30 October 2026

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Today's top story

Rainfall outlook brings timely boost for Australian farmers


Rain across major agricultural regions and forecasts for further falls are providing encouragement for Australian farmers, with northern New South Wales among the areas expected to benefit from improving soil moisture, pasture growth and summer crop opportunities.

Australia

Be aware, not alarmed: Stay snake-smart in the grove

By Laura Thomas

 

Australia is famously home to some of the deadliest snakes on the planet and as farmers, we’re much more at risk of a surprise encounter than our city-dwelling cousins.



Warmer temperatures, good winter rains, plenty of long grass, mice, bugs and other critters have provided the perfect seasonal awakening for many snake species, as they become more active, looking for food, water and mates.


Read more about how you can stay snake-smart in and around your grove.

Turning conversations into action as as we wrap up National Safe Work Month


As National Safe Work Month draws to a close, workplaces are encouraged to turn October's conversations into actions that create lasting change.


The final week of the campaign, For all: Action across all workplaces, focuses on maintaining momentum and ensuring work health and safety (WHS) remains a priority throughout the year.

Grow you good thing - AgDay Photo and Video Competition now open


Last year’s competition broke records again, with more than 600 entries from across the country.


This year’s theme is Our Farmers, Our Future, and organisers are looking forward to seeing farming life through your lens. Golden paddocks, machinery at work, livestock, muddy boots, kids and puppies - a look at agriculture, from where you are.


Find out more and submit your entry.

CropLife Australia demands government intervention as regulator’s own data shows pesticide approvals stalling


Australia’s crop protection industry body has escalated its campaign against the national pesticide regulator, saying the regulator’s own performance figures prove farmers are being denied timely access to new chemistry

AOA Classifieds


Got something to sell? Want to buy?


If you’ve got something industry-related to sell, you can reach your target market directly with our grower-to-grower service - AOA Classifieds.


Our online classifieds are an easy and inexpensive solution to advertising your unwanted equipment. 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!


Classifieds start from as little as $44 for AOA members ($110 for non-members) and are online now at www.australianolives.com.au/classifieds


For details, rates, or to create a classified, hit the button below.


NEW CLASSIFIED! Olive fruit grader, Wagga Wagga

Farmers left in limbo as buyback looms


NSW Farmers has expressed serious concerns about the proposed pathway for primary producers to own more than 10 firearms, which may see them forced to apply under a different firearms licensing category.

Connecting and activating Australian agriculture’s data to solve the industry's greatest challenges


A new partnership will connect Charles Sturt University’s bank of agriculture data and the Australasian Space Innovation Institute will establish the foundations of national digital infrastructure to support the future of Australian agriculture.

Unearthed


The people changing Australian agriculture. A new podcast from AgriFutures Australia.

International

Hard-pressed Spanish farmers call for one-fifth of olive oil to be hauled off the market as bumper harvest sends prices tumbling


Spain produces almost half of the world’s olive oil – but as production surges and prices fall, agricultural organisations are calling on the government to intervene to protect farmers’ earnings.

Olive oil prices in Italy drop by 50% as stocks increase before the new harvest


Producers are calling for liquidity measures and support to sustain the harvest, while official records show a sharp build-up of Italian extra virgin olive oil stocks.

High temperatures, water stress lead to poor olive harvest in Chile


Chile produced 16,600 metric tons of olive oil in 2026, down 17 percent from the previous year, as unfavorable weather and shrinking olive acreage weighed on production.

Greece’s 2026/27 olive oil crop could reach 300,000 tonnes


Olive oil production in Greece 2026/27 could total up to 300,000 tonnes, according to an UkroAgroConsult report.


If achieved, the estimate would be the country’s largest output since 2022/23, when production exceeded 330,000 tonnes, the 6 October report said.

Olive trees irrigated with treated wastewater, a pilot project to combat drought


In Puglia, southern Italy, a pilot project thus combats drought and emerging pollutants. The molecule is generated by combining hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet rays. The results of this experience will be known in two years.

Inside Helen Mirren’s fight to save 1,500-year-old olive trees in Italy, where she owns a 16th-ventury home


Talk to Dame Helen Mirren, and it’s clear she has a passion for many things: acting, driving cars… and olives. Yes, olives.


For nearly a decade, the Oscar winner, 81, has made it her mission to stop Xylella fastidiosa, an invasive bacterium, from destroying Italy’s olive trees — some of which are more than 1,000 years old.

'Olive oil shot' trend: What science really says about fat and glucose response


Could olive oil shots in the morning actually have some scientific basis behind them? Although people mostly participate in this trend for its unproven “anti-aging” and “skin glow” benefits, touted on social media, consuming fats before carbohydrates may offer other health benefits, particularly for blood sugar management.

Calendar 2026


4 November

SA Think Tank Workshop with Grove Demos

Peninsula Providore, Tooperang

Register now


TBC

NSW Think Tank Workshop



Email Laura to have your event included.

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For Friday Olive Extracts editorial and advertising enquiries, email Laura at comms@australianolives.com.au