@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com

EDITORIAL INFORMATION 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.

Washington State University displays the 47 varieties grown in the 2019 onion cultivar trial at the Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association Conference. See the story on page 6.

On the Cover

Departments

Vidalia onion growers look to repeat the success they had in 2019.

15 18 22

See the story on page 20.

Onion World â&#x20AC;˘ January 2020

Calendar In the News 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 2019. 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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OnionWorld.net

FROM SOIL TO STORAGE Photos and story by Denise Keller, Editor

hile the annual Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association (PNVA) conference covers a wide variety of vegetables, onion is the only crop to garner its own session on the agenda. University researchers and other presenters take this opportunity to cover many of the issues important to the onion industry, this time around tackling everything from soil to storage.

Measuring Soil Health

Making her PNVA conference debut, Deirdre Griffin LaHue spoke about soil health. LaHue is a newly hired soil scientist at Washington State University’s (WSU) Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center in Mount Vernon. She takes a systems approach to understanding the dynamics of soil organic matter, microbes and nutrients in agriculture to help improve the resilience of cropping systems. She began her presentation with a description of the qualities that define healthy soil. Comparing soil health to human health, she listed soil functions such as supporting crop growth, pathogen and pest suppression and being selfmaintaining. She went on to say that similar to taking human vital signs, measuring soil health involves vital signs including physical, biological and chemical indicators such as available water holding capacity, active carbon and soil pH. “A lot of work has been done on these indicators in the Midwest and the Northeast, but the scores for these measurements haven’t been calibrated to the Pacific Northwest and to Washington’s huge variety of soil,” LaHue noted. “We need to do some work to figure out what are ‘healthy’ ranges for the huge variety of soils and cropping systems we have in the state.” To this end, WSU and the Washington

Onion World • January 2020

State Department of Agriculture are working on a statewide soil health assessment this year, focusing on specialty crops including onions and potatoes. The objective is to assess the current soil health status and to understand the state’s soil health challenges. The project also aims to develop scoring curves for these soil health measurements based on Washington soils and to understand how soil management practices being used are influencing soil health metrics. LaHue is looking for growers willing to participate in the survey and allow researchers to measure soil health on samples from their farms. “We’re hoping to cooperate with you to get a really good understanding of where our soil health is right now and where to go from here. How do we improve it in the context of these systems?” she explained.

Maintaining Quality in Storage

Ken Young, director of product quality with Agri-Stor Companies, joined the session with a presentation on onion storage management. Maintaining onion quality after harvest hinges on the ability of the storage management program to provide proper drying and curing, cooling, holding, automated control and regular monitoring, according to Young. “The complexity of ag means we’re dealing with a lot of different variables, so it’s really hard to make a flat prescription or storage recommendation,” Young began, listing variables such as onion variety, and harvest and loading conditions. That said, Young suggests a storage system capable of providing 50 to 75 percent relative humidity air in a wide range of temperatures (32 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit). The system should do so

using as much outside air as possible but be fitted with heaters and refrigeration if necessary to achieve goal temperatures and at a range of delivered air volume between 1 and 2 CFM per cubic foot of onions. Ductwork should be sized to deliver the air volume at speeds of 6001200 feet per minute, he said. As onions dry, it’s important to have a properly designed ventilation system that can deliver the right amount of air while exhausting the water vapor to the outside, Young added. He generally recommends onions are dried and cured for two to 20 days between 75 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit at 2 CFM per cubic foot. Keep in mind, however, that using higher air

PNVA conference attendees check out onion bulbs on display.

Ken Young

temperature to finish curing the necks promotes heat-loving pathogens of onion such as Aspergillus niger (which causes black mold) and bacteria. After curing, onions should be cooled to holding temperature at a steady rate using as much natural outside cooling as possible. Agri-Stor recommends high air volumes at less than 75 percent relative humidity during cooling, with cooling ramp rates varying from 1 to 4 degrees per day. Holding temperatures can range from 32 to 41 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Young, and the air volume should be reduced to less than 1 CFM per ton at speeds of less than 600 feet per minute in the duct discharge holes for the remainder of the storage season. Young concluded with reminders to use an automated ventilation system to maintain desired temperatures and humidity in the storage and to regularly inspect and monitor onions throughout the duration of the storage period.

Lindsey du Toit, a WSU vegetable seed pathologist, receives the 2019 Friend of the Industry award at the PNVA conference.

Tony Shepherd mans the Acadian Plant Health booth at the trade show.

Steve Martinez (right) discusses Oxbo Internationalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s equipment with a trade show visitor.

Deidre Griffin LaHue

OnionWorld.net

PNVA Conference

SEVEN SIGHTINGS AT PNVA Rango

The Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association (PNVA) conference, held every November in Kennewick, Washington, is stacked with expert speakers during the day-and-a-half show. Attendees can brush up on continuing education, catch up with friends, network with colleagues and visit the trade show. At first glance, the trade show doesn’t appear to change much year to year, but with a closer look, new products and services can always be found. We toured the trade show floor and found a few new products and ideas that may make an impact on the onion industry.

Rango is a new product from Terramera that offers a fungicide, insecticide and miticide in one triple-control biological. In a 2019 trial at Washington State University, Rango reduced the number of onion thrips found during the season compared to an untreated check, and yield was increased. Rango is said to contain highly effective, plant-based active ingredients built into a proprietary formulation with superior mixing and handling qualities. It is OMRI listed for use in organic agriculture but can also be used as an effective tool for conventional farming. Visit www.tryrango.com.

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Onion World • January 2020

With over 100 years of experience, Iowa State University Seed Science Center is certainly not new to testing plants, but it was new to the PNVA conference. The center primarily does phytosanitary testing for seed companies, but also a lot of vegetable testing. The lab offers a full range of tests including germination, health and GMOs and can act as an alternative lab when testing is backed up in a grower’s primary lab. Visit www.seedlab.iastate.edu.

Re-Tape Drip Tape Recycling Program

In an effort to help growers increase sustainability and accountability to the end customer, Aquatech in Pasco, Washington, has a new program to collect and recycle used plastic drip tape and keep it out of landfills. Using Andros winding equipment in the field, drip tape is squeezed to remove mud and water and then wound into tight bundles. Those bundles are then washed and shipped overseas to be chopped up, re-pelletized into a high-quality plastic resin and eventually used for other products. Aquatech sells and rents the equipment in Washington and Idaho. Call (509) 619-9256 for more information.

Pesticide Residue Testing

Based in Sherwood, Oregon, Pacific Agricultural Laboratory (PAL), a Matrix Sciences Company, specializes in multi-residue pesticide testing. Consumer concern over pesticide residue in the food supply is growing, and producers need to know that they are in regulatory compliance. To this end, PAL/Matrix provides high-quality MRL screenings and legally-defensible analytical data for its clients. Visit www.pacaglab.com.

Northwest Gypsum

If “organic is the future,” as this company claims, then its new and recycled gypsum should be on every grower’s radar. Gypsum provides the key nutrients calcium and sulfur, on top of improving overall soil structure. It also improves crop quality, helps make stable soil organic, improves root penetration and helps roots absorb nutrients. Northwest sells gypsum prilled, in bulk or totes and delivers to some areas. Visit www.northwestgypsum.com.

American Takii Traverse

Traverse has been bred as a better transition onion from intermediate- to long-day. Zane Beams with Seedway says he was often seeing baldness out of the field with intermediate varieties. With a 110- to 115-day length, Traverse has more skin, which results in a better-looking consumer-pack onion with longer shelf life. Visit www.seedway.com.

Seminis Jawbridge and Crusher

Seminis has developed two new long-day Spanish varieties. Casey Crookham with Gowan Seed Company said these new varieties have a high single center percentage and will be good ringers. Named for rivers in the Pacific Northwest, these new varieties provide good yields with about 70 to 75 percent jumbo and some colossal bulbs. Call Casey Crookham at (208) 841-9702 or contact any Seminis dealer.

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NOA Brings Washington to Florida Convention Story and photos by Sharon Dunn

ttendees of the National Onion Association (NOA) annual convention in Naples, Florida, got another taste of Washington, and that’s by design. NOA Executive Vice President Greg Yielding has vowed to keep the association’s mission in politics top of mind. Knowing that not everyone can break from their daily grind to visit policymakers on their turf, he decided to keep the dialogue alive by bringing Washington to them.

Roughly 150 NOA members attended the association’s annual convention Dec. 4-7 at the Naples Grande Beach Resort. They were treated to an African safari tour of the NGALA Wildlife Preserve and a nursery tour of American Farms, as well as a workshop on how to dye fabrics with onion skins. The agenda also included a session on the USDA GAP program with Jeffrey Davis, business development specialist with the USDA, and Jennifer Dougherty,

Kimi Maag with Jamieson Produce in Vale, Ore., pets a snake during the NOA tour of NGALA Wildlife Preserve in Naples, Fla.

GAP team lead. Davis talked to the group about the USDA Good Agricultural Practices audit services, emphasizing that his office works for the group and growers should make use of what his office offers. A heavy emphasis throughout the convention was placed on the NOA’s Nature’s Ninja program. Members received lapel pins and ninja onion dolls and were given ideas of how to use the Nature’s Ninja in their marketing. NOA member John Harris, CEO of Paradigm Fresh in Fort Morgan, Colorado, kick-started the Nature’s Ninja program by creating new wineglass labels with the ninja character, and shipped in bagged onions with the labels to be used as centerpieces during the convention. Harris encouraged others to get involved for a combined effort to increase onion consumption throughout the country. NOA leadership will soon get together to discuss parameters of the shared use of the Nature’s Ninja marketing materials among the membership.

Two-Way Street

For decades, the NOA has conducted an annual trip to Washington D.C., bringing chiefly NOA leadership to discuss relevant issues with key legislators and policymakers. But putting more emphasis on bringing Washington to the NOA conventions is part of a concerted effort to reinforce the message that America’s onion growers will not piggyback or take a backseat to other, much larger lobbying groups. “The onion industry can’t afford to let others do our business for us because they’re not going to,” Yielding said. “Only onion people are going to represent the onion industry effectively. The plan going forward is to have at least one regulatory agent in our conventions.”

Onion World • January 2020

Doug Bulgrin, NOA’s incoming president and onion sales manager for Gumz Farms in Endeavor, Wisconsin, said the idea is to not only put onion industry folk in front of their lawmakers and policymakers, but to show those in Washington the faces of the onion industry. “It’s a great idea from the grower side to meet the politicians and understand who they’re talking with, and on the other hand for politicians to meet some growers

and learn a little about them and how they operate. There are definitely positives in both directions,” Bulgrin said. “We need people to understand that farmers aren’t the bad guys, we’re not out there polluting the land or spraying pesticides just to spray them,” Bulgrin added. “We’re not the big bad wolf. We want to be good stewards of the land. Bringing policymakers to the membership bridges a serious gap. We could try and pay

Onion World Buyers Guide_Sept2018_Layout 1 9/25/2018 9:17 AM Page 1

Greg Bennett and Doug Stanley pose together during the American Farms nursery tour.

New NOA President Doug Bulgrin takes home his “3 or more” award for signing up three or more new NOA members. His wife, Nikki, put him in his new coat.

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NOA Annual Convention

NOA President Doug Bulgrin and former president Shawn Hartley pose with Nature’s Ninja photo props.

a lobbyist and do things just individually. We have much more power as an organization.”

Lines of Communication

At present, there’s a wealth of issues that onion industry folk are concerned with, from pesticide regulation to farm labor and immigration reform to transportation, to name a few. Last summer, at the NOA’s summer convention in Madison, Wisconsin, a USDA speaker covered concerns of the

Allium leafminer’s increased presence in America. The speaker focused on how the federal government’s rules on creating quarantines for invasive species work, and how growers could work with their own state governments to guard against the potential invasion of the bug in their states. “I did find them helpful,” said Colorado onion grower Robert Sakata, who sat in on that USDA discussion at the convention. “I think it’s important that we still travel to Washington, too. [The more] we can interact with them, the better. The

Doug Stanley, the outgoing NOA president, receives a standing ovation at the NOA convention banquet.

Onion World • January 2020

The crop report breakfast wraps up the NOA annual convention in Naples, Fla.

convention probably provided me more information so when I go to Washington, I can speak about the issues.” Kay Riley of Snake River Produce in Nyssa, Oregon, and a past NOA president who continues to be involved politically and makes those annual NOA trips to Washington, agreed it was helpful to have that government presence at meetings, but he warned against having them there without an issue specific to the entire onion industry.

“Our political efforts have been of great value,” Riley said. “I’m all in if we’re doing something that’s worthwhile. [Yielding is] trying to make it something that’s new and fresh, and I appreciate all of that.” It’s almost a given today that there are fewer farmers in America. It stands to reason that with fewer farmers, there are fewer people in Washington who understand how the policies and rules they make affect the boots-on-the-ground operations. “I think it’s important for the association to have a presence and really voice the concerns of the membership,” Sakata said. “Not everyone can go to D.C. So I think it’s great if policymakers can come to the event and see everyone. It’s a great opportunity.” Yielding said he welcomes any ideas of policymakers to bring to conventions to help inform the entire membership. “Part of what the association needs to be doing is reaching to their elected government officials and regulatory officials,” Yielding said. “We’ve got to keep abreast of everything that’s going on, and we have to have them at the conventions to have a direct connection to what’s going on.” But not all of the NOA’s membership attends conventions, and that has to change, Bulgrin said, especially if people want to use that time to inform themselves about the issues the NOA is facing, and consequently, get to know the policymakers whose decisions affect the industry. “I think a lot of people who aren’t members do not realize they’re riding on the coattails of what NOA is doing for them, whether it’s in the food safety realm, or the fight for irrigation water, or the leafminer,” Bulgrin said. “People would be surprised to see how much effort we are putting into it.”

ONION PODCAST THE

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From left, Randy Clark with Volm, Jared Gutierrez with Columbia Basin Onion and Travis Whitney with Nunhems USA enjoy the balmy weather at the NGALA Wildlife Preserve.

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Trade Trends

Eurasian Economic Union: Trade in Fresh Onions, Shallots By Mark Wocial, Certified Global Business Professional, Wocial & Associates LLC

of cilities w in ce

he Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is an economic union of countries located in Central and Northern Asia and Eastern Europe. The EAEU includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Although the union came into force in 2015, this article examines longer trends in onion trade involving those countries. Overall, imports of fresh onions and shallots into the EAEU countries are far greater than exports. According to the United Nations international trade statistics, the five countries imported Approximately 3.6 million pounds of onions were 328,000 metricProduce tons (MT) of onions in in this Champion storage facility when the roofand caved in. Photo courtesy Champion 2018 exported 116,000 MT. In the Produce

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Onion World • January 2020

10-year period from 2009 to 2018, imports fluctuated, with a slightly declining overall trend. Exports remained relatively stable. Russia is the largest importer of fresh onions and shallots in the EAEU area. However, Russian imports declined from a high of 500,000 MT in 2010 to 160,000 MT in 2018. During the same period of time, domestic production increased from 1.5 million MT to over 2.1 million MT. Until 2014, the Netherlands was the leading supplier of onions to Russia. Last year, China was the largest supplier (53,000 MT), followed by Egypt (31,000 MT) and Kazakhstan (30,000 MT). These countries supplied over 70

percent of Russian imports. In contrast to Russia, Kazakhstan’s imports increased significantly in the past decade. In 2018, Kazakhstan imported 151,000 MT, almost entirely from Tajikistan (77,000 MT) and Uzbekistan (72,000 MT). Other EAEU countries are much smaller importers of onions. Last year, Belarus imported 10,000 MT, Armenia 4,400 MT and Kyrgyzstan 2,700 MT. Kazakhstan was the largest exporter of fresh onions and shallots among the EAEU countries in the last decade. However, the volume of Kazakhstan’s exports remained relatively unchanged, while Russian exports increased significantly. In 2018,

Imports (MT)

EAEU countries - Imports and exports of

Russia - Importsofoffresh fresh onions, by by Russia - Imports onions,shallots shallots country in in 2018 2018 (MT) country (MT)

EAEU - Imports and exports of fresh onions, shallots fresh onions, shallots

600,000 500,000 400,000 300,000 200,000 100,000 0

Exports (MT)

60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 0

Imports (MT)

Exports (MT)

Kazakhstan exported 54,000 MT and followed by Serbia (6,000 MT), Moldova Russia 45,000 MT. Russia was the largest (3,900 MT) and Romania (3,200 MT). export market for onions from Kazakhstan Even prior Russia - Imports of fresh onions, shallots byto the Russian import ban (31,000 MT), followed by Poland (8,300 in 2014, U.S. onion exports to Russia country in 2018 (MT) MT), Afghanistan (6,200 MT) and were insignificant. Thereafter, there were 60,000 Turkmenistan (3,500 MT). no U.S. onion exports to any EAEU 50,000 Last year, Ukraine was the largest export countries. 40,000 market for Russian onions (27,000 MT), 30,000 20,000 10,000 Calendar 0

Jan. 14–16

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.

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Irrigation Essentials Buyers’ Guide

Disinfecting Services • www.disinfectingservices.net • (208) 356-5332 Power Flush

Power Flush unplugs drip-tape emitters and micro-jets quickly and safely, restoring drip system efficiency. With its high-oxidative power, Power Flush reacts quickly and powerfully, clearing out plugging materials. An exclusive blend of oxygen and peroxyacetic acid, Power Flush is more effective than hydrogen peroxide at significantly lower feed rates, and the liquid is safer and more convenient than fuming acids and toxic gases. There are no halogenated hydrocarbon byproducts with Power Flush as are typically seen with chlorine and chlorine gas treatments, and any residuals are readily biodegradable and friendly to the environment.

Lindsay Corporation • www.zimmatic.com • www.fieldnetadvisor.com 9500HS Pivot & FieldNET Advisor

When it comes to effectively and efficiently irrigating onions and other root crops, speed matters, and the new Zimmatic 9500HS high-speed pivot delivers the quick irrigation cycles growers need to maintain moisture during germination and establishment. Designed to retrofit existing Zimmatic pivots, the 9500HS operates at up to twice the speed of a standard center drive motor. Faster application means more efficient water consumption on lighter soils, enabling better management of high-value crops. For added efficiency, onion growers can save time, boost profits and enhance sustainability with FieldNET Advisor. A cloud-based irrigation scheduling tool, FieldNET Advisor delivers automated, daily irrigation recommendations to help growers decide when, where and how much to irrigate. The technology now also includes high-resolution satellite imagery provided through Lindsay’s partnership with Farmers Edge, which gives growers the ability to check crop health across the field.

Skone Irrigation • (509) 545-8420 in Pasco, WA, or (509) 349-7364 in Warden, WA Reinke GPS Guidance

Reinke has released a new application for its GPS guidance system. Skone Irrigation, a Reinke dealer in Pasco and Warden, Washington, is now able to install Reinke’s GPS guidance on any Valley corner machine. This is a very reliable system and is a great option for systems that are encountering issues with buried wire guidance. This system can replace a current pathway or allow a user to realign the pathway to accommodate a newer structure or circle design. A simple download from a zip drive program and even in-field realignment is possible with this system. With a new install of the guidance system, irrigators can fix longstanding areas of concern, and the system can be moved onto machines purchased in the future.

Onion World • January 2020

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Valley Irrigation • www.valleyirrigation.com Valley 365

High-value crops like onions require a precision irrigation solution like Valley 365. Their susceptibility to water stress during bulb growth makes them the perfect commodity to benefit from connected crop management technology that integrates several solutions. Users can forecast and plan with Valley Scheduling to improve water application and receive irrigation recommendations based on real field data, and they can manage pumps and pivots in real time with AgSense remote technology. Growers can also detect crop health concerns before they become problems and receive proactive alerts with Valley Insights, as well as generate field-specific prescriptions for accurate, efficient water delivery with Valley variable rate irrigation. Valley 365 can help make sure plants receive the right amount of water at the right time, resulting in the highest quality onion crop to maximize grower profits.

Water Treatment Resources • www.watertreatmentresources.com Accu-Tab Chlorination System

The Accu-Tab tablet chlorination system by Water Treatment Resources provides a cost-effective, low-maintenance solution to many of the irrigation and processing industries’ operational concerns. Accu-Tab effectively chlorinates well water, surface water and reuse water supplies used for irrigation, processing, post-harvest and Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) purposes. The AccuTab system helps reduce maintenance by controlling algae and iron buildup that can cause clogs in irrigation systems. It also kills harmful bacteria in irrigation water, making farms FSMA compliant. As an effective alternative to gas and bleach, the system combines uniquely designed chlorinators with slow-release 68 percent 3-inch calcium hypochlorite tablets in a complete system that delivers consistent and controllable chlorine doses.

OnionWorld.net

In the News

Stokes Seeds Hosts Seminis Onion Summit

Stokes Seeds recently invited growers to Wisconsin to view onion variety test results, storage trial data and new onion varieties from Seminis Vegetable Seeds. Commercial producers from Wisconsin, Michigan, New York and Ontario, Canada, participated in the event that included farm tours at Gumz Muck Farms and Dean Kincaid Inc. Guests met with the business operators to exchange ideas and information on crop production, field equipment, product handling, storage and marketing. Growers participated in an onion grading session at the Seminis Vegetable Seeds Research Station in Deforest, Wisconsin, reviewing dozens of onion varieties harvested from Seminis research trials. Guests also toured the pathology lab and growing chambers at the research station and learned about ongoing onion research projects important to Midwest and Northeast producers.

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Onion World â&#x20AC;˘ January 2020

Corteva Manager Takes on New Role

Corteva Agriscience has named Britt Beene as the company’s new strategic account manager. In his new role, Beene will focus on building relationships with farming operations throughout Idaho. He will be working with farmers to make recommendations and put together specific pest management programs. He also plans to conduct on-farm field trials with existing and soon-to-be-registered products. In his previous position as Corteva territory manager, Beene focused on retail crop protection companies in eastern Idaho. He has been with Corteva since the merger of Dow AgroSciences and DuPont Crop Protection in 2018.

Stokes Seeds Grows Sales Support Staff Stokes Seeds has hired Dominick Levari for the position of product development and sales support for the Eastern U.S. region. In this newly created position, Levari will work closely with Stokes Seeds territory managers and vendors in testing and selecting new products best suited for the region. Additionally, he will recommend products to help producers meet their crop and profit goals. Levari was a two-year participant in the Stokes Seeds and Seminis Vegetable Seeds internship program. He has a bachelor’s degree in business management and over ten years of greenhouse and commercial vegetable and flower production experience.

TUCANNON Tucannon is a Spanish onion from Seminis that features dark scale color, deep globe shape and long term storage potential.

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VIDALIA PREPS FOR ANOTHER SWEET SEASON A

fter closing the book on a successful 2019 season, the Vidalia onion industry is gearing up for 2020. Vidalia onion growers started the 2019 season with 2,000 fewer acres planted than the previous year. But, due to exceptional weather during the harvest season, growers reported good yields and good quality. “We have enjoyed one of our strongest seasons in the last several years, as consumers across the country continued to make Vidalias their first choice for sweet onions,” said Bob Stafford, Vidalia Onion Committee (VOC) executive director. The VOC’s merchandising strategy, coupled with ongoing research on

improved growing methods and varieties, has helped to drive up total sales by 8 percent over the 2018 season. “Our merchandising and marketing programs and research have paid off for growers by increasing consumer demand, resulting in more stable wholesale prices,” Stafford said. The VOC continues to promote research efforts at the University of Georgia Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center, which include alternate planting methods and reducing nitrogen inputs. “We strive to ensure the quality of our Vidalia onion as well as improve efficiency of our growing practices. Our contributions toward research keep our

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Onion World • January 2020

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Bob Stafford, Vidalia Onion Committee executive director

customers happy and growers on the cutting edge of sustainable agriculture,” Stafford said, adding that the research will help the industry provide consumers with an even better tasting onion with increased shelf life. During 2019, the VOC built on its revamped brand and marketing campaign, introducing the “The Sweet Life” theme, reflecting the unique sweetness, quality and exclusivity of Vidalia onions, which are only available from April to August each year. With the 2020 crop in the ground, growers say the seed beds are turning out healthy plants, which in turn gives the industry a good start on the new season. “Our focus continues to be on improving our varieties with the expectation of harvesting more onions per acre while still producing the best tasting onion available,” Stafford said. “We participate in the ‘Georgia Grown’ program, and our Vidalia onion is the official Georgia state vegetable. We plan to keep our standard high enough to continue to be known as America’s favorite onion.”

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From the NOA

Nature’s Ninja Attacks Store Shelves

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

n the next six months, some of you may see new labels circulating in some Midwest grocery stores. They’re bright and eye-catching, fun and engaging and all about onions. They’re Nature’s Ninja labels. You may recall that in the last year, the National Onion Association (NOA) launched its Nature’s Ninja campaign. Nature’s Ninja is a new way of looking at our product. We want consumers to know the onion has skills. Serious skills. Serious ninja skills. Can you name many other vegetables out there that are as protected from food-borne illnesses, yet also help people fight common degenerative ailments such as heart disease and diabetes? It’s abundant. It’s versatile. It brings flavor to any dish. It’s a natural cleanser. It’s a natural tool for the do-it-yourselfer. And, it’s sustainable. Did we say it had skills?

Onion World • January 2020

We created our fun character, the onion ninja, to play to a new audience – an audience of existing and potential onion eaters in the millennial and Generation Z populations. We’ve plastered our fun little onion ninja on social media – where these groups are – and our website. Now is the perfect time for our members to run with it. We got our first taker in Paradigm Fresh out of Fort Morgan, Colorado. Owner John Harris adopted Nature’s Ninja for his labels after attending the NOA’s summer conference in Madison, Wisconsin. For him, it wasn’t just about finding something new, it was about going with something in which he believed. Harris has been attending the NOA conventions since he was a boy. Now, as an adult, he wants to help out the industry that raised him. He said he bought into the Nature’s Ninja concept for its fresh approach, and he believes it “is one of the best marketing ideas and more so marketing opportunity to allow its membership to capitalize on that has been available in 20 years.”

He immediately set to work with his supplier to create the Nature’s Ninja labels. Once they fit his needs, he ordered 2 million of them. They should last him six months. “The presentation (Nature’s Ninja Playbook) on the NOA website is really well put together; it’s a great message, and it has some excellent recipes, all things that a consumer would be interested in and appreciate,” Harris said. “My plan for the time being is to start with the labels and then possibly progress from there with our other types of packaging. The labels are the most consumer forward opportunity without question.” Of course, he waited until he needed to order more labels for his Colorado packing organization, which is what any sound packer would do. Now we need to get others on board. Many of our onion growers or packers across the country have their own individual brands, which we wouldn’t dare mess with. Nature’s Ninja is ubiquitous. It is the onion. It’s not a sweet, it’s not a tearless, it’s not a Vidalia or a Walla Walla or a Sweetie Sweet. It’s just the onion – bringing with it a message all onion growers should champion. These are products that are safe, good, good for you and that should be a main part of consumers’ diets. The labels are color-coded and available to put your company’s logo on, like Harris did with Paradigm Fresh. Harris said he enjoyed the fact that the NOA has done the hard work for him. The characters are all created: yellow, white, red and sweet. The NOA has social media posts, talking points and the artwork for member use. The NOA also has created the Nature’s Ninja Playbook, complete with an all-encompassing brochure that spells out onion history, attributes, tips and recipes, as well as a video to share digitally. Talk about a ready-made campaign. One of the NOA’s marching orders is to promote the consumption of onions. That number has stayed relatively flat in the last few years, with the exception of 2017, which saw a jump to 22 pounds per person. That number is back down to 20 for 2018. If we all get on board, Nature’s Ninja can help drive that number up. Will you be next?

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