Due to fruit fly outbreaks in metropolitan Adelaide and the Riverland, the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) is only allowing olives for oil production at a commercial facility to be moved outside fruit fly affected areas under special conditions. 

If you are sending or receiving olives grown within a red outbreak area or yellow suspension area, you must be issued an Inspector’s Direction Certificate for each consignment of untreated olives prior to picking, sending or receiving them.

Find out more and access relevant certificates here.

 

As part of a community-building exercise in May, not-for-profit organisation 3000Acres is offering Melburnians the chance to turn their backyard olive harvest into extra virgin oil. 

South-east Australia is green again after a good year of rain and its rivers and streams are flush with water. Or are they? An analysis of Victoria's river catchments shows we can't assume water levels above and below ground bounce back to normal when a drought ends.

 

A NSW irrigator faces the largest ever prosecution from the state government water regulator. The Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) has commenced prosecutions in the Land and Environment Court against three irrigators.

Mount Zero's quarterly zero waste market is back with new season EVOO, foraged mushrooms and more. If you're the kind of person who eats olives as if they were going out of fashion, this market day is for you. Mount Zero is back with its quarterly Zero Waste Warehouse Market so you can hoard away olives and olive-based goodies by the kilo.

Not enough is being done to turn around the epidemic of suicide among rural Australians, particularly men, the founder of a mental health charity has said. Are You Bogged Mate? founder Mary O'Brien recently completed a three-week journey through outback and regional Queensland where she spoke to locals in dozens of towns and at rural industry events about suicide prevention.

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.

A widespread Telstra outage across southern New South Wales affecting thousands of customers is being partly attributed to the nibbling mice running rampant through the state. The telco says two separate faults occurred within hours of each other last night, impacting 44 mobile sites across the Riverina, as well some fixed line and ADSL services.

The Australian Olive Association (AOA) operates a communications and extension program for the benefit of growers and our broader industry. With several years of the current program now completed, they are seeking your feedback to help measure the impact of the program. 

They want to identify the most effective platforms for delivering R&D outcomes and technical information to you, and how this information has assisted your business. They’re also keen know if there are other sources of technical information you use, to ensure they’ve got the right mix.

The survey asks questions about various aspects of the communications and extension program. All answers remain confidential and will only be reported as aggregated numbers or anonymous comments.

If you haven’t completed the survey yet, please grab a coffee and take five or 10 minutes to add your input.

Take the survey here.

Nonnas have known it for centuries: using olive oil in your cake baking makes for a superior crumb. There are many reasons for this, but three important ones are:

1. Good quality olive oil adds a rich, earthy flavour that perfectly balances cake's general sweetness.

2. Olive oil is full of polyphenols that act as antioxidants and feed the gut microbiome. Adding a distinctly healthy benefit to scoffing through afternoon tea.

The food system is facing a period of sustained and rapid change, driven by bold frontiers in food research, advancements in food and other technologies, and social and economic factors.

Join the conversation with an expert panel discussing 'future foods' and three key aspects of food innovation: Drivers of change; Disruptive technologies; and Food system preparedness.

When: Tuesday 1 June, 09.30-11am (AEST)/11.30am-1.00pm (NZST)

Where: Online via Webex

Cost: Free

More information and register here.

Details have been announced for this year’s Australian Golden Olive Awards (AGOA), run by Olive Producers of North East Victoria (OPNEV). Entries are invited for EVOO, Agrumato and Flavoured Olive Oil categories, with key dates as follows:

11 June - Return of invitation to participate form

5 July - Closing date for entry forms and submission of product samples

16 August - Chemistry results supplied to entrants

29 August - Golden Olives Awards announced

3 September - Presentation Dinner at Wangaratta.

More information and enter here.

At these webinars you’ll hear from Austrade’s Agrifood team on the current state of play in the Japan and Korea, and Middle East markets, including key insights on market opportunities and trends. 

These webinars are part of a series of international market updates for agribusiness and food exporters being held in 2021 as part of the Agribusiness Expansion Initiative, scaling up Austrade services to help you expand and diversify your export markets. 

Details:

25 May, 1-2pm AEST – Japan and Korea Market Update for Agrifood Exporters. Register here.

26 May, 4-5pm AEST – Middle East Market Update for Agrifood Exporters. Register here.

And you can learn more about the markets here.

Olives NZ has successfully applied to renew the section 33 exemption for another three years, for members who carry out olive growing and packing of olive oil from their own olives. Typically the oil is provided back to the grower in bulk by the processor. The grower will then package the olive oil for retail sale.

Under the arrangement organized by Olives NZ, the exemption is only for registered users of the OliveMark, who meet specific criteria.

For more information or to clarify eligibility, email admin@olivesnz.org.nz.

Researchers in Italy have developed a new method to accurately identify 45 different chemical elements in extra virgin olive oil. According to the paper published in the journal Food Chemistry, researchers identified the best approach to analyze each element and dramatically reduced the risks of faulty analysis due to sample manipulation (the physical movement of samples from one container to another) and dilution.

Extra virgin olive oil is the star of the olive oil family, with the best flavor, the most health benefits and the sexiest image. But this cachet comes at a price, often many times the cost of regular olive oil. Let’s look at what you are paying for when you buy extra virgin olive oil.

With about one-third of olive oil sales in Italy going to the restaurant sector, the shift of tourists to the countryside is likely to impact consumption.

To show how sustainability is at the heart of a company, beauty brands are using food waste to market their ingredient stories. In April, sustainable skin-care brand Circumference launched a cleanser featuring olive leaf extract, sourced directly from excess and unusable leftover leaves in the olive oil-making process.

We’re now nearly 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!

Norco Primex Sustainable Farming Expo - Casino, NSW

Entries close, 2021 Sydney Fine Foods Olive Show 

Return of Invitation to Participate forms, AGOA – NE VIC

Closing date for entry forms and samples, AGOA – NE VIC

Soil Health and Biology Masterclass 2021

Entries open Olives NZ EVOO Awards – New Zealand

Results announced, AGOA – NE VIC

AGOA Presentation Dinner – Wangaratta, VIC

Entries close Olives NZ EVOO Awards – New Zealand

9 October       

Olives NZ EVOO Awards Dinner – Wellington, NZ

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