It is with great sadness that we share the news that Steve Milton, olive grower and President of Olives WA, passed away on 12 January 2022 in a tragic farm accident. 

Steve was an active member of the WA olive industry since establishing Rokewood Olive Grove with his wife Janine in Balingup, producing award-winning olive oils since 2013. 

Steve made an enormous and lasting contribution to the industry through his many years of active involvement, with the South West Olive Association, as a respected olive oil judge and later as Director and President of the West Australian Olive Council. He will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing and working with him. 

Our thoughts are with Steve’s wife, Janine, sons Mike and Rob, and extended family and friends during this difficult time. 

Murrumbidgee Irrigation says a $126.48 million federal government grant will enable it to complete an almost decade long project to halve its water losses. The funding will be spent on finalising automation works, reconstructing nearly 20 kilometres of open channels to reduce evaporation and seepage, and creating a 5000 megalitre 'surge reservoir'.

A think tank has questioned the cost benefits of Murrumbidgee Irrigation's latest water-saving project and says plans for a surge reservoir are simply "a new dam".

The spot price of carbon has just hit $50 per unit, climbing 16 per cent in just a couple of weeks to set a record. The market for carbon is developing rapidly after new rules for voluntary trading were set at COP26 and the global business community gets behind the net-zero movement.

Rob McGavin said the industry needs to work together to succeed long-term, from technology-based solutions to emphasizing extra virgin olive oil’s health benefits.

With the Omicron variant sweeping across the country, it’s more important than ever to keep up with the constantly changing status of pandemic regulations. You can access state-specific information on COVID-19 from the links below:

Hidden in the Amazon basin lie swathes of dark, rich earth. Known as terra preta, this soil is believed to have been made thousands of years ago by ancient pre-Columbian civilisations. Even today it is highly prized by farmers. The secret ingredient? Biochar.

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 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.

Bare shelves in major supermarkets underscore the problem with the "oligopolistic" structure of Australia's grocery industry, experts say. Coles and Woolworths control 66 per cent of Australia's grocery retail market.

Preliminary modelling has shown Tasmania will initially escape the worst impacts of climate change but by 2050 farmers will have to adapt to hotter, drier conditions.

The final round of Field Days under the Olives NZ Focus Grove Project have been scheduled for March, except for the Northland region which will also receive a follow-up visit, most likely in August. The project is due to finish in November after the 2022 Grove Census and final Project Report have been completed.

The March dates are:

Monday, 14 - Kakariki, Nelson

Tuesday, 15 - Terrace Edge, Canterbury

Friday, 18 - Olives on the Hill, Northland

Monday, 21 – (a.m.) Leafyridge; (p.m.) Bella Olea, Wairarapa

Wednesday, 23 - Aquiferra, Hawke’s Bay

More information here.

Helen Melser's The Olive Tree in My Kitchen cookbook is a homage to the humble yet versatile olive tree. This recipe, she says, "is the result of a play day in the kitchen when I decided to see if oil and honey would work together. 

Global olive oil production reached 3,010,000 tons in the 2020/21 crop year, according to the latest data from the International Olive Council (IOC). The final total for the previous crop year was about eight percent below the 3,266,500 tons reported in 2019/20.

Standing in his olive grove in Kalamata, Greek farmer Michalis Antonopoulos points to a series of branches bearing rotten fruit. These are the remnants of last winter - a season too warm and dry to produce Greece's famous olive stock. The following summer saw the worst heatwave in decades, drying up the fruit and setting off wildfires that burned hundreds of thousands of trees. 

Officials in Spain anticipate olive oil prices to remain steady after rising rapidly in the first half of 2021. Despite prices remaining steady for the past seven months, there are fears that drought in southern Spain and rising production costs could dampen these gains. 

 

A new global initiative was recently launched to help restore the birthplace of the Olympic Games at Ancient Olympia, where 450,000 olive trees were destroyed by the catastrophic fires of last summer.

We’ve started another new year, 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!

Olive production in Palestine is expected to fall by 60 percent in the 2021/22 crop year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. International Olive Council data show that Palestine produced 12,000 tons of olive oil in the 2020/21 crop year, which was the lowest yield in more than a decade and 43 percent below the rolling five-year average.

Olive oil, citrus fruits, and grapes being harvested in abundance from restored sites across Europe

CEMEX’s commitment to considered and high-quality restoration of their quarries has resulted in the harvesting of olive oil, citrus fruits, and grapes from locations in Croatia and Spain.

Greeks are among the top per capita consumers of olive oil in the world but have cut back on the highest grade.

The combined €55 million in funding comes as officials in the Italian olive oil sector call on the European Commission to end its duty-free import quotas from Tunisia.

A Brooklyn-based startup is reimagining extra-virgin olive oil. Graza has debuted single-origin oils packaged in squeeze bottles. The oil is extracted from Picual olives harvested in Jaen, Spain. The varietal is superior to others, with a higher smoke point, longer shelf life and more stability while cooking, according to the company.

AOA office re-opens

ABARES Outlook 2022 Conference

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day - Nelson

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day - Canterbury

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day - Northland

Olives New Zealand 2022 Annual General Meeting – Online

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day - Wairarapa

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day - Hawke’s Bay

Olives NZ Conference and Awards Dinner – Wellington, NZ

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

15-16 October

2022 AOA National Olive Conference & 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

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