21 July 2023

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

Today's Top Story

Record winter temperatures prompting unseasonal plant behaviour has gardeners wary of coming cold snaps

Iceberg roses have been flowering through winter in Tasmania. (ABC News: Simon Farrell)

Parts of eastern and southern Australia have had record-high winter temperatures for July, with early flowerings of spring bulbs and the emergence of tree buds in Tasmania

Australia

Farmers turn to climate scientists to help prepare for future weather as El Niño looms

Vegetable grower Tony Gibb gets advice from a climate scientist to help factor in possible future changes in the weather. (ABC News: Nathan Morris)

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology is yet to officially declare an El Niño, but food growers are already bracing for hotter, drier conditions ahead. Some farmers are even employing climate scientists as a normal part of their business, to help better manage climate risk.

Australia’s first National Statement on Climate Change and Agriculture released

Following the release of a new National Statement on Climate Change and Agriculture agreed by Agriculture Ministers across Australia, the agriculture sector‘s role in addressing climate change has been reaffirmed.

Farm Safety Week 2023, 16-23 July

Agriculture continues to be one of the most dangerous industries to work in. In 2022, 55 farmers lost their lives on farm, with tractors, quad bikes and side-by-sides continuing to dominate as agents of fatality on farm. For that reason, the focus of Farm Safety Week 2023 will be tractor and machinery safety.

There’s a lot you can do to help keep your farm, workers and family safe, particularly around the safe use of farm plant and machinery. Check out the information and resources available on the Farmsafe Australia website here.

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 Martin, who has a harvester 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.

Rural Victorian communities frustrated by slow repair to flood-damaged roads

A road in Prairie in Central Victoria was damaged during the 2022 floods. (ABC Central Victoria: Sarah Lawrence)

It has been nine months since floods devastated many parts of Victoria, but farmer Brian Klowss still can't transport his animals on his local roads. The grain and sheep farmer said he recently walked his sheep 20 kilometres to be shorn because poor road conditions at Natimuk, west of Horsham, wouldn't allow trucks to pick them up.

GROWER TO GROWER

Have a question? Need some advice? Ask a fellow grower!

The FOE team regularly hears from growers with questions about grove or production practices, or equipment, that they just can’t find the answers to. They’re things other producers are likely know about and/or experienced themselves. So we’ve set up a new Friday Olive Extracts feature, Grower to Grower, where you can send your questions and have them answered by your peers.

Just send the details to editor@olivegrower.com.au and we’ll put them out to the Friday Olive Extracts community - that’s thousands of readers across the globe.

Feral pig control program gets $8m boost from NSW government

The New South Wales government has announced an additional $8 million in funding to address the growing feral pig population. Consecutive years of heavy rainfall and flooding have created the ideal conditions for pigs to breed and numbers have exploded.

And while we’re talking about pest animals …

Biosecurity groups call for WA government to resume pastoral aerial culling of camels, horses and donkeys

Wild donkeys are a pest in the Kimberley. (Jo Prendergast)

Pastoralists and biosecurity experts worry feral populations of large animals like camels, horses and donkeys could spike due to a pause in government aerial culling.

Contract Olive Pruning - Riverland Pruning & Harvest

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Opportunities

Tractor driving and propagation added to TAFE horticulture course

TAFE NSW has developed its Certificate III course in production horticulture to provide additional skills for anyone wishing to learn how to grow and manage horticultural crops.

A tractor-driving unit has been included in the course curriculum, along with learning basic propagation methods.

More information here.

Events

2023 AOA National Olive Conference & Trade Exhibition - Registration now open

Canberra, ACT - 26-27 October

Returning to Canberra for a two day program featuring plenary sessions, grove visits, an EVOO cooking class and olive oil tasting workshop.

Feature presentations respond directly to topics raised at last year’s Conference, or suggestions from growers at other AOA events throughout the year, while a tour of local groves on the Friday afternoon will provide the ever-popular opportunity for peer discussion and problem-solving of grove management issues.

The plenary sessions and exhibition will be held at the Ann Harding Conference Centre at the University of Canberra, Bruce ACT. The modern, light-filled venue has ample car parking and is walking distance to numerous accommodation options.

Trade Exhibition

The conference will feature a range of leading olive industry suppliers and service providers, offering the ideal opportunity to review your business needs and learn about the latest product innovations. Be sure to make time to visit the booths on display.

View the full program here and register here.

The National Olive Conference & Trade Exhibition is part of the Olive levy project Australian olive industry communications and extension program (OL22000), 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. The event is also supported by the industry sponsors and exhibitors.

AOA Webinar: Managing Olive Lace Bug

Olive lace bug remains an important pest for the Australian industry and has recently been a major problem for many locations in NSW (particularly Hunter Valley) and southern Western Australia.

One of the reasons has been the weather patterns that have favoured survival of the initial (and in some cases, later) generations of developing bugs. This means that monitoring and implanting management practices for the first generation is critical in reducing later-season problems.

This webinar addresses these issues, as well as providing opportunities for growers to discuss this and other olive pest problems.

Presented by: Dr Robert Spooner-Hart, Research Associate Professor of Sustainable Plant Production Systems, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University.

Details:

Tuesday 15 August, 11.00am AEST - FREE. Register here.

This webinar series is part of the Olive levy project Australian olive industry communications and extension program (OL22000), 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.

2023 AIOA entries now open - will you be this year’s Best of Show Winner?

The 2023 Australian International Olive Awards (AIOA) is now open for entries.

Australia’s premier olive competition, with increasing international recognition and status, the AIOA provides benefits for entrants including:

Entries individually assessed and awarded on merit.
All entrants receive comprehensive judging feedback.
Successful judging provides eligibility for OliveCare® certification.
Unprecedented opportunity for international recognition of winning products and producers.
Official AIOA Results Book, providing a great marketing tool for all medal and award winners.
The opportunity to purchase high-resolution professional product images for use in social media, website and media purposes at only $35 plus GST.

Find out more and enter here.

“I work so hard and it’s just wonderful to get something for all the hard work. I put my heart and soul into it, and I think it’s paid off with this award…and it’s expensive to make, so the boost in sales is such a bonus. Instead of three bottles, now people will ask for 12 – when it’s won Best in Show, it makes a great present.”

Liz Tonkinson, Leisal Rose, 2021 AIOA Best of Show EVOO

International

Exploring the health benefits of hydroxytyrosol in extra virgin olive oil

Hydroxytyrosol is among the 25 phenolic compounds found in extra virgin olive oil, playing a role in preventing noncommunicable diseases.

Olive oil news: Cerberus jeopardises another harvest, putting the industry in crisis

Cerberus is shrouding Europe in a deadly heatwave, warning people not to stay outside for long. The high temperature affects not only tourism but also precious crops, particularly olive trees. The olive oil industry could be in a crisis as the greenhouse effect jeopardises yet another harvest.

We escaped followed our dream of owning an olive grove in Italy… but it was harder than we thought

A British couple who escaped the UK’s cost-of-living crisis by buying a 110-acre farm in rural Italy to start their own olive oil business have revealed their shock at how hard starting again in a foreign country really is.

Friday Olive Extracts – send us YOUR news

The year is racing by and Friday Olive Extracts (FOE) continues and Friday Olive Extracts (FOE) will continue 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!

Consuming oleuropein may mitigate the effects of aging on muscular atrophy

New research purports to demonstrate that aged mice which ate a diet supplemented with olive leaf extract rich in oleuropein increased muscle mass.

A rise in sustainability marketing in the olive oil sector

Companies are investing more in sustainability marketing, and consumers are paying attention.

Olive farming improving farmers’ living standards in KP

Olive plants have become a source of livelihood for many farmers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where land is said to be fertile and suitable for this fruit. Sajid Khan, a quadragenarian, is one of those farmers often seen tending to olive plants in his native Bajaur tribal district.

Spurred by olives, organic farmland grows in Italy

With a 25,600-hectare increase in surface area from 2021 to 2022, olive groves are the most significant crop in Italy’s expanding organic agricultural landscape.