The outlook for the upcoming Vidalia onion crop looks to be similar to last year’s crop.
“The varieties we plant, along with the consistent weather, soil and inputs, allow us to grow a highly consistent sweet onion that doesn’t give us a lot of surprises. This is a positive for the retail industry allowing for promotional planning,” says Walt Dasher, vice-president of Glennville, GA-based G&R Farms.
That said, the crop looks to be slightly ahead of schedule by a week. “Our varietal program and planting schedule plans for predictability. Unlike some onion varietals, the Vidalia sweet onion aims for consistency of size, shape, quality and flavor,” says Dasher. “The Vidalia onion season is always highly consistent within a week or two of the same start date and is mostly impacted by weather. We will begin shipping April 12th and expect to have sweet onions available now through August.”
Left to right: Steven Shuman, Cliff Riner, Walt Dasher and Blake Dasher
The Vidalia as a staple
Demand for Vidalia onions has also been equally consistent in recent years. “The pandemic drove a consistent increase in sales that has maintained nicely without major drops in volume unlike some products which saw early spikes and then dropped to traditional sales volumes,” says Dasher. He credits this trend to the role of onions as a pantry item coupled with the fact that so many consumers are still cooking at home. “Onions are a basic staple and sweet onions like Vidalias are a versatile go-to onion. We expect this trend to continue on the similar path in 2022,” he adds.
However, there are demographic shifts in the Vidalia onion purchaser. “It’s important to recognize that the sweet onion consumer continues to get older and the younger consumers are not as heavy of users with as high of frequency of purchase,” he says. “So far this has not impacted sales, but it is important to recognize if we don’t address demographic shifts immediately, the long term reality could be detrimental to sales. Overall though, the pandemic has created a positive trend in all onion sales including sweets thanks to their versatility.”
To help with consumer interest, G&R Farms has turned to using cause marketing campaigns such as its Growing America’s Farmer program. “It creates secondary displays and impulse purchase, but also reminds consumers to support the next generation of farmers thanks to a portion of their purchase going toward grants and scholarships for FFA members pursuing careers in production agriculture,” says Dasher. “To date, more than a dozen regional and national retailers have participated in the program that is near and dear to our values and we are excited to bring more vendors and commodities on board to expand our reach. Retailers and everyone in the supply chain understand how important it is to cultivate the next generation of farmers.”
To help with consumer interest, G&R Farms has turned to using cause marketing campaigns such as its Growing America’s Farmer program.
Market gaps
As for pricing, while much of the Vidalia onion crop is under contract which allows for consistent market pricing, there are currently availability gaps in the sweet onions from Peru and Mexico that are causing market fluctuations. “We expect those challenges to be resolved by the Vidalia season,” says Dasher.
However, what likely won’t be resolved are many of the issues growers and shippers of commodities around the world are facing, of which Vidalia onion growers aren’t spared from. “The biggest challenges right now continue to be labor and logistics, as well as inflation related to inputs,” says Dasher. “Everything from fuel to fertilizer, bags to boxes, is costing more. Everyone in the supply chain unfortunately is going to feel some of that pain with costs up 20-50 percent over previous years, along with uncertain geopolitical issues in Europe.”
For more information:
Melinda Goodman
Tel: +1 (414) 469-5524
[email protected]
https://www.grfarmsonions.com/
