Glennville, Ga.-based Bland Farms, a year-round grower-packer-shipper of sweet onions, says it will extend its Vidalia sweet onion season through early October due to a strong crop this year.
“We have a rather unique opportunity this year because of a bumper crop,” Bland Farms owner Delbert Bland said in a news release. “We typically supply Vidalia sweet onions until the end of August, but this year, thanks to exceptional weather and advanced storage technology, we will have a supply until the first part of October.”
Bland attributes the strong crop to favorable weather conditions this growing season and its controlled-atmosphere storage rooms to help extend availability.
“The winter wasn’t cold enough to damage the crop, and we enjoyed a perfect spring,” Bland said. “The quality is excellent, and they look fantastic. Our controlled-atmosphere storage helps the onions dry, healing any blemishes and maintaining their premium quality.”
Bland said the company plans to delay shipment of Peruvian sweet onions to the U.S. for now because of this year’s bumper Vidalia crop.
“We’ve started harvesting in Peru, but with so many Vidalias still in storage, we’ll export our early Peruvian crop,” Bland said. “It’s a good problem to have, and we are committed to keeping Vidalias on the shelf as long as possible.”
