"Court: Georgia official can set Vidalia onion packing date"

"The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled last Tuesday in a dispute between state Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black and Bland Farms, a major grower of the sweet onions."

Delbert Bland, whose family farms roughly 3,000 acres in southeast Georgia devoted to the crop, challenged the rule, saying he should be able to pack onions when he thinks they're ready.

The ruling says the commissioner has the authority to set a packing date. The court's ruling says the packing date rule falls within the commissioner's authority "as all authority to regulate packing and shipping rests with the Commissioner."

"We also conclude that some evidence was presented to support a finding that the packing date rule is reasonable in light of the testimony and letters received by the Commissioner concerning the declining quality of the Vidalia onion and the threat to the industry," the ruling says.

Although the court ruling is about onions, it was not written by The Onion.