Vidalia Onion Committee announces award winners
Vidalia Onion Committee announces award winners
The Vidalia Onion Committee in Vidalia, GA, held its annual industry banquet Feb. 2, at which it named its 2007 award recipients for Grower of the Year and its Hall of Fame.
This year's awards ceremony was poignant, as the awards went to a father- son duo that has had significant impact on the Vidalia industry. Rodney (R.T.) Stanley Jr. was awarded 2007 Grower of the Year, and his father, Rodney Taylor Stanley Sr., was posthumously inducted into the industry's hall of fame. Mr. Stanley Sr.'s wife, Louise Stanley, accepted the award.
The Stanleys farm and reside in Toombs County, the location of the city of Vidalia and one of the top two onion-producing counties in the Vidalia growing region.
R.T. and Rodney Stanley farmed Vidalia onions together in the 1980s, the pivotal period when Georgia's now-famous sweet onion began to receive widespread recognition. This decision to turn away from a more traditional row crop -- tobacco -- and gamble on the fledging onion market was one that would dramatically change the Stanleys' farming operation and go on to boost the crop's standing as the pioneer of the sweet onion category.
Mr. Stanley Jr. has risen to become one of the more recognizable representatives for Vidalia onions. He was among the core group of growers who fought to attain legal status for the onion, clearly defining the growing area, establishing a protective certification for the name and getting Vidalia onions designated as Georgia's official state vegetable. Moreover, he was among the growers who fought to gain a federal marketing order to further protect the name and thus the value of Vidalia onions.
Robert Meyer, the long-standing director of markets for the Georgia Department of Agriculture, was also recognized at the banquet. Mr. Meyer dedicated the bulk of his career to the Vidalia onion, fighting against improprieties of the Vidalia name. He has been a reliable source of technical information for the industry on matters such as certification mark requirements, grading standards and grower registration.
Mr. Meyer retired at the end of 2007.
The Grower of the Year award recognizes overall achievement and success as a Vidalia onion producer with an emphasis on quality production and compliance with the marketing order.
The Vidalia Onion Hall of Fame Award honors a person who has significantly and positively affected the Vidalia onion industry.
This year's awards ceremony was poignant, as the awards went to a father- son duo that has had significant impact on the Vidalia industry. Rodney (R.T.) Stanley Jr. was awarded 2007 Grower of the Year, and his father, Rodney Taylor Stanley Sr., was posthumously inducted into the industry's hall of fame. Mr. Stanley Sr.'s wife, Louise Stanley, accepted the award.
The Stanleys farm and reside in Toombs County, the location of the city of Vidalia and one of the top two onion-producing counties in the Vidalia growing region.
R.T. and Rodney Stanley farmed Vidalia onions together in the 1980s, the pivotal period when Georgia's now-famous sweet onion began to receive widespread recognition. This decision to turn away from a more traditional row crop -- tobacco -- and gamble on the fledging onion market was one that would dramatically change the Stanleys' farming operation and go on to boost the crop's standing as the pioneer of the sweet onion category.
Mr. Stanley Jr. has risen to become one of the more recognizable representatives for Vidalia onions. He was among the core group of growers who fought to attain legal status for the onion, clearly defining the growing area, establishing a protective certification for the name and getting Vidalia onions designated as Georgia's official state vegetable. Moreover, he was among the growers who fought to gain a federal marketing order to further protect the name and thus the value of Vidalia onions.
Robert Meyer, the long-standing director of markets for the Georgia Department of Agriculture, was also recognized at the banquet. Mr. Meyer dedicated the bulk of his career to the Vidalia onion, fighting against improprieties of the Vidalia name. He has been a reliable source of technical information for the industry on matters such as certification mark requirements, grading standards and grower registration.
Mr. Meyer retired at the end of 2007.
The Grower of the Year award recognizes overall achievement and success as a Vidalia onion producer with an emphasis on quality production and compliance with the marketing order.
The Vidalia Onion Hall of Fame Award honors a person who has significantly and positively affected the Vidalia onion industry.
