By Faith Peppers
Georgia Extension
Service
Tattnall County Extension Service Agent Reid Torrance received
the prestigious D.W. Brooks Award for Excellence in Public
Service Extension Programs Oct. 6 in Athens, Ga.
Torrance has been an extension agent in the College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences for 23 years, the past 19
in Tattnall County. He’s a nationally recognized expert in
Vidalia onions.
Tattnall is one of the largest agricultural counties in Georgia
with an annual farm income of $165 million. Vegetables, tobacco,
pork, poultry, pecans and cotton are all important in the county.
But the top crop is the Vidalia Sweet Onion.
Vidalia onion expert
The county’s farmers grow about half of the state’s Vidalia onion
crop. Torrance has been an integral part of the crop’s production
since 1984. Farmers, agribusinesses and research groups from all
over the world have sought his advice on growing, storing and
marketing onions.
Torrance has made national and international presentations to
industry groups and has been a guest speaker for civic groups
throughout Georgia.
He has been interviewed by CNN, NBC, the Wall Street Journal,
Associated Press, The Weather Channel, Onion World, Progressive
Farmer, Grower Magazine, American Vegetable Grower, Furrow
Magazine, Southeast Farm Press and many others.
Prolific author
In the past five years, Torrance has written or coauthored 77
publications, including 11 professional journal articles. He led
in developing the way onions are grown in Georgia, and Extension
recommendations are based on his advice.
Torrance helped bring mechanical harvesting to the Vidalia onion
industry. He played a pivotal role in protecting the Vidalia
onion name. And he helped establish the Vidalia Onion and
Vegetable Research Center.
Last year he established a farmer cooperative, Farm Fresh
Tattnall, to promote the county’s pick-your-own and roadside
vegetable markets. He also conducts trials in forestry, peanuts,
tobacco and many vegetables. And he’s the chair of Tattnall 2012,
a strategic planning effort for economic development.
Other winners
Other D.W. Brooks honorees this year were Casimir Akoh, research;
Mark Compton, teaching; and Don Shurley, extension.
The teaching award was established in 1981 to recognize faculty
members who make outstanding contributions in teaching. In 1983,
the awards were expanded to include research, extension and
county extension programs. An award for international agriculture
was added in 1988 and is given in even-numbered years.
The awards include a framed certificate and $5,000 cash.
D.W. Brooks Lecture
Before the awards ceremony, Denis Avery, a senior fellow of the
Hudson Institute, delivered the 2003 D.W. Brooks Lecture, “Has
American Already Lost High-Yield Agriculture?”
The lecture and awards are named for the late D.W. Brooks,
founder of Gold Kist, Inc., and Cotton States Mutual Insurance
Companies. Brooks was an advisor on agriculture and trade issues
to seven U.S. presidents.
(Faith Peppers is a news editor for the University of Georgia
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)
