18 November 2022

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

Today's Top Story

Why is it raining so much and when is it going to stop?

The warm ocean temperatures and the moisture they provide are set to hang around for a while longer yet. (ABC Weather: Kate Doyle)

It has been round after round after round of rain over the past few weeks, on top of all the rain of the past few years. So why is it just so wet out there? More importantly, when will it stop?

Australia

Mudgee vineyards worried about devastating pest as tourism booms

An infestation of the pest would mean that vines would have to be ripped out. (Supplied: NSW DPI)

Mudgee's wine growers are worried about a possible incursion of a vine-destroying aphid and are taking steps to protect their industry. A 12-month biosecurity pilot is being run across 10 vineyards in the town, as well as in Orange, Tumbarumba and Canberra.

Different industry, different pest, same concern … an important read for everyone.

North Coast buyback scheme will not include farmland, reconstruction boss says

An $800 million buyback scheme for Northern Rivers flood victims is not intended to be used to buy back farms from flood-affected farmers, says the reconstruction boss.

Australia's first satellite that can help detect bushfires within one minute of ignition set for launch

Imagine a system that could detect any bushfire in Australia within minutes of ignition so firefighters could tackle the blaze before it spreads. Last week saw an important development on the road to this future: a Queensland-based company, Fireball, announced the first purpose-built satellite for fire detection in Australia.

Detection of fires within a minute, with water gliders sent in to douse them before they take off … let’s hope they get there.

Extreme climate 'every few years' is agriculture's biggest challenge, says researcher

Extreme weather is on the rise, and it's a major headache for farming. (Supplied: Rosie Kew Button)

There's no such thing as an average year and farmers should recalibrate how they think of extreme weather events, says agronomist and agricultural researcher Kate Burke. "We used to think of droughts and floods that happened once in a generation. Now they're happening every few years," she said.

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 products or equipment – like Russell, who has surplus high-quality EVOO 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.

An accidental olivist

Rob Pearse is a local leading light of olive growers.

A local leading light of olive growers will be guest speaker at Kyneton Horticultural Society’s last speaker night for 2022. On Monday November 21, Rob Pearse will enlighten the audience about, you guessed it, growing olives.

A great way for growers to spread the word about our local industry and products.

University of Adelaide researchers developing gene drive technology to combat invasive mice

The technology aims to make future females of invasive mice species infertile. (Supplied: University of Adelaide)

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have released their findings about the potential effectiveness of gene drive technology to control invasive mice … DNA technology is used to make alterations to a female fertility gene and, once the population is saturated with the genetic modification, the females that are generated will be infertile.

Opportunities

New Carbon Opportunity Decision Support Tool to unlock carbon curiosity

Launched at the 2022 Australian Farm Institute Roundtable: ‘Cultivating ESG Capability’ in Canberra, the online tool offers a practical resource for landowners and primary producers to navigate the tricky landscape of carbon choices.

Find out more here.

International

A predicted record harvest would make Turkey the world’s second-largest olive oil producer

The country’s olive oil and table olive yields are expected to reach record highs. Officials hope to export more olive oil to Europe and grow domestic demand.

With a similar story in Croatia …

Despite drought, Croatia enjoys fruitful harvest

Croatian olive growers are rubbing their hands together in satisfaction. Except for the islands of Hvar and Vis, the harvest across the rest of the country was better than expected. The bumper harvest comes despite the challenges of prolonged drought and scorching summer temperatures.

Tourist train in Provence partially fueled by olive-pit biofuel

Olive pit-based biofuel is powering a vintage steam train in southern France, carrying tourists through the natural parks and the charming hills and villages of Provence, the heart of wine and olive oil production in the country.

Friday Olive Extracts – send us YOUR news

We’re heading towards the end of 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!

E.U. announces measures to ensure fertilizer supply, lower costs

The Commission's plans include excluding fertilizer producers from natural gas rationing, financial aid for farmers and the liberalization of international fertilizer trade.

Farms in Italy welcome an uptick in agritourism as challenging harvest gets underway

The first few weeks of the olive harvest in Puglia confirmed that the 2022/23 crop year would be challenging for farmers in Italy’s largest olive oil-producing region. Olive yields are so low in certain areas that some growers are not bothering to harvest, and some millers are not opening their facilities.

Reimagining the Xylella-Devastated Landscape of Southern Puglia

Public and private stakeholders are working together in Salento province to plant new crops and revitalize the previously devastated landscape.

Olive oil is the key to a richer chocolate chip cookie

If you're the type to cook up some tasty meals and treats for yourself and loved ones, you probably have a bottle (or two) of olive oil in your pantry. Made by extracting the oil from the fruit of olive trees, olive oil has stood up against the test of time as a preferred oil throughout many different societies and cultures.

Who doesn’t need an olive oil choc chip cookie recipe? And we particularly appreciate the line “you can almost always use olive oil when a recipe calls for melted butter”.

Combining olive oil and lemon juice may have exponential health benefits, according to science

Shanti May/Shutterstock

Lemon juice and olive oil are ingredients that appear in many of our favorite dishes. But did you know that the two - when paired - have tremendous health benefits?

Is this why we love lemon Agrumato olive oil?