Onion growers in South Texas have voted in favor of downsizing the number of members on the South Texas Onion Committee, the marketing order that oversees the industry.
The number of members on the committee has dropped from 34 to 26 members. The proposal leading to the trims cited a 31% decrease in onion growers and 34% drop in handlers in the region in the past 15 years.
Voting was Aug. 6-27. The change passed with 100% support of those voting, according to a news release, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
A final rule implementing the amendment will be published in the Federal Register and the industry will be notified when it is published, according to the release.
There are about 30 handlers of South Texas onions, according to the USDA. Total shipments were about 3 million 50-pound equivalents for the 2015-16 season.
