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By John Harris, Owner and Founder, Paradigm Fresh
It’s time to beat the drum for the National Onion Association (NOA) and its tremendous support and leadership in Washington, D.C., every year on behalf of all U.S. onion farmers. I have traveled to the nation’s capital nearly every year for a decade with many members of the NOA. When I started going on this trip with NOA’s then-executive vice president, Wayne Mininger, my eyes were opened to how vital our advocacy for the industry is on Capitol Hill.
I would be remiss if I didn’t applaud Kay Riley for his decades of service on this trip, his vast knowledge and the many relationships he created, making inroads on things that happen in the background that many people are unaware of. He inspired me as a younger man to become more involved, put forth more effort, and continue to educate myself and my peers about the work we do every year on behalf of the onion industry.
Every generation of leaders needs to eventually pass the torch to the younger generation. Leadership is harder to come by these days, and as an industry, we can’t wait for someone else to do the work and be our voice. I feel like if anyone is going to speak for me and my livelihood, I want that voice to be my own.
The topics discussed during the NOA’s trip to Washington, D.C., change from year to year. However, the IR-4 program, the Farm Bill and the foreign supplier verification program are typically high on the list of things we are working on, along with meetings with the USDA, FDA and EPA.
The IR-4 program is a little-known funding bill that supports chemical research for specialty crops like onions. Without this continued funding, our farmers will run out of approved chemicals to produce safe and healthy onions year after year. At our meetings with the EPA every year, we find the list of approved, labeled chemicals for use in our production getting smaller. We explain to the EPA that continuing to remove approved labels without adding additional ones puts a stranglehold on our ability to produce a crop that is not only safe to eat but also affordable for growers to produce and consumers to buy.
We also meet with many of our state delegates and their aides, making sure they are aware of these topics at the top of our agenda. As voting comes up on these topics, we are the boots on the ground that are constantly educating these folks about what we support and why it’s vital to our work. Without these visits and the information we provide, many of these delegates would not even know these issues exist. It is our job year after year to continue to educate them and keep our issues as a priority throughout the year. There isn’t space here to expand on all of the essential details that are part of our trip each year, but our presence year after year has made an enormous impact on our industry without question. During our trip this past February, we had 17 people from all parts of our industry representing our interests. The more people we have, the louder and stronger our voice becomes. I strongly encourage anyone who has ever had an interest in being involved to join our group in 2025 and be part of the voice that advocates for our way of life. Our current executive vice president, Greg Yielding, does a tremendous job arranging our schedule, setting appointments and keeping us moving in the right direction. His leadership is appreciated by all of us who get to see the work he puts in behind the scenes to make this trip successful. Thank you to all who have made the trip to Washington, D.C., and to all who will attend in the future. I hope that I, along with many of you, can be a voice and leader for our onion community for years to come and do impactful and worthwhile work. Have a great summer, and here’s to a continued and robust onion market!
