The 2021 Australian National Olive Industry Conference & Trade Exhibition will be run as a virtual event for the second year running.

Continuing COVID-19 restrictions have made the planned Devonport face-to-face event not possible this year, so the conference will be run as an online event during mid-October.

Last year’s virtual conference was well received so the same format will be used again this year. Sessions of two hours each will run over four consecutive week-days, starting mid-afternoon. This will allow delegates to complete their day’s work before sitting down to watch a range of expert presenters from within and outside the industry discuss key issues that impact olive businesses.

All tickets already purchased for the Devonport conference will be refunded. Details of how to register for the virtual event, along with session themes and presenters, will be announced shortly and we’ll keep you updated in Friday Olive Extracts.

While Australia's record olive crop this year has been welcomed by growers, it has also highlighted the need for more consistent production, year on year. Growers and industry bodies are expecting a record 20,000 tonnes of olive oil to be produced this year, with harvest all but complete.

Sally Scott, Lexie Young and Joan Pedley have met up most weeks for a chat and craft for the past two decades, but there's been one thing missing from their recent regular catch ups - preparation for the Deloraine Show.

Australian Olive Association (AOA) membership renewal time is here and 2021-22 invoices have been issued.

Membership fees enable the AOA to continue its important work protecting our industry; promoting our products; and assisting members to maximise their productivity, profitability and sustainability.

Your membership fees fund: work in government relations, advocacy and representation on issues impacting our industry; affiliations and taskforces with other horticultural/ agricultural industries to address shared problems; AOA management of the olive industry biosecurity program and responsibility for other risk minimization and crisis management activities across the industry - essential activities which often go under the radar.

The AOA promotes the olive industry’s products through its digital and PR programs, the Australian International Olive Awards, Food and Health Media events, and the operation of the OliveCare® program. Industry productivity is supported through communications and extension programs including electronic, digital, and hard copy communications, along with seminars, field days, and workshops on practical aspects of the business.

Current membership also provides access to 2021-22 discounts on AOA events and Australian International Olive Awards entry fees, and for OliveCare® signatories the continuing use of your approved certification.

Please look for your renewal invoice in your inbox and support the industry body which supports your business. If you haven’t received it, or need to update your details, please email Liz Bouzoudis at secretariat@australianolives.com.au.

A pineapple farm where a worker was killed last week had previously been investigated over a farmhand falling off a makeshift roofing platform made from a forklift and a fruit bin.

For young children, growing up, or even visiting a farm, is a wonderful educational experience filled with experiential learning and fun. However, as an operational business it can also pose several safety risks to young people. Whether you have children growing up on a farm, or often visit the farms of friends or relatives, it is important to know how to let children enjoy time on the farm in a safe and practical way.

In the last eighteen months, QR codes have emerged as critical tech protection against the pandemic. Every pub, shop and restaurant requires you to leave your digital fingerprint to help contact tracers track down and suppress a potential outbreak. Now, the state government is looking to the same line of defence to protect Queensland agriculture from the biosecurity risks that threaten the $13b industry.

Recent – and for NSW current – lockdowns and border closures remind us all that 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:

Australia's agricultural industry has been largely unscathed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but as Victoria sees the tail end of another lockdown and New South Wales faces indefinite restrictions, small-scale farmers on the border are uncertain about their future.

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 excess product or equipment. 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.

It's enough to spark a laugh and encourage comradery - the sight of wheels sinking into wet muddy paddocks. As southern WA endures a winter with higher than average rainfall, an agricultural business in the Great Southern region is providing light relief for farmers.

AOA Webinar: Olive oil storage issues with Pablo Canamasas – please note time change

With new season’s oils now being finalised, this webinar provides an important discussion with international olive oil specialist Pablo Canamasas around the critical control factors for the storage of olive oil after processing.

the origin of olive oil defects:

the application of:

The format will be a 30-40 minute presentation, followed by a 30 minute interactive Q&A session, providing plenty of opportunity to clarify particular queries or issues.

Tuesday, 3 August 2021 at 11.30am ACST/12 noon AEST.

Attendance is free – register here.

If you haven’t done it already, it’s time to jump online, fill out the forms and package those bottles, with entry now open for the 2021 Australian International Olive Awards (AIOA).

Following the success of the 2020 format, the 2021 event once again involves both national and international judging panels across the globe.

Benefits of entering include:

Entries now open

Entries close 3 September

Medal winners announced 4 October 2021 via email

Major award winners Announced at 2021 AIOA Gala Presentation on 15 October in Devonport.

Find out more and enter here.

For terms and conditions and further information please contact Ben on 0422850699 or Greg on 0407599409, or email newmed.olives@gmail.com

Sicily’s soil and climate are ideal for olive cultivation, and wild olive trees have long grown on the island. Now researchers are learning more about the history of olive oil on Sicily from archaeological evidence – and from the ancient olive trees still growing throughout the countryside.

This three-ingredient simple chocolate topping from Krista Kern Desjarlais, chef-owner of Bresca and the Honeybee in New Gloucester, Maine, works well on any type of ice cream, hardening to a shell when it hits the cold ice cream.

Olive oil prices in the United States reportedly have risen by 30 percent due to steep wage increases for – and a shortage of – truck drivers.

We’re now more than 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!

Olive oil from the Trás-os-Montes region in north eastern Portugal is having “the best year ever” with an increase in demand that the sector organizations attribute to changes in consumer habits resulting from the lockdown imposed by the pandemic.

Ease the ache and reduce inflammation by adding these standouts to your diet.

Organic olive groves already cover an area larger than Luxembourg in Spain. The crop is also the second-fastest-growing category of organic cropland.

Soil Health and Biology Masterclass 2021

Entries close, 2021 Royal Tasmanian Fine Food Awards

Entries open Olives NZ EVOO Awards – New Zealand

Sensory Masterclass in Olive Oil - online

Entries open, 2021 WA Olive Awards

Results announced, AGOA – NE VIC

AGOA Presentation Dinner – Wangaratta, VIC

Entries close, 2021 WA Olive Awards

Entries close Olives NZ EVOO Awards – New Zealand

Olives NZ EVOO Awards Dinner – Wellington, NZ

Results announced, 2021 WA Olive Awards

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