WHY DO WE NEED A COMMITTEE FOR SWEET ONIONS?
The South Texas Onion Committee (STOC) was founded in 1961 as a result of Federal Marketing Order #959 South Texas Onions. Order #959 authorizes quality regulations, research and promotion programs, and markings, pack and container regulations for onions grown in South Texas. The STOC is made up of growers and shippers handling onions in the 35 counties of South Texas that make up the governed area.
NOT ALL SWEET ONIONS ARE CREATED EQUAL.
Onions are the state vegetable of Texas and the leading vegetable grown in Texas. The TX1015 Sweet Onion was specifically bred to be produced in South Texas where the conditions are perfect between October and March. Texas Sweet Onions are a specialty crop that is unlike any other sweet onion on the market. This is an important distinction that needs to be managed and that is why Order #959 is so important. It’s important that we build trust with consumers so that when they see “Texas Sweet Onion”, they have faith in knowing they have the sweetest onion on the market grown by farmers from South Texas.
The Rio Grande Valley, located in the southern most tip of Texas, is the best location for growing produce in the United States. As the seasons change, this region produces the first fresh sweet onions of the year. If good weather favors the state, the growers in the Rio Grande Valley are able to start shipping onions by March, when most of the country is still thawing out from winter. Volume only picks up from there. As the season progresses, the growing region moves, moving over to the Winter Garden and Uvalde areas on the far western reaches of the state.