Dame Helen Mirren has backed the UK’s efforts to keep the deadly plant disease Xylella fastidiosa out of the country by narrating an animation warning of the risks posed by Xylella and offering advice on preventing its arrival.
Let’s hope this high-profile support helps get the crucial message out across the UK, a jumping-board for the outbreaks in Europe.
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Best Wishes for 2020
It’s been a tough start to the year for some growers and our thoughts are with those directly affected by the fires, and those who have involved in fighting them and in supporting their communities. The rain currently falling in some states is a much-needed positive – let’s hope it continues, and spreads to other regions.
No matter what the news, we’ll bring you
Friday Olive Extracts throughout the year to keep you up to date and to provide useful information on opportunities to help improve and grow your olive businesses.
Thanks for reading, and best wishes for 2020 from the FOE and AOA teams.
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Have you been affected by the fires?
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Shock, sadness, and despair are words we can associate with the recent bushfires. It has been hard to comprehend the devastation to such vast areas and to so many communities. Given the wide distribution of olive production there is good chance many producers and service providers have been impacted.
The AOA is preparing a report on industry damage from the fires to find out who has been affected and the nature of the impact, so we can assess what support may be required. Initially the information will be submitted to Federal Agriculture Minister McKenzie to assist the Government in their response.
If you have been impacted by the fires, please email
secretariat@australianolives.com.au including details of your situation or your contact number for a member of our team to call.
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Anne and Shane O’Neill have owned Yirri Grove olive farm since 2008, and have added a seasonal restaurant. Credit: Kelsey Reid.
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The lure of the ocean brought Kalgoorlie’s Shane and Anne O’Neill to Esperance in 2008, 10 years after they had met while working in the bustling mining town. Now the duo are full bottle on everything and anything olives, after purchasing Yirri Grove, a rural property 20km east of the Esperance townsite.
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Your levy: The agricultural levies are dispersed to the 15 agricultural research and development corporations, Animal Health Australia, Plant Health Australia and the National Residue Survey.
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A plan to transform the compulsory agricultural levies could result in more power being placed in the hands of industry bodies. With a number of the parliamentary laws surrounding the agricultural levies set to expire in 2023, the Department of Agriculture has initiated a project aimed at introducing new governing legislation by 2021.
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India represents a key opportunity for Australian agricultural trade and investment into the future.
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In recent years Australia has placed an increased focus on improving our trade and investment relationship with India. The Department of Agriculture’s head of bilateral engagement Jodie McAlister said that with the largest concentration of people on earth, South Asia - particularly India - is too big to ignore.
‘India’s demand for food will outpace its domestic supply out to 2035. We have the opportunity to provide our food and fibre to billions, and we need to work now to be ready to take those opportunities in the future,’ Ms McAlister said.
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Need equipment but can’t find it? Or prefer a ‘pre-loved’ model? Or maybe you’ve got something you’ve loved/used but now don’t need. Either way, you can reach your target market - olive growers and producers - through the OliveBiz Classifieds
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The Olivebiz Classifieds is THE intra-industry way to sell, buy and source.
If you’ve got something industry-related to sell, our online Classifieds service is an easy and inexpensive solution to advertise your unwanted equipment, extra oil or even your grove. 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.
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.
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Just 2 minutes of feedback will help the OWI team plan future content – provide yours now
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The Olive Wellness Institute (OWI) is now 18 months old and they’re keen to hear your feedback on their work to date, so they can track their progress and continue to improve their offer.
They’re doing that via a grower survey, with the responses providing the valuable information they need for activity planning for 2020 and beyond. It’s really quick - just a handful of brief questions, along with the opportunity to let them know what you’d like to see, hear and learn about via the Olive Wellness Institute into the future.
And if you want an information top-up, you can check out all the great resources on offer on the OWI website here https://olivewellnessinstitute.org.
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National table olive workshops with Linda Costa
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Following outstanding attendee feedback from her presentations at the 2018 and 2019 National Olive Industry Conferences, South African expert Linda Costa is returning to Australia for a National Table Olive Workshop Tour.
Working with the AOA, she will deliver a full day program in each state covering all aspects of table olive production and marketing, from varietal options and processing methods to food safety and consumer demand.
The schedule is shown below and you’ll find more information, including the draft program, on the OliveBiz website
here.
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Don’t miss out! Registration for all workshops is now open and numbers for each are limited, so
register now to secure your place.
The National Table Olive Workshops are part of the Olive levy project Australian olive industry communications and extension program (OL18000), funded by Hort Innovation, using the Hort Innovation olive research and development levy, co-investment from the Australian Olive Association and contributions from the Australian Government.
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Register now for SA and TAS Sensory Training Workshops
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Registration is now open for the final two TasteBook™/OliveCare® Sensory Training Workshops, being held in TAS on 29 February and SA on 6 March respectively. An opportunity to learn from industry experts and sensory scientists, the workshops will provide participants with a better understanding and appreciation of what goes into producing quality Australian EVOO and table olives, and to learn about sensory evaluation.
The program includes TasteBook™ sensory training using EVOO and table olives, olive oil chemistry, freshness testing of EVOO, determining objective best before dates (BBDs) plus so much more.
The cost is $40 inc GST levy payers, $50 inc GST non-levy payers.
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… and
TasteBook
®
“mega-round” 6 & 7
TasteBook™ Rounds 6 and 7 will be combined as a 'mega round' and will focus on Kalamata table olives and flavoured oils respectively, offering a veritable ‘feast for the senses’.
Participants will receive two packs of four Kalamata table olives samples and four bottles of flavoured oils, all from top Australian producers, providing a mega-tasting and learning experience in one delivery.
The sample kits will be sent from 28 January to 15 February 2020, with surveys to be completed by 29 February. Both TasteBook™ rounds are included in the cost of $40 levy payers, $50 non-levy payers and international participants.
Register by 7 February
here.
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March Focus Grove Field Days
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Project consultant Stuart Tustin in action during a previous FGP field day.
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The new Olives New Zealand Focus Grove Project is now underway, aiming to further increase production by 5kg per tree. The new project is also developing and monitoring alternate approaches to the intensive spraying program of the previous project.
The next round of Focus Grove Field Days will be held in March 2020, with details as follows:
- Friday 6th – Hawke’s Bay (TBC)
- Wednesday 11th – Northland
- Thursday 12th – Nelson
- Friday 13th - Canterbury
- Friday 20th – Wairarapa
You can find out more about the project
here.
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Not every bit of tech brought to CES is going to be a winner. After five days of patrolling the floor and watching presentations, here are our choices for the five worst products from CES 2020.
The first of these "Why would anyone make that?" inventions is for olive oil – we think you’re going to agree!
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Foam produced by a spittlebug on a vascular plant
A landmark study on the phenology of spittlebugs may help olive farmers and local governments combat the spread of Xylella fastidiosa in the Mediterranean basin.
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07-Jan-2020 By Elaine Watson
After a grim 2018/19 harvest due to poor weather, the 2019/2020 olive oil crop in California is expected to match the ‘bumper’ harvest of 2017/18, says the California Olive Oil Council.*
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20-Dec-2019 By Oliver Morrison
Mintel has released the trends that it expects will shape the global food and drink industry over the next 10 years.
Not all are relevant to olive products but it’s a really interesting read.
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Friday Olive Extracts – send us YOUR news
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With 2020 now well underway
,
Friday Olive Extracts
(FOE) 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!
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Olive grove near areas once inundated by tsunami following the March 2011 earthquake in Ishinomaki.
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The scenery of olive trees bearing green and black fruit in November is getting familiar to residents of Ishinomaki in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Miyagi, which typically sees sub-zero temperatures in winter months.
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10-Jan-2020 By Hank Schultz
The Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program has released a bulletin on olive oil adulteration that shows that the issue, though widely acknowledged, continues to plague the market.
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Chefs Christoforos Peskias and Yannis Baxevanis talking to Symposium participants
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The ancient Greeks’ center of the universe recently attracted more than 100 researchers and professionals from seven countries to an area once dedicated to the oracle of Apollo. This time, the gathering did not focus on the prophecies of a priestess, but on evidence-based discussions of olive oil, olive products, and health.
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Forecasts drawn up by the Institute of Services for the Agricultural and Food Market (Ismea), in collaboration with the national organization of olive oil producers, Unaprol, say Italy’s olive oil production in 2019/20 season could reach 321,000 tons, an increase of 84 percent compared to last year.
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19-Dec-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup
Interest in discovering new flavors is higher than ever with 74% of consumers surveyed agreeing that they love to discover new flavors even bitter or earthy taste profiles, according to Innova Trends Survey 2019.
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Precision farming practices have helped Greek extra virgin olive oil growers keep overhead cost low and ultimately ‘save’ the product from mounting pressure on its market price, EURACTIV Greece’s media partner Ypaithros Chora reported.
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The crisis unit on olive oil problems for the 2019/2020 season (met) on Friday afternoon in Parliament. This cell is composed of representatives of the Prime Ministry, the ministers of finance, agriculture, water resources and fisheries, the Tunisian Confederation of Industry and Trade and Handicrafts and the Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fisheries (UTAP), as well as the director general of the oil office and the president of the parliamentary committee in the areas of agriculture, food security, trade and related services.
That’s serious recognition of the importance of olive oil production!
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The Interprofessional demanded to know how the government would help struggling producers and retaliate against U.S. tariffs.
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2020
20-24 January
Olive Oil Sommelier Certification Program – London, UK
7-8 February
Sensory Masterclass – Geelong, Vic
9-12 February
World Congress on Oils & Fats – Sydney, Australia
19 February
National Table Olive Workshop - Hobart, TAS
21 February
National Table Olive Workshop - Melbourne, VIC
23 February
National Table Olive Workshop - Adelaide, SA
25 February
National Table Olive Workshop - Hunter Valley, NSW
27 February
National Table Olive Workshop - ACT, NSW
29 February
TasteBook™/OliveCare® workshop – Campbell Town TAS
1 March
National Table Olive Workshop – Perth, WA
6 March
TasteBook™/OliveCare® workshop – University Adelaide Waite Campus SA
April, dates TBC
AOA Processing Workshop – Boort, VIC
14-15 April
Olives NZ Processing Practices Course – Auckland, NZ
15 April
Olives NZ Judging EVOO and Flavoured Oils Course – Auckland, NZ
23-25 April
2020 London International Olive oil Competitions – London, UK
May
2020 NYIOOC – New York, USA
15-17 June
Hort Connections – Brisbane, Qld
20 June 20
Winners announced, Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition – LA, USA
September TBA
World Team Tasting Championship
11 September
Entries close, 2020 Hunter Olive Show – Hunter Valley, NSW
22 October
Awards Presentation, 2020 Hunter Olive Show – Hunter Valley, NSW
16-18 October
AOA National Olive Conference & Trade Exhibition – Devonport, TAS
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Friday Olive Extracts is Published by:
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Olivegrower Communications:
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Olivegrower & Processor
December Issue
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Australian and New Zealand
Olive Industry Directory
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