onion – Building a better South

May 20, 2013July 13, 2013

Onion couple, Vidalia, Ga.

At left, a couple leaves a formal wear store in downtown Vidalia, Ga., At right, a life-size Onion Man and Onion Woman court the love of the sweet onions which made Vidalia famous across the world.

The yellow sign at the bottom of the Onion Couple reads:

There is no marriage sweeter,

Than the “Vidalia sweet onion.”

Like any good marriage, God

Provides the right environment

For a strong sweet marriage,

Soil – Sunshine – Rain.

As we noted in earlier posts, the onions seem to have made the Toombs County area more prosperous than neighboring counties. Still, about 25 percent of county residents live below the poverty level. The median household income is $32,464 — more than $17,000 below the national average.

The region has been in the news lately as labor unions and immigrant groups continue to accuse farmers of exploiting Mexican guest workers who do much of the backbreaking harvest work in May. And now, a group of mostly black American workers in the area are complaining they have a tough time getting work in the fields because of a preference for foreigh guest workers, as highlighted in this May 6 story in The New York Times.

QuickFacts about Toombs County, Ga., from the U.S. Census.

May 18, 2013July 13, 2013

Picking onions, Cedar Crossing, Ga.

Picking onions is dirty, back-breaking work, as highlighted in this huge onion field in Cedar Crossing, a few miles south of Vidalia, Ga.,

Photographer Michael Kaynard noted that workers, who appeared to be migrant Latinos transported to the field in a dusty blue bus, harvested hour after hour to fill tan and green onion bins.

“The only positives was that it did not appear to be overly dusty or hot, yet,” he said. “I cannot imagine having to work bent over day after day. It makes me feel guilty about the food that we eat and how hard other human beings have to work to help provide it to us.”

As we noted in a previous post, the world-famous Vidalia onions seem to have made the Toombs County area more prosperous than neighboring counties. Still, about 25 percent of county residents live below the poverty level. The median household income is $32,464 — more than $17,000 below the national average.

QuickFacts about Toombs County, Ga., from the U.S. Census.

May 16, 2013July 13, 2013

Onion harvest, Cedar Crossing, Ga.

Workers are now harvesting Vidalia onions, those sweet, delectable springtime delights, in a field just outside Cedar Crossing, Ga., in Toombs County.

Driving through Vidalia and Toombs County, it seems that these world-famous onions have made the area more prosperous than neighboring areas. Still, about 25 percent of county residents live below the poverty level. The median household income is $32,464 — more than $17,000 below the national average.

QuickFacts about Toombs County, Ga., from the U.S. Census.