A & M Farms by: Natalee

At A&M Farms in Lyons, GA,  we learned all about the production and sale of onions. Not just any onion, but Vidalia Onions. They have 600 acres of onions which they primarily grow. Planting occurs in the fall and the seeds mature in the spring. Onions have a complex cycle they need to follow in order to eliminate moisture. Moisture in an onion can cause rotting. Because of this, onions are stored in a room with high powered fans where they sit until they are internally and externally dry.

Onions are stored in crates that hold 20-50 pounds of onions. Onions are a year round operation and require a lot of work to ensure they are fresh when arriving to there destination. When dealing with onions it’s important to keep them dry, like I mentioned, but also to keep in mind their shelf life. An onion has more storability if you don’t clip the roots. In the processing line, onions get a sticker as a label and then are put in boxes or bags for small purchase. 

   

They even have robots that help pack the boxes of onions on a pallet to be shipped out. 

DID YOU KNOW?

The Vidalia Onion is named after the town they are grown in, Vidalia, Georgia. The sweet flavor is due to the low amount of sulfur in the soil in which the onions are grown. It can be called a Vidalia only if it's grown in one of 20 counties designated by the the Vidalia Onion Act of 1986.