Shuman Farms in Georgia: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Shuman Farms of Reidsville, Georgia, is described by the Vidalia Onion Committee as one of the largest growers of Vidalia onions in North America. President and CEO John Shuman was named the committee's 2020 Grower of the Year, and the company ships sweet onions year-round.
| Location | Reidsville, Tattnall County, in the Vidalia growing region of southeast Georgia |
|---|---|
| Founded | Mid-1980s, from a small family farm in Reidsville |
| Sectors | Vidalia and Peruvian sweet onions; bulb and red onions; organic onions |
| Scale | Acreage and volume not published in sources reviewed |
| Why it is elite | Vidalia Onion Committee 2020 Grower of the Year (John Shuman); described as one of North America's largest Vidalia growers |
| Ownership | Family business; third generation referenced by the National Onion Association profile |
| Official website | National Onion Association grower profile of Shuman Farms |
History of Shuman Farms
Shuman Farms traces its start to the mid-1980s, when Buck Shuman began growing Vidalia onions on a small family farm in Reidsville. According to the Vidalia Onion Committee, John Shuman took over the farm in the early 1990s and rebuilt it after the national farm crisis of the previous decade.
Over the following decades the company grew from a local grower into a year-round shipper. The National Onion Association profile describes it as a leading grower and shipper of sweet onions, and the Vidalia Onion Committee honored John Shuman as 2020 Grower of the Year for more than 25 years of contributions to the industry.
What Shuman Farms Grows and Raises
Vidalia onions can only be grown in a designated region of southeast Georgia, and their low-sulfur flavor depends on local soils. Shuman Farms grows and packs them in that region and, to keep supply going when Georgia onions are out of season, ships Peruvian sweet onions as well. Its product list includes sweet, red and bulb onions and organic bulb onions.
The company also runs Produce for Kids, a charitable program that the National Onion Association profile says has raised more than 6 million dollars for children's charities.
How Shuman Farms Makes Money
Vidalia sweet onions
Seasonal Georgia Vidalia onions are the company's heritage product and benefit from a protected regional name.
Year-round program
Importing Peruvian sweet onions allows Shuman Farms to supply retail and foodservice customers outside the Georgia season, rather than ceding the shelf to other suppliers.
Branded marketing and cause programs
Produce for Kids ties the company to retailers and brands in promotions that support charities, adding visibility and customer relationships.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Shuman Farms
Own a protected origin, then fill the calendar. The Vidalia name supports a premium in season, and a complementary import program keeps the account active all year.
Marketing and community work can be a strategy. Cause programs and educational campaigns build relationships with retailers that pure commodity sales do not.
Vidalia onions are famous for being sweet enough that people on social media have been known to bite them like apples, which is a claim that makes growers smile and the rest of us cry a little. The farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes at farm.FM are our way of saluting folks in Reidsville who work the onion fields. Peeling an onion is not funny, but the people growing them in Tattnall County have earned some laughs.
For context, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site and the home of Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Its contributors each keep an archive, and this one is a good sampler of ranch humor and farm jokes.
How to Contact Shuman Farms
Website: https://www.onions-usa.org/grower-profiles/shuman-farms-reidsville-ga/
No official company website appeared in the sources reviewed, so an association grower profile is listed. Reach the company through the contact options in that profile or the Vidalia Onion Committee. November 2026.
Shuman Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- National Onion Association profile - Grower profile of Shuman Farms
- Vidalia Onion Committee: 2020 Grower of the Year - Announcement honoring John Shuman
- The Packer: Shuman Farms patriarch - Trade press coverage of the Shuman family business
- Produce Market Guide listing - Company listing with address and products
- USDA NASS Georgia Census of Agriculture - State farm numbers and sales from the 2022 Census
Shuman Farms FAQ
Where is Shuman Farms?
In Reidsville, Georgia, in the Vidalia onion growing region.
What does Shuman Farms grow?
Vidalia sweet onions, plus red, bulb and organic onions and Peruvian sweet onions in the off-season.
What honor has Shuman Farms received?
The Vidalia Onion Committee named John Shuman its 2020 Grower of the Year.
How can I contact Shuman Farms?
Use the contact details through the National Onion Association profile or the Vidalia Onion Committee.
Shuman Farms shows how a protected regional product, year-round supply and strong marketing can build a family onion farm into an industry leader. See the Georgia farms guide for the other leading operations.