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By Greg Bird, Executive Director, Michigan Onion Committee
Weeks ago, the Michigan Onion Committee heard the news that the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development had given preliminary approval to the Specialty Crop Block Grant submitted earlier this year. This means that the Michigan Onion Committee now awaits final USDA approval. The project is titled “Influence of Tip/Leaf Burn and New Fungicides on Onion Stemphylium Leaf Blight.” This research will be done by Mary Hausbeck’s lab in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University (MSU).
Two other grants being administered by the Michigan Onion Committee are also in progress. These are “Combining Pest Control Strategies to Increase Quality of Yield of Michigan Onions” and “Leaf Blight Decreases Michigan Onion Yields and May Increase Bulb Rot: New Approaches Are Needed.” Results from each of these projects will be on display at the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo (www.glexpo.com) scheduled for Dec. 5-7 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
NOA Summer Convention
Michigan Onion Committee members Bruce Klamer with V&W Farms and James Young with Takii Seed helped make preparations for the industry bus tour that was part of the National Onion Association (NOA) summer convention held June 14-17 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The tour included stops at Duda Farm Fresh Foods to see its sweet corn tray pack and cello radish packaging and at Schreur Farms to check out the farm’s onions, celery, greenhouses and packaging operation. Washington-based Carbon Robotics joined the tour to demonstrate its LaserWeeder.
Twilight Onion Trials
For many years, Michigan’s onion industry has been gathering one evening during August for the Twilight Onion Trials. This year’s event is scheduled for Aug. 16 in Byron Center, Michigan. Staff from Syngenta will arrive with their mobile grilling trailer to fire up a steak dinner for attendees.
The onion trials have been happening for decades with MSU’s Darryl Warncke at the helm. 2023 has brought some changes to the trials. Warncke continues to coordinate the trials, but onion seed sales representatives decided where to plant the seeds. The sales representatives are responsible for making sure the onions are tended to and are required to harvest the trial samples to be brought to the twilight event. This year, companies with seeds in the trial include Clifton Seed, Crookham Company, Hazera Seeds, Rispens Seeds, Seedway, Bejo Seeds, Solar Seeds, Stokes Seeds, Seminis, Takii Seed and Enza Zaden.
