As COVID-19 continues to restrict international travel, holidaying closer to home has become the vacation of choice for many families and new camping sites in Victoria are being opened up to meet that demand. As a first step, the Victorian government is allowing camping on 27 river frontages in northern Victoria that are currently licensed by farmers.

The chairman and co-founder of Cobram Estate, Australia’s largest olive oil producer and the market leader on the shelves of Coles and Woolworths, says local shoppers increasingly want to buy Australian-made products.

For almost three years, the federal government sought no bureaucratic advice regarding a major policy commitment to introduce a visa for farm workers, despite the National Party insisting it was one of its top priorities.

"It was just by accident!" Tanuja Sanders tells SBS Food from Bunbury, a port city south of Perth in Western Australia. A very happy one at that, since it's how she and her American husband Keith Sanders ended up as multi-award-winning olive oil producers in Australia.

With more than half the population in lockdown, it’s important to keep up with the changing status of pandemic regulations across the country. You can access state-specific information on COVID-19 from the links below:

If the climate becomes drier, farmers in some parts of the Eyre Peninsula could find it harder to make a living. But they’re already adapting to an uncertain future of climate change and dwindling townships.

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 excess product or equipment - like Mary, who’s selling handmade olive tapenade to extend your product range. 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.

Farmers are being paid to look after native vegetation or rehabilitate damaged land under a "rash" of schemes popping up across Australia.

Administration of the pilot Drought Communities Small Business Support Program (DCSBSP) moved to the National Recovery and Resilience Agency (NRRA) on 1 July 2021. 

Delivered through the Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS), the DCSBSP provides financial counselling to small regional businesses experiencing financial hardship due to drought, bushfire or the COVID-19 downturn. A Professional Services Fund is also available to help businesses access specialist third-party advice (determined on a case-by-case basis). This includes financial planning, legal, specialist taxation and accounting advice.

Small regional businesses can access free financial counselling and recovery support services through the RFCS to 31 December 2021.

For more information, or to connect with your local small business financial counsellor, visit the National Recovery and Resilience Agency website here.

Round 1 of the $20 million Murray–Darling Healthy Rivers Program funding has recently been announced, providing 73 Healthy Rivers grants delivering over $3 million to communities from Goondiwindi to Strathalbyn.

Grant activities include revegetation, constructing riverbank fencing and invasive species control, benefiting the environment and also providing jobs in Basin communities recovering from drought and the impacts of COVID–19. 

Two further rounds of grants will be open for applications later this year, so if you’re in an MDB region your community may well be eligible. Find out more here.

The Royal Adelaide Show this week sadly joined the list of COVID-related event cancellations but entrants can rest assured that the 2021 Olives South Australia Royal Adelaide Olive Awards are going ahead.

The competition organisers have all their systems in order for a COVID-safe judging process, which will continue as scheduled next weekend.

The results will be announced on Wednesday, 1 September, hopefully at a presentation dinner at a COVID-19 compliant venue. We’ll bring you further details a little closer to the date, and look forward to announcing the results in a few weeks’ time.

Good luck to all entrants!

If you haven’t done it already, it’s time to jump online, fill out the forms and package those bottles, with entry now open for the 2021 Australian International Olive Awards (AIOA).

Following the success of the 2020 format, the 2021 event once again involves both national and international judging panels across the globe.

Benefits of entering include:

Entries now open

Entries close 3 September

Medal winners announced 4 October 2021 via email

Major award winners Announced at 2021 AIOA Gala Presentation on 15 October in Devonport.

Find out more and enter here.

Part of the AOA’s ongoing program of productivity and profitability webinars, this technical session will be a discussion with WA crop protection specialist Alison Matthews, including a review of the RIRDC Publication 12-019 on Management of Black Scale and Apple Weevil in Olives.

This webinar will cover pest management in olives, focussing on:

Details:

31 August, 12.30pm AEST - one-hour Zoom meeting, comprising 30-minute presentation followed by 30-minute interactive Q&A session.

Attendance is free to all industry members – register here. 

For terms and conditions and further information please contact Ben on 0422850699 or Greg on 0407599409, or email newmed.olives@gmail.com

Subsoil constraints have been traditionally difficult to manage. They limit water storage capacity and nutrient absorption which can result in a drop in crop productivity. This presentation will focus on the development of innovative products to address subsoil constraints.

Presented by Soil CRC Project Leader Ehsan Tavakkoli, NSW Department of Primary Industries, the webinar will include a presentation and a Q&A session.

Details: 7 September, 12:00 PM AEST. Register here.

10-Aug-2021 By Elaine Watson

AB 535, a California bill that would have prohibited any reference to California on olive oil bottles that did not contain 100% California-sourced olive oil, has been amended such that supporters and opponents say they can both live with it.

A historic, 2,500-year-old olive tree on the Greek island of Evia has been destroyed amid ongoing wildfires that have forced thousands of people to flee their homes.

Greece has made an official request to the Council of the European Union to receive financial aid for oil olive oil and table olive producers hit by the extreme weather conditions that prevailed in parts of the country during the last six months.

The current era is all about reducing, reusing, and recycling. The increasing and alarming global warming situation has forced people to think about their activities from a broader perspective. Every single thing that can impact the environment either positively or negatively is being re-thought and rewired.

We’re now more than half-way through 2021, and 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!

How do I recognize rancid olive oil? What causes olive oil to become rancid? Is rancid olive oil bad for me? How do I avoid it? An expert's tips help us separate fact from fiction!

The ‘no-plough’ regenerative methods adopted in small vineyards have spread to olive groves and leading wine producers – boosting biodiversity and profits.

The Italian Federation of Independent Olive Growers seeks to promote the culture of small and medium-sized growers and native olive varieties.

Entries open Olives NZ EVOO Awards – New Zealand

Sensory Masterclass in Olive Oil - online

Entries open, 2021 WA Olive Awards

Results announced, AGOA – NE VIC

AOA Technical Webinar - Pest & Disease Management  

AGOA Presentation Dinner – Wangaratta, VIC

Entries close, 2021 WA Olive Awards

Entries close Olives NZ EVOO Awards – New Zealand

AOA Healthy Soils - Healthy and Productive Groves Regional Field Day - Brucedale, NSW

AOA Technical Webinar - Table olive cultivars 

AOA Technical Webinar - EVOO storage considerations 

Olives NZ EVOO Awards Dinner – Wellington, NZ

2021 Virtual National Olive Conference - Online

Results announced, 2021 WA Olive Awards

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

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