Australian water brokers are a step closer to being regulated like real estate agents and financial professionals, according to a report about implementing Murray-Darling Basin water market reforms.

South Australian irrigators have welcomed a new proposal which would change the system for water users to carry over water from one year to the next. Irrigators raised concerns last year about the potential of losing water they conserved for dry periods but have now agreed with the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board (MRLB) on a new policy.

A Queensland macadamia farm that is leading the charge towards a net-zero future has been declared "carbon positive" by neutralising its own emissions. Hinkler Park Plantations, a 3,000-hectare macadamia farm based in Bundaberg, removed an estimated 17,670 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in 2021.

Almost all of the foreign backpackers granted a working holiday-maker visa since Australia announced it would lift its border restrictions remain overseas. The Department of Home Affairs says it has granted 31,000 of the visas to people who have been permitted to travel to Australia since December 15.

Australia's new agriculture visa could initially be capped at 1,000 foreign workers despite expectations that it would recruit at least 10 times that number.

This week, the High Court made two important decisions about workplace contracts that will have big implications for workers. Those decisions clarify a contested area of common law. So what is going on?

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:

Member for Mallee Anne Webster is confident a national plan to mitigate the impact of a shortage of a critical agricultural fuel supplement is progressing strongly. Dr Webster said it was imperative the production of diesel-emission-reduction additive AdBlue occurred onshore in Australia.

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 Renate, who’s selling an Oliomino 700 and a Speedy Shaker. 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.

Swapping a few hours of voluntary work picking grapes in exchange for lunch has become a successful labour solution for a West Australian vigneron. Faced with a shortage of backpackers to pick his grapes when Australia's borders closed, Duncan Harris realised he needed to think of a new way to find staff.

This grant opportunity gives research and commercialisation organisations up to $20 million to develop lower-cost, accurate technological solutions for measuring soil organic carbon stocks. This delivers on the Technology Investment Roadmap’s stretch goal to lower the cost of accurate soil carbon measurement, by 90%, to $3 per hectare per year.

Applications close on 3 March - find out more and apply here.

Exporting is complicated and there are many different obstacles to overcome. Austrade’s Trade Information Services has been designed to save you time by helping to join the dots as you develop your export strategy. The four-part email series explores the four key steps to exporting - find out more and sign up here. 

A free webinar being held next week will delve into the use of bio-products and carbon credits. The session will cover:

The webinar is for people or companies wanting to register a carbon project on the government or voluntary carbon markets; anyone producing, selling or using biochar who intends to gain soil or non-soil carbon credits, or help their clients to do so.

Details: Online - Thursday, 24 February from 1-2.15pm AEDT. Find out more and register here. 

Olives SA is forging ahead with its popular educational activities in 2022, including its regular seminars run in conjunction with the WEA in Adelaide. Details of the first two have been announced, as follows:

Saturday, 5 March – Cooking with table olives and extra virgin olive oil, presented by popular chef and food personality Rosa Matto. Find out more and book here

Saturday, 28 May – Tasting and appreciating extra virgin olive oil, with olive oil expert and Australian International Olive Awards Organiser/Chief Steward Trudie Michels.

Find out more and book here or contact Olives SA President Michael Johnston on 0419 815 839.

Extra-virgin is the highest quality olive oil you can buy. It’s also a healthy choice with high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and polyphenols. But are all extra-virgin olive oils created equal? We tested 20 from New Zealand, Australia, Africa and Europe to find out.

An olive oil bottle with the words “New Zealand” emblazoned on its label might suggest the contents were all grown on home soil, but that’s not always the case. A recent Consumer NZ investigation of 20 extra-virgin olive oils found that some labelled as “New Zealand” also contain imported oils.

The 2022 Olives New Zealand AGM will be held by Zoom meeting on Sunday 20 March, starting at 5pm. All members are invited to attend, with apologies requested to the Executive Officer if you are unable to participate – email admin@olivesnz.org.nz. 

In the wake of the devastating summer fires in Greece, a global campaign has been launched to restore the fire-stricken olive groves of Ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

New opportunities for tourism connected to extra virgin olive oil have come one step closer for Italian olive farmers and producers. The government has signed new technical rules, which officials say will allow oleotourism to prosper throughout Italy.

It’s common advice for people watching their waistlines or looking to eat healthier to beware of the amount of oil they use while cooking. But that doesn’t mean we should cut oil entirely from our diet. This is because extra virgin olive oil in particular can have many benefits for our health.

A research team from the University of Córdoba in Andalusia has achieved precision fertigation of olive groves using reclaimed water.

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!

A new system aims to reform the Nutri-Score front-of-pack labeling system (FOPL)and add customized options to food classification. Available as an app for Android devices, myLabel’s Nutri-Perso allows consumers to add to the Nutri-Score ratings their profile, goals in terms of health and food sustainability, age, gender, and health status.

February is National Cancer Prevention Month. The goal of the observance is to help people learn how to take action and reduce their risk of developing cancer … While there is no guaranteed way to prevent cancer, there are certain lifestyle choices that can mitigate your risk.  

The amount of land dedicated to olive cultivation in Spain continues to expand, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food’s most recent land use survey. Olive groves sprawl over 2,770,485 hectares – an area slightly larger than North Macedonia or Massachusetts – in the world’s largest olive oil-producing country, a 0.7 percent increase compared with 2020.

ABARES Outlook 2022 Conference

Olives SA/WEA seminar, Cooking with table olives and EVOO – Adelaide

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day - Nelson

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day - Canterbury

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day - Northland

2022 Olives New Zealand AGM – Online 

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day - Wairarapa

Olives NZ Focus Grove Field Day - Hawke’s Bay

AOA Healthy Soils Field Day – Wagga Wagga, NSW

Olives SA/WEA seminar, Tasting and appreciating EVOO – Adelaide

Entries open, 2022 Australian International Olive awards

Hort Connections 2022 – Brisbane

Entries close, 2022 Australian International Olive awards

Medals announced, 2022 Australian International Olive awards

Olives NZ Conference and Awards Dinner – Wellington, NZ

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

Awards Dinner, 2022 Australian International Olive awards

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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