As Australians line up to receive the first batch of COVID-19 vaccinations this week, agribusiness owners are scrambling for answers and say government agencies have offered little support and guidance about the rollout. Employers want to know if they can force their workers to have the vaccine and, if their employees choose not to, can employers guarantee a safe workplace?

The stone fruit industry says the detection on South Australian shelves of fruit fly in nectarines and peaches transported from Victoria is a failure of both states' biosecurity systems.

Roadside grazing seems to be an obvious win-win situation — hungry stock access feed, and the fire risk beside the road is reduced. But an ecologist is warning that droving cattle in some parts of Victoria would increase fire fuel loads.

One of the great pleasures when driving across rural Australia is discovering farm stalls selling all sorts of produce, taken from the paddock to the front gate. From pumpkins to pineapples, tomatoes to potatoes and of course free range eggs and jams are all part of the offering.

It’s important to keep up with the changing status of pandemic regulations, so you can access state-specific information on COVID-19 from the links below:

New details of a contentious plan to build a network of powerlines across a 200-kilometre stretch of western Victoria have been released. AusNet, which is building the Western Victoria Transmission Network Project to connect to renewable energy sources near Stawell with a power station at Sydenham, on Melbourne's fringe, has released a map highlighting corridors where the powerlines may go.

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, 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 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.

When it comes to rainfall, south-west Western Australia has been hit by climate change harder than almost anywhere on earth, according to climatologist Pandora Hope from the Bureau of Meteorology. "South-west Western Australia was very much one of the first places to really see the shift that we expect with global warming, so it's had one of the biggest changes compared to many places in the world," she said.

The much-discussed La Niña phenomenon has brought the best wet season for years in the Top End and a welcome change to rainier conditions for most of the country, but some still missed out this summer. And the Bureau of Meteorology [BOM] autumn outlook is for wetter-than-average conditions in the east.

A veteran teacher has raised concerns about the New South Wales government's plans to sell a specialist rural TAFE campus, warning you cannot properly learn key agriculture skills from books or online.

The General Jeffery Soil Health Award is open to any individual farmer, land manager, extension specialist or educator who is making an outstanding contribution to improving soil health in Australia. The winner will be sponsored to attend in person, the National Landcare Awards Gala Dinner where they will receive a trophy and a cash prize of $20,000.

Applications close on Wednesday 31 March. More information here.

The International Freight Assistance Mechanism (IFAM) continues to provide new and extended flights for export freight, including a new focus on key Asian markets.

New and extended flight routes in the past fortnight include: Adelaide to Hong Kong; Melbourne to Abu Dhabi, Toowoomba to Singapore. Incoming flights have also been extended.

Contact your preferred freight forwarder to access available flights and for more information and flight details, visit the IFAM webpage or download the IFAM Flight Schedule Outbound.

Victorian farmers can apply for a new round of State Government grants to help them invest in Internet of Things (IoT) technology, designed to make farming easier and more accurate.

Round two of the On-Farm IoT trial sees farmers in Wellington Shire, City of Greater Shepparton, Buloke Shire, Loddon Shire and Moira Shire able to apply for up to $25,000 to test IoT technology on their farms.

IoT technology refers to physical devices with sensors that connect to each other and to the internet to share information. Technology selected by more than 90 farmers taking part in round one of the trial includes soil moisture probes, livestock trackers, milk vat monitors, security cameras and surface level monitors for troughs and dams.

Applications close at 5pm AEDT today, 26 February – jump online and see if you’re eligible here.

Pre-season Considerations for EVOO Processing - Wednesday 10 March, 10.00am AEDT

Pablo’s webinar last year proved extremely popular with everyone connected with growing and processing olive oil. This first of two processing webinars with Pablo to be held in March this year, the first session will focus on preparation for best quality EVOO production. The webinar will cover:

The format will be a 30 minute presentation followed by a 30 minute interactive Q&A session, providing plenty of opportunity for people to clarify particular queries or issues.

The session will be held via Zoom Meeting format and all attendees must register to gain access. A link to the session will be provided via email prior to the webinar.

Cost: Levy payers $20 plus GST; non-levy payers $40 plus GST.

Registrations close Monday, 8 March. Register here.

Further details: Liz Bouzoudis, secretariat@australianolives.com.au, 0478 606 145.

The AOA’s Healthy Soils Field Days program is now underway, with the Tasmanian event garnering rave reviews from participants. The SA event happens this Sunday and the program will continue during March in major production regions across all states.

Each field day focuses on the role of healthy soils in producing healthy trees and lifting grove productivity. Presented in the grove, the information will cover a wide range of topics around soil health, from identifying and managing soil issues to monitoring and improving both soil and tree health. Along with expert speakers, each program will involve a panel of specialist service providers who will demonstrate and discuss the latest technology to monitor, test and measure vital soil parameters and tree health.

28 February - Peninsula Providore Farm - Nangkita Olive Grove, Tooperang SA

7 March - Hunters Dream Estate, Pokolbin NSW

14 March - aFthonia Farms, Hampton (via Toowoomba), QLD

21 March - Lisadurne Hill Olives, Rushworth, VIC

28 March - Preston Valley Grove, Lowden (via Donnybrook) WA

Cost* is $40 incl GST for AOA members and levy payers; $50 incl GST for others.

The full program for each field day, including speaker and venue details, is available on the OliveBiz website here, where you can also register.

This one day of learning how to care for your soil will repay you, your grove and your business for years to come. Don’t miss out, register now!

The Spanish government has contacted the European Commission urging it to open talks with the United States about suspending import tariffs on Spanish olive oil and table olives. In a letter sent by Reyes Maroto, the minister of industry, trade and tourism, to Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, Maroto called for a “balanced and mutually beneficial solution” to the trade dispute.

Just recently, Jennifer Lopez took to Instagram to launch a new product in her JLo beauty range and found herself on the receiving end of trolls. A cursory glance at the comments presents an audience in disbelief that at 51, a woman’s skin can show barely any signs of ageing, with JLo looking barely a day older than the woman we grew up with in the “Jenny from the Block” video.

When you’re shopping for cooking oil, reaching for olive oil is a no-brainer. Loaded with good-for-you monounsaturated fat, it’s a cornerstone of the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet. But knowing which olive oil to pick -- and how to use it once you get home -- is where things get a little murkier. Turns out, there’s a lot of misinformation out there about olive oil. Time to clear it up!

With 2021 now 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!

Spanish bottled olive oil exports to the United States decreased by 80 percent in 2020 compared to 2019, according to Spain’s main agricultural cooperative, Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias. Tariffs imposed in October 2019 by the Trump administration are blamed for the fall, which damaged the Spanish olive oil sector dramatically.

The Junta de Andalucia has asked the central government to “stop attacking” ham and olive oil. The Advisor to the President of the Junta de Andalucia, Elias Bendodo, in particular has launched a campaign against the decision to include them within the group of foods which should only be eaten “occasionally” on the nutritional ‘traffic lights’ created by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.

The first phase of the Med-Gold project is approaching completion and the results could revolutionize how olive growers plan for the future. The four-year project funded by the European Union seeks to provide olive, grape and wheat growers with information that can be used to develop short, intermediate and long-term strategies to combat climate change and pests.

Healthy Soils Field Day - Tooperang SA

ABARES Outlook 2021 conference

Healthy Soils Field Day - Hunter Valley NSW

AOA Processing Webinar - Pre-season Considerations for EVOO Processing

Healthy Soils Field Day, Hampton (via Toowoomba), QLD

Olives NZ AGM (Zoom)

Healthy Soils Field Day - Rushworth, VIC

AOA Processing Webinar - Technical Aspects of Olive Oil Extraction

Soil CRC Participants Conference

Healthy Soils Field Day - Lowden (via Donnybrook) WA

Entries close, Berlin Global Olive Oil Awards – Berlin, Germany

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day - Hawke’s Bay

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day - Northland

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day - Canterbury

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day - Nelson

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day - Wairarapa

Entries close, OLIVE JAPAN 2021 International Olive Oil Competition

Registrations close/samples due, EVO IOOC – Palmi, Italy

Farm2Plate Exchange 2021 – Scenic Rim, Qld

Winners announced, OLIVE JAPAN 2021 International Olive Oil Competition

Hort Connections 2021 – Brisbane, Qld

Entries open, Hunter Olive Show

Entries close, Hunter Olive Show

Awards night, Hunter Olive Show

2021 National Olive Conference & Trade Exhibition - Devonport, Tasmania

To include your event, or update your existing event details, email FOE editor Gerri Nelligan at editor@olivegrower.com.au

Friday Olive Extracts Editorial editor@olivegrower.com.au

Advertising: editor@olivegrower.com.au

Subscribe to Olivegrower & Processor magazine secretariat@australianolives.com.au