Hunter cane toads; MDB water sharing; Conference/AIOA count-down

23 September 2022

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

Today's Top Story

Hunter residents encouraged to be on lookout for toxic cane toads

NSW biosecurity specialists have this week been called to a property at Mandalong, west of Lake Macquarie, following the detection of a colony of cane toads that were found under a sheet of tin.

The message is clear: be aware and act now, before it’s too late and the cane toad migration is country-wide!

Australia

La Niña is back. How long and strong will it be and should we prepare for more flooding?

The forecast may be for a relatively short and weak La Niña this summer. But that doesn't mean we can rule out rain and floods. (Robyn Langbein)

It looks as though this La Niña could be weak and short-lived. But those with long memories will recall the last La Niña summer was also expected to be short - yet the flooding came regardless.

And another perspective …

Australian La Niña dampens fire risk but threatens summer crops

Confirmation that Australia will experience its third La Niña event in a row is good news for bushfire risk and agricultural output, but analysts have warned some regions may experience crop damage or losses due to heavy rainfall.

$50m govt plan to build up AdBlue supplies

The federal government has committed nearly $50 million to rebuilding the domestic supply of diesel exhaust fluid with a national stockpile and a new grants program after Australia almost ran out last year amid a global shortage.

Central Victoria residents on alert as Laanecoorie Reservoir spills into the Loddon River

The water storage reservoir at Laanecoorie overflowed after flooding in the Loddon River. (ABC Rural: Luke Radford)

Central Victorian landowners are moving stock to higher ground and preparing for further flooding as the Loddon River continues to rise. Nearly 9,000 megalitres of water a day is spilling over the Laanecoorie Reservoir Weir after heavy rain on the weekend fell onto already saturated catchments and into the river system.

COVID restrictions: stay informed

While restrictions have now largely lifted, it’s important to keep up with the changing status of pandemic regulations across the board. You can access state-specific information on COVID-19 from the links below:

Vic- https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/
ACT - https://www.covid19.act.gov.au
New South Wales - https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19
Queensland - https://www.covid19.qld.gov.au/
South Australia - https://www.covid-19.sa.gov.au/
Tasmania - https://coronavirus.tas.gov.au/
Western Australia - https://www.wa.gov.au/government/covid-19-coronavirus

Sixth-generation Southern Tablelands farmer transforms property after planting 80,000 trees

Farmer plants nearly 80,000 trees to bring wildlife back (ABC Central West: Hamish Cole)

When Vinnie Heffernan took over his family's sixth-generation sheep farm, almost all of the native vegetation had been cleared for agriculture. A few decades later, Mr Heffernan has planted nearly 80,000 trees and shrubs across his sheep property near Yass in the New South Wales Southern Tablelands, in an attempt to restore the environment to its pre-colonial state.

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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.

NSW Hunter Valley farmers stay positive after years of strain and stress

Helping manage a 400-hectare farm, chairing the local NSW Farmers branch and keeping on top of a day job as an accountant has Rolanda Clout-Collins running around like "a chook without a head". Keeping a positive lens on the occasional chaos of the ag world is key for keeping the farm going.

Federal government approves New South Wales water resource plan in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan

The Murray-Darling Basin covers an area of more than one million square kilometres and water from the northern basin flows into the Darling River. (ABC Open )

In a major step for the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, Water Minister,Tanya Plibersek has approved the first plan for how New South Wales will share water. The approval of the plan is three years overdue, but will finally give authorities a standard from which they can police and prosecute water use breaches.

Events

2022 AOA National Olive Conference & Trade Exhibition – ‘live’ only, so be there or miss out!!

Friday 14 - Sunday 16 October, Devonport, Tasmania

With less than a month to go, we’re gearing up for the info-fest that is the 2022 AOA National Olive Conference & Trade Exhibition. This year’s event is ‘live’ only, with no recording or streaming of presentations, so if you haven’t booked your tickets, get moving now!

From zero waste to biennial bearing

The program covers a diverse range of topics, including: zero waste, getting started in table olive production, Xylella fastidiosa, promotion and marketing, and business value-adding.

Grove management highlights include insight and learnings from the Olives New Zealand Focus Grove Project (which has seen an increase in tree production from 5kg to 25kg+ in participating groves via a targeted practice program), mechanical harvesting of table olives, and biennial bearing.

The Trade Exhibition will feature a range of leading olive industry suppliers and service providers, providing a chance to review your business needs and learn about the latest product innovations from experts in the field. A list of conference exhibitors is available here and is updated regularly.

Program:

Friday 14 - Optional Field Day; p.m. - Australian International Olive Awards Presentation Dinner

Saturday 15 - Conference Day 1 + Trade Exhibition; p.m. - Conference Dinner

Sunday 16 - Conference Day 2 + Trade Exhibition

View the full program here and register here.

2022 AIOA Presentation Dinner – ARE YOU A MAJOR AWARD WINNER?

The judging is done and entrants will soon know if their EVOO, Flavoured Olive Oil and/or Table Olives have been awarded an AIOA Gold, Silver or Bronze medal. For those who win Gold, get excited, because you could also have won one of the major awards – maybe even BEST OF SHOW!

We’re getting together in person this year for the big reveal and the 2022 Australian International Olive Awards Presentation Dinner is sure to be a seriously fun celebration!

Highlights of the night include:

AIOA major awards announced – it could be YOU!
Great food, wine and conversation – catch up with old friends, make new ones and network!
Official AIOA winners’ photographs – your opportunity to have your AIOA win captured and promoted into the future!

Details:

2022 Australian International Olive Awards Presentation Dinner

Friday, 14 October from 6.30pm

Paranaple Centre, Devonport, Tasmania – in conjunction with the 2022 National Olive Conference & Exhibition.

DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO COLLECT YOUR AWARD AND HAVE YOUR SUCCESS CAPTURED FOR THE OFFICIAL RECORD. Book your tickets here.

Major sponsors

New Zealand

New Zealand food inflation highest for 13 years as vegetables and dairy drive prices

Shoppers may be forced to skip tomatoes, eggs and dairy products in New Zealand, as the country experiences the largest annual spike in food prices in 13 years. Stats NZ released new figures showing food prices had grown by 8.3% to August – the largest annual increase since the global financial crisis in July 2009 when food prices jumped up by 8.4%.

We’d be keen to hear if there’s also been an increase in retail prices for NZ EVOO.

International

In Spain, olive oil sales rise with margins along production chain

Despite challenges looming on the horizon, olive oil sales in Spain remain robust, with growing margins for the whole production chain.

Tunisian 'hanging garden' farms cling on despite drought

High in the hills of northwestern Tunisia, farmers are tending thousands of fig trees with a unique system of terracing they hope will protect them from ever-harsher droughts.

Only marginally about olives but a really interesting read - and perhaps a few ideas for some growers.

Friday Olive Extracts – send us YOUR news

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!

Spanish ministers highlight importance of researching health benefits of olive oil

Government ministers in Spain praised the role of scientific studies on the health benefits of olive oil as they unveiled the results of the seven-year-long CordioPrev study.

Turkey's top administrative court cancels regulation allowing mining on olive groves

Turkey’s Council of State has cancelled the regulation that allows mining activities to be carried out on olive groves, the opposition İYİ (Good) Party deputy Metin Ergun announced.

Agronomist restores 400-year-old olive grove to better withstand droughts in Croatia

Restoration of centuries-old trees is the first line of defense against drought, according to one young agronomist.

France unlikely to eradicate xylella, report finds

Xylella fastidiosa is unlikely to be entirely eradicated in France after delays and missteps by local authorities, according to a newly-published report from the European Commission.