31 May 2024

Brought to you by Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor www.olivebiz.com.au

Today's Top Story

Researchers transform olive grove waste into bioplastic

Researchers from the University of Jaén and the Andaltec Foundation have manufactured plastic suitable for food packaging and industrial uses from olive grove pruning waste.

Australia

Regional property owners joining transition to renewable energy with solar farm land leases

Ms Kruger says keeping her land lease will help provide for her family. (ABC Riverland: Timu King)

The renewable energy sector continues to grow across Australia, and regional land owners are becoming part of the long-term sustainable electricity production outlook.

Another option is a small on-property solar farm on your property to provide your own electricity. Find out more the coming June edition of Olivegrower & Processor, where we look at a recent study on inter-row agrivoltaics systems in olive groves.

‘Fantastic money': Griffith students encouraged to start agricultural careers while still at school

Much has been made of the dire labour shortage in the agricultural sector, but this was framed as a golden opportunity for young people at an event in Griffith. Year Nine and 10 students at Murrumbidgee Regional High School attended a one-day workshop which highlighted the benefits of working in the industry, hosted by research body AgriFutures Australia, TAFE NSW and Training Services NSW.

Got something to sell? Or want to buy? Go direct to your target market – olive growers and producers

If you’ve got something industry-related to sell, you can reach your target market directly with Olivebiz Classifieds. Our online Classifieds service is an easy and inexpensive solution to advertising your unwanted equipment – like George, who has an Alfa Laval processing line for sale. And if there’s something you’re looking for, it’s the ideal way to get the message out loud and clear to your peers and industry associates – the most likely to have what you need.

Olivebiz Classifieds cost just $40 for AOA members ($100 for non-members), including a text ad and link through to either your web page or images hosted on our site. And you don’t need to be a tech-head: just send us your info and we’ll post it up for you.

Olivebiz Classifieds are online now at www.olivebiz.com.au/classifieds. To arrange a listing, contact Gerri at editor@olivegrower.com.au.

You’re probably buying olive oil wrong – here’s how to fix it

Like many people, extra virgin olive oil is a staple in my kitchen. My roommate and I use it near-daily, for everything from fried eggs to roast veggies. But, unlike many people, I am a food writer — I should be more informed about the extra virgin olive oil I so liberally drizzle on everything, and I'm probably doing it right, right?

A discussion with UC Davis Olive Centre research director Selina Wang on the dos and don'ts of shopping for olive oil – and the stringency of AOA certification.

What do farmers need for mental health support?

For most, farming in Australia is a great way of life but at times it can be physically and psychologically tough. So, when things get overly stressful, who do farmers turn to for support?

Finding out what farmers want in terms of mental health support is the focus of a new University of South Australia study, led by the ifarmwell team and supported by National Farmers Federation, the National Centre for Farmer Health, and Lifeline Australia.

Farmers are invited to have their say in how supports and services for them are developed and delivered in the future via an anonymous survey, which takes around 20 minutes to complete. Farm workers and members of farming families are also invited to have their say.

Take part in the survey here.

Opportunities

Carbon credits for biochar initiative

The ANZ Biochar Industry Group is preparing an Expression of Interest to have the production and use of biochar approved as a method to attract Australian carbon credit units (ACCUs) through Australia’s compliance market.

This is in response to the Federal government’s call for EOI applications from proponents/consortia who would like to develop new methods under the scheme, with a deadline of 12 July.

The EOI document will be developed via a consultative process held over the next 6 weeks, including via a series of online consultative meetings which will be held each Wednesday in June from 11am-1pm. Key stakeholders that would be affected by a future biochar ACCU method - e.g. biochar producers and users, technology providers, and project developers - and others, are invited to share their input.

Find out more and get involved here.

Young Farmer Business Bootcamp

Are you a young farmer in the horticulture sector that’s looking to upskill?

Agriculture Victoria is running a horticulture business bootcamp that aims to support the next generation of growers, business owners and managers to improve their skills and management practices.

The bootcamp will be delivered by Agriculture Victoria and ION Group, covering:

Day 1: Farm business performance and profitable decision making
Day 2: Risk, resilience and adapting to change
Online session: Natural resource management.

The bootcamp is free to all participants, but limited spots are available.

Details:

2-day workshop: Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 June – 9:00am-2:30pm. Venue TBC.

Online session: Friday 21 June – 10-11:00am

Participants attending both the workshop and online session can also access a free one-on-one session with a consultant at ION Group.

Register here or if you have questions, contact Tanya Dobrijevic on 0429 353 649 or tanya.dobrijevic@agriculture.vic.gov.au.

WA: Extra virgin olive oil tasting workshop

The WA Olive Council (WAOC) are holding an extra virgin olive oil workshop run by Helen Taylor, Head Judge of the Australian International Olive Awards.

Helen has over 15 years’ experience in olive oil judging at regional, state and national olive oil competitions and was also a judge at the finals of the Armonia International Olive Oil Show in Spain.

She is a trained food technologist and in 2003 began training in olive oil sensory evaluation, was one of the founding members of the Australian Olive Oil Sensory Panel at Wagga and went on to undertake olive oil sommelier and olive oil sensory analysis training in Milan, Italy in 2015.

Note: This workshop is best suited to intermediate and experienced EVOO tasters, and judges who have previously attended at least one or two tasting workshops. A workshop more suited to novice tasters will be held in August 2024.

Details: Sunday, 7 July - New Norcia

Catering Cost: $35 pp

Please express your interest and availability to entries@oliveswa.com.au.

Soil Science Soil Biology Certification Course

Western Sydney University is once again holding its Soil Health Certification Program course, organised in partnership with Soil Science Australia.

Participants will learn about the properties of soils and how to adopt practices and strategies to enhance soil health and biological activities, use the power of plant-soil-microbial relationships to unlock soil nutrients and produce healthier and more nutritious plants, and understand how microbes in soils influence soil fertility and drive plant production.

The second part of the course focuses on integrating soil biology/health in agronomic practices.

Details:

6-9 August 2024, at Western Sydney University Hawkesbury Campus, Richmond NSW.

Find out more and register here.

International

Breaking away from selling olive oil in bulk

They knew the easy way. They could have effortlessly sent their oil in bulk to Italy. But they didn’t choose that path. Instead, they decided to bottle their extra-virgin olive oil locally and export almost all of it abroad. And their decision is paying off.

Are rotisserie chickens good for you? Experts break down ingredients

We’ve all done it: stopped by the store on the way home to pick up something quick for dinner. A lot of times that “something” is a rotisserie chicken. It’s a healthy choice, right? It really depends on what is added to the bird before cooking.

One point they emphasise is that soybean oil is not good for you. “It’s very inflammatory to the whole body, honestly, your gut especially, but you want to look for things like olive oils …”

Spanish olive oil sector works to develop exports to China

As high prices change consumption habits in Europe, Spanish producers and exporters seek to promote olive oil consumption in the world’s second-largest economy.

Friday Olive Extracts – send us YOUR news

We’re now well into 2024 and Friday Olive Extracts (FOE) team continues to bring all the latest industry news and events to your Inbox every week. THE place to share olive industry news, event details and reminders, our industry e-newsletter keeps growing in popularity and we now have nearly 4000 subscribers across the globe. If you’re not one of them, you can sign up here.

And please remember that FOE is YOUR e-newsletter, so we’re keen to receive your news and help spread the word. Just email your information to Editor Gerri Nelligan at editor@olivegrower.com.au - it’s free, and the best way to reach your fellow industry members!

When will olive oil prices normalise?

Droughts and inflation have led to some historical lows in olive oil supply and consumption.

An interesting big picture look at the current supply/demand/pricing situation. But we need to ask, when it comes to commodity pricing, what is ‘normal’?

Spanish olive oil production continues to beat expectations

While this year’s yield remains significantly below the five-year average, it exceeded initial expectations by 11 percent and surpassed last year’s historically poor harvest by 28 percent.

Murcia’s olive oil exports on the rise

The region of Murcia’s extra virgin olive oil exports saw a significant increase of 15 per cent in the latest campaign, surpassing €12 million. The 2023/2024 season witnessed the production of 7,782 tons of high-quality oil across the region’s 44 olive presses.

Also interesting, when reports say that Spain is struggling with domestic supply.

Substituting dairy with whole grains and olive oil lowers non-communicable disease risk

In a recent review and meta-analysis published in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition, researchers collate and discuss the results of a host of substitution-model-based epidemiological studies aimed at investigating the long-term dietary associations of different food items (mainly dairy products) and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including all-cause mortality, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and cardiovascular disease (CVD).