Researchers determined that manipulating the 13-HPL gene could allow farmers to predict olive oil aroma or create new cultivars with specific aromas.

Video monitoring might seem like a luxury only possible in places with NBN or mobile phone coverage, but in Western Australia's remote Southern Rangelands a system has been set up using off-the-shelf products, solar power, and bush ingenuity.

The price of agricultural land has never been higher and despite the current economic turmoil, analysts and agents believe it will continue to hold its value. 

If you are finding it tough paying high prices for fresh food right now, spare a thought for the farmers supplying it. Suppliers' costs went up during the pandemic and energy, labour, shipping and logistics have ballooned again this year due to the war in Ukraine, but suppliers need to negotiate with supermarkets before the price they receive for their products can change.

An initiative to support dozens of Ukrainian refugees moving to regional New South Wales is being hailed as a possible solution to the labour crisis. More than 40 refugees met with employers and accommodation providers in Orange and Cowra, in the state's central west, to begin the process of moving to the region.

Following the Annual Wage Review 2022, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) has made two announcements:

Read a short summary of the changes here or access more detailed information here.

While most restrictions have eased across the country, it’s still important to keep up with the remaining pandemic regulations for particular situations. You can access state-specific information on COVID-19 from the links below:

Australian exporters warn they are facing major export uncertainty because a government subsidy to keep international air trade routes open will end this month. The International Freight Assistance Mechanism (IFAM) was brought in as a temporary support by the federal government to keep air freight routes open when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold and borders were closed.

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. 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.

Tucked away in a tree plantation south-east of Perth, a saltwater greenhouse that may be one of a kind is growing salty plants for innovative restaurants. 

Western Australia's safety authority has announced an inquiry into the agriculture sector following the 12th death in as many months. 

Exposure to psychosocial hazards, including gendered violence, poses risk of significant harm to the psychological and physical health of workers. The latest two information sheets released by the department are intended to assist persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) to prevent and respond to incidents of workplace gendered violence.

Part 3 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WHS Act) outlines the nature of incidents that must be reported to WorkSafe, including incidents of gendered violence.

Access the new information sheets here and here.

Export Finance Australia’s Small Business Export Loan is a streamlined online loan solution with fast approvals for businesses that need to borrow $20K to $350K. It does not require property security.

Small Business Export Loans can be used to finance:

Find out more, including eligibility criteria, and apply here. 

IFAM-supported flights and grants delivered through the mechanism will both end by 30 June 2022.

The last IFAM supported outbound charter and block flights depart Australia on 26 June 2022, and final grant applications must be submitted no later than 5.00pm AEST, Friday 24 June.

More information here.

While we all know that the fruits of the olive tree have been used as a food for millennia, many don’t know that the leaf has also been used for hundreds of years as a medicine. An article in the Pharmaceutical Journal in 1854 discussed its use in fever caused by infections, and modern research indicates it may be beneficial in reducing the risk of diabetes, diseases of the blood vessels, and improving immune function. However not all olive leaf products are equal. 

Presented by Ian Breakspear, senior lecturer in herbal and naturopathic medicine at Torrens University Australia, and a naturopathic clinician with 30 years of experience, this FREE webinar will discuss the medicinal value of olive leaf extracts, and present important research on how extracts made from fresh versus dried leaves can be quite different.  

Tuesday 5 July, 11.00am AEST

Cost: Free

Register here. 

Learn how to harness the life in your soils for better farming outcomes at Western Sydney University’s two-day Soils Masterclass. Participants will learn how to adopt practices and strategies to enhance the life in soils and use the power of plant-soil-microbial relationships to unlock soil nutrients, produce healthier and more nutritious plants. They will also gain an understanding of how microbes drive modern farming success.

8 and 9 August 2020

Western Sydney University Hawkesbury Campus

Registration: $395.00

More information here. 

A two-day workshop is being run in Central NSW in July, aiming to address specific issues that growers in that region and the Hunter Valley have endured over the past few years, namely:

As there have been many olive groves in the region which have changed hands in recent years, the workshop is also aimed at new olive growers, recognizing that they need industry information and support to produce olives profitably and to process the olives into high quality EVOO and/or table olives.

When: July 28 @ 8am-4pm (optional dinner); July 29 @ 7.30am-4pm

Venue: Rylstone Olive Press, Monivae, NSW

Workshop cost (GST incl): 

2 days AOA member/levy payer $165; 2 days general $176

1 day AOA member/levy payer $99; 1 day general $110

+ Optional dinner $110 pp + bus transport $33 pp

More detail and register here.

The 2022 Australian International Olive Awards (AIOA) is now open for entries, offering the chance to be named Best EVOO, Flavoured Oil or Table Olive of Show from a growing field of high-calibre international entries.

The AIOA prides itself on judging excellence, with all entries assessed and awarded on merit and all entrants receiving comprehensive judging feedback. Successful judging also provides eligibility for OliveCare® certification.

Other benefits include a listing in the 2022 AIOA Results Book, a great marketing tool for all medal and award winners, and NEW in 2022, the opportunity to purchase the professional product images taken for the Results Book, which can be used for social media, website and print media purposes.

For the 2022 competition the Best of Show awards for flavoured olive oil and table olives will also now be split into commercial and boutique volume categories, meaning there are now six chances to win a coveted Best of Show award.

Entries open: 1 June

Entries close: 26 August

Medal winners announced: 3 October (via email)

Major awards announced: 2022 AIOA Gala Presentation, 14 October.

The AIOA offers an unprecedented opportunity for international recognition of winning products and producers. Don’t delay – find out more and enter here. 

The Greek Council of State, the country’s supreme administrative court, has ruled that only producers of Kalamon table olives in the Messenia region in southwest Peloponnese are entitled to market their olives under the ‘Kalamata’ brand name.

Analysis of a charred wood assemblage from an archaeological site at Tel Tsaf in the Jordan Valley, Israel, has revealed the presence of burned wood from 16 different species of trees, including olive (Olea europea) and fig (Ficus carica) trees. The researchers have proposed that since the olive did not grow naturally in the Jordan Valley, the inhabitants must have planted the trees intentionally about 7,000 years ago. This would represent the earliest example of olive domestication in the Mediterranean and in the world.

The announcement came after a study determined organic agriculture can cut production costs for farmers.

Forty olive trees were planted in Barnsdall Park on Thursday, June 16, as part of an effort to restore the park’s historic olive grove … The property, then-known as “Olive Hill,” held about 1,225 olive trees and was used as a commercial orchard before being purchased by philanthropist and oil heiress Alina Barnsdall.

We’re now well into 2022, 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!

There’s no strategic olive oil reserves to tap into here. A slew of ongoing issues have been drizzling trouble over the olive oil industry for the better half of the past decade, according to experts in the field, and things are getting increasingly dire.

While the economy, global food security crisis and European energy crisis are the main priorities of the latest European Commission budget, sustainable agriculture also has a prominent place.

Extra-virgin olive, sunflower, rapeseed or groundnut? It all depends what you’re making. Here’s how top chefs use them.

Webinar: The Mediterranean Blessing - Olive Leaf as a Herbal Medicine

Entries open, 2022 Hunter Olive Show – Hunter Valley, NSW

Central NSW Olive Workshop - Monivae, NSW

Entries open, WA Olive Awards

Entries close, 2022 Australian International Olive awards

Entries close, 2022 NZ EVOO Awards

Entries close, 2022 Hunter Olive Show – Hunter Valley, NSW

Entries close, WA Olive Awards

Olives NZ Processing Practices seminar – Canterbury, NZ

Medals announced, 2022 Australian International Olive awards

Awards presentation, 2022 Hunter Olive Show – Hunter Valley, NSW

Olives NZ Conference and Awards Dinner – Wellington, NZ

2022 Olives New Zealand Conference – Wellington, NZ

Field tour, 2022 AOA National Olive Conference & Exhibition – Devonport, Tasmania

Awards Dinner, 2022 Australian International Olive awards

2022 AOA National Olive Conference & Exhibition – Devonport, Tasmania

Awards Night, WA Olive Awards

SA Olive Festival - Nangkita Olives, Fleurieu Peninsula

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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