2022 AIOA entry now open; MDB Plan failure; Stressed out plants

03 June 2022

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

Today's Top Story

ENTRY NOW OPEN for 2022 Australian International Olive Awards

The 2022 Australian International Olive Awards (AIOA) is now open for entries, offering the chance to be named Best EVOO, Flavoured Oil or Table Olive of Show from a growing field of high-calibre international entries.

The AIOA prides itself on judging excellence, with all entries assessed and awarded on merit and all entrants receiving comprehensive judging feedback. Successful judging also provides eligibility for OliveCare® certification.

Other benefits include a listing in the 2022 AIOA Results Book, a great marketing tool for all medal and award winners, and NEW in 2022, the opportunity to purchase the professional product images taken for the Results Book, which can be used for social media, website and print media purposes.

New award categories

For the 2022 competition the Best of Show awards for flavoured olive oil and table olives will also now be split into commercial and boutique volume categories, meaning there are now six chances to win a coveted Best of Show award.

Key dates

Entries open: 1 June

Entries close: 26 August

Medal winners announced: 3 October (via email)

Major awards announced: 2022 AIOA Gala Presentation, 14 October.

The AIOA offers an unprecedented opportunity for international recognition of winning products and producers. Don’t delay – find out more and enter here.

Major sponsors

Australia

Northern New South Wales farmers see their wettest conditions in decades as rain keeps falling

Paddocks throughout the New England region are the wettest in decades. (Supplied: Grant Kneipp)

Farmers throughout parts of Northern New South Wales are seeing some of their wettest conditions in decades, as winter brings more rain and the added pressure of frost. Across the New England region paddocks are boggy, pastures are struggling under the extra moisture, and stock cannot find many warm, dry spots.

Water continues to be a hot topic this week …

Water compliance chief accuses NSW of 'most critical failure' of Murray Darling Basin Plan

Australia's inspector-general of water compliance has heavily criticised the New South Wales government for failing to meet its obligations under the Murray Darling Basin Plan. Troy Grant says the NSW Government's failure to produce water resource plans (WRPs) is "probably what is the most critical failure of the Murray Darling Basin Plan to date".

Leppington Pastoral removes dam from dairy farm, returns water to environment

A huge dam on the Oran Park dairy farm has been removed and water returned to the environment. (Supplied: NRAR)

A large dairy farm has removed a dam and returned hundreds of megalitres of water to the environment as part of a legal requirement following alleged unauthorised water take.

A reminder to ensure you only use water that is legally yours to use.

Gippsland farmers slam AusNet proposal to link renewable energy to grid via overhead transmission lines

Farmers have banded together to oppose a new 80-metre-high electricity transmission line proposed in Victoria's east. The line is required to transport electricity from the Victoria's first "renewable energy zone" to the grid in the Latrobe Valley. AusNet has identified 48 landowners along the route.

If you’re in the area, you may want to check the location …

How effective are face masks against the flu? Will wearing a mask stop me from getting the flu? What can I do to avoid getting sick?

Flu season has well and truly arrived in Australia and is shaping to be one of the worst in years as case numbers continue to climb. It can be a nasty illness, and coupled with COVID-19, which is still circulating in the community, it's already putting a strain on the nation's hospital and health services. Some health experts, including Queensland's deputy chief health officer, have called on people to consider wearing face masks in public again to reduce the spread of influenza and COVID.

COVID restrictions: stay informed

Infection numbers are high at present, so it’s important to keep up with the current status of pandemic regulations across Australia. 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

A disease that could wipe $80bn from the economy is on our doorstep - it's just one challenge facing the new agriculture minister

Many of Australia's farmers are riding high after two profit-making seasons driven by record prices and, for the most part, kind weather. But Murray Watt, the freshly sworn-in agriculture minister, will have plenty of challenges to overcome if the good times are to continue for the $80-plus billion sector.

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. 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.

Farming by the moon

The Australian Agricultural Centre is on a working farm in NSW and delivers education and farm skills. While a relatively new initiative, the latest string to its bow in connecting young people with agriculture is “Astronomical Agriculture” involving a series of overnight visits.

Fertilising, watering and pruning determined by the moon’s cycle, and they say trials show it makes a difference. Sure makes for productive growth and crops in your editor’s little vineyard!

Green hydrogen solution for Australian agriculture, ready for investment

HydGene Renewables is paving the way for Australia’s carbon-zero future, using biowaste to produce 100% renewable and green hydrogen on-site and on-demand. The solution will provide farmers with low-cost and sustainable alternatives for ammonia, transport and seasonal energy storage.

Events

Webinar - EVOO shelf life prediction

With the harvesting and processing olive season coming to an end for many growers around Australia, it is an ideal time to be considering bottling and storage considerations of EVOO:

What can affect the shelf life of EVOO?
How do you determine the best before date of your EVOO product?
What are the labelling requirements regarding best before dates?

These questions and more will be covered in this webinar on EVOO shelf life prediction, presented by Claudia Guillaume, oil scientist and manager of the Modern Olives Laboratory.

Details:

Wednesday 22 June, 11.00am AEST

Cost: Free

This webinar series is part of the Olive levy project Australian olive industry communications and extension program (OL18000), funded by Hort Innovation, using the Hort Innovation olive research and development levy, co-investment from the Australian Olive Association and contributions from the Australian Government.

Australian Export Awards - applications closing soon

Australian exporters are invited to apply for the 60th Australian Export Awards, being allocated across 13 national categories. Finalists will have their achievements recognised with national media exposure and celebrated in Canberra, November 2022.

Enter through your state or territory export awards program. Visit www.exportawards.gov.au for more information and to apply. Entries close Friday, 10 June – don’t miss out.

New Zealand

NZ olive oil makers notch up top awards in international olive oil competition

Once again six Extra Virgin Olive Oils made by New Zealand growers have taken out top awards at the 2022 New York International Olive Oil Competition. From Wairarapa; Loopline Olives have won two Gold Medals, Blue Earth has won one Gold medal and Dali Olives a Silver. From Kapiti, Totara Tunnel won one Gold and Kapiti Olives won Silver.

For full results and an overview of the competition statistics, don’t miss the coming June edition of Olivegrower & Processor. If you’re not a subscriber already, you can do so here.

International

In Turkey, study recommends investments in olive farms instead of coal mines

Expanding the olive oil sector of Turkey's olive-growing capital is a cost-effective and climate-friendly solution that would boost the local economy, a report suggests.

13 Father’s Day subscription gifts that are anything but lazy

The best last-minute Father’s Day gifts don’t actually need to be gifts that arrive on your dad’s front door before or on June 19. If your mind wandered toward gift cards, you’re close, but there’s another article for that. We’re talking about subscription services or boxes.

We’re not spruiking the products; the olive oil subscription idea is something to think about.

Studying plant reactions to environmental stressors key to sustainable agriculture

A team of researchers in Sweden gained new insights into the molecular mechanisms associated with plant reactions to environmental stressors, such as touching, pruning or infection.

Droughts are more frequent, lasting longer and accelerating water shortages, U.N. says

Droughts are happening more often and are lasting longer, according to the latest United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) report.

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!

Olive oil health benefits: is taking olive oil supplements as good as eating the antioxidant-rich oil?

“It is much easier and more enjoyable to just include olive oil in your diet by way of food.”

We all know eating a balanced diet is essential for living healthily. Making sure we’re ingesting all the major food groups and getting the vital vitamins and nutrients we need is key to achieving optimal mental and physical health. To bolster this, many of us turn to supplements to make sure we’re covering all our nutritional needs.

One to share on social media, covering health benefits, eating the real thing, use for high heat cooking …

Andalusia demands more funds for olive oil and table olive producers in new policy

Andalusian Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development Carmen Crespo has requested the national government to think outside of the box so olive oil and table olive producers are not “the next great victims” of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).