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By René Hardwick, National Onion Association Director of Public and Industry Relations
For the first time in four years, onion researchers and growers will convene under one roof to talk shop in December. We’re telling you now because we’re that excited. The last time the National Onion Association (NOA) and the National Allium Research Conference (NARC) met was in July 2019 in Madison, Wisconsin.
With the pandemic squarely behind us and managed better, we are happy to prepare for a joint meeting Nov. 29-Dec. 2 in San Antonio, Texas. It will be a convention filled with presentations from the best onion disease and pest management researchers across the country, political discussions, and boots-on-the-ground onion exploration of south Texas onion fields.
The beauty of this pairing is that NOA growers and members can learn the latest in research and politics dealing with the impacts of federal regulations, pesticide label changes and residue limits, and disease and pest management.
The San Antonio meeting will give researchers and growers the chance to tour an onion field at Cargil Farms Produce in Uvalde, Texas, and the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center in Uvalde.
Texas ranks sixth in U.S. onion production. The U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that in 2021, approximately 15,950 tons of onions were grown on 11,500 acres in the state, generating about $94.3 million in industry revenue and about $206.5 million in state revenue.
Last May, Texas A&M researchers discovered a new bacterial species in Uvalde after a three-year study. Its effects and geographic distribution have yet to be fully vetted. It is likely to be a hot topic of conversation at the Texas A&M research station we will visit.
All are welcome to come to this convention. You do not have to be a member to show up and find out the value NOA conventions can bring.
You’ll want to book this trip early, though. With a larger than normal group, hotel rooms may be at a premium. We have blocks of rooms at the San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk, where the convention will be held.
This will be the first time our meetings have been held in Texas since 2009. Winter weather in Texas is nominal. You should prepare for temperatures in the 50s. It’s a rarity, but sometimes the area does get snow.
If you are not a member and would like to attend, please call the NOA office at (970) 353-5895.
To learn more about NARC, visit www.alliumnet.com/narc. Registration links will be up soon at www.onions-usa.org.
