This year’s successful harvest means the competition is set to be even hotter this year: with both quality and quantity up, this year’s winners will be the ‘cream of the cream’! So it’s time to jump online, get your entries done and package those bottles, to ensure you’re part of the 2021 Australian International Olive Awards (AIOA).

Benefits of entering include:

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.

A group of farmers is threatening to block AusNet from accessing their land to conduct surveys for its Western Transmission Network Project. The controversial project proposed 500-kilovolt high-voltage transmission lines that, if installed above ground, could be 85-metres high and would transport renewable energy from Bulgana, north of Ararat, to Melbourne.

 

With labour shortages affecting every agricultural industry, farmers often talk about how hard it is to find workers. One possible solution is improving the connections between students finishing school and local farms.

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

Greg Milner remembers when you could drink water straight from the Murray River. Now, the fourth-generation grape farmer says some months of the year you wouldn't even wash your hands in it.

The ongoing COVID outbreak across Sydney reminds 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:

Farmsafe Australia recently launched a new campaign aimed at reminding farmers of the roles that they play in shaping a safe, healthy and productive working environment on their farms. The campaign highlights the opportunities that farmers have to be mentors, teachers and supporters and how demonstrating those leadership styles may reduce or eliminate psychosocial risks on their farm.

"Farmers are generally aware of the physical risks and hazards on their farms, but there are less obvious risks that are important to draw attention to as well," Farmsafe Australia’s Chairman Charles Armstrong said.

"Psychosocial risks such as high work demands, bullying, isolation, and even having little control over the weather or the market are often the source of high levels of stress. High stress environments can contribute to or even cause, work-related incidents that may lead to serious injury or even fatality. 

"Farmers and managers shape the workplace culture on their farms through their actions and behaviours. By role modeling safe and supportive practices, you ensure your workers know that you take your obligations seriously, and you may also improve your productivity."  

Workplace guide 

As part of the campaign, a new resource Creating a Safe, Healthy and Productive Farm has been added to Farmsafe Australia’s library of information, available on the Farmsafe website. You can access the guide here.

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 – like Mary, who’s selling handmade olive tapenade to extend your product range. 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.

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

On 29 June the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) released an Industry Advisory Notice (IAN) notifying that a final 2021-22 horticulture exports cost recovery implementation statement (CRIS) has been published on the DAWE website.

The Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management has approved the 2021-22 CRIS for the horticulture export arrangement, and the new 2021-22 fees and charges commenced on 1 July 2021.

View the IAN here and the CRIS here.

Virtual reality could be among a suite of solutions to help tackle the labour shortage in the horticulture sector - if a plan to build digital ideas to help solve on-farm problems comes to fruition.

Biology within the soil is responsible for consuming all kinds of organic materials and breaking them down as a part of the nutrient cycle. This simple experiment asks you to bury your undies to provide a tasty meal for the soil biology: the quicker the undies are consumed, the more active your soil biology is.

Burying your undies is an easy way to compare the biological activity in different soil types, at numerous locations on the farm, under a variety of watering regimes or even in different environments. Just remember to specify where you buried them when you send back the soiled undies.

How to get involved

The experiment is being carried out within the Murraylands and Riverland landscape region - view the region map here to confirm your property’s eligibility.

Once registered you’ll be mailed your pair of 100% cotton undies, along with your ‘Undies Instruction Kit’. Bury your pair of undies at two sites during National Science Week (14 - 22 August 2021) and follow the instructions from there. When it’s all done you’ll receive your results and information about improving soil health and function for enhanced sustainability.

Register here.

Presented by John Coulombe from Drone Training Solutions and Marc Hinderager from Applied Horticulture Research. this free, one-hour webinar will provide comprehensive information about the legal requirements for drone operators.

The session will include the opportunity for Q&A.

Details: 12 noon AEST on Tuesday, 20 July – register here.

Soil biology is a complex, dynamic and broad field. 

This 30-minute Soundcloud podcast from the Soil Wealth ICP project will introduce you to the concept of why biology is important to soil fertility and maximising crop production. It also briefly explores the complexities, risks and potential of biological crop products.

Listen here.

OliveCare® Best Practice webinar series – one more to come!

Presented by the Australian Olive Association’s OliveCare® Code of Best Practice Administrator Peter McFarlane the 2021 series of AOA OliveCare® Best Practice webinars are of interest and value to all olive industry participants, whether current members of the OliveCare® program or not. 

Run as one-hour Zoom meetings, each comprises a 30-minute presentation followed by a 30-minute interactive Q&A session providing an opportunity to clarify queries or issues. The first two have now been held, with the third happening next week and still open for registrations:

Webinar 3: Table Olives/Olive Paste Production Best Practice - 13 July, 12.30-1.30pm AEST. Register here.

Further details on the OliveBiz website here or contact Liz Bouzoudis - secretariat@australianolives.com.au, 0478 606 145.

Presented by Michael Smit, Technical and Sustainability Manager at Kingspan Water and Energy and on behalf of the Rainwater Harvesting Australia committee, a sub-division of Irrigation Australia Ltd. 

This webinar will focus on data presented on the relative efficiencies of a traditional rural catchment and rainwater harvesting based on similar volumes and frequencies of rain. In this context rainwater harvesting is rainfall captured from the roof of the building. The data suggests that in dry conditions rainwater harvesting is much more efficient at catching small rain events and storing small amounts of local water than traditional catchments. However in wet conditions catchments can catch large rainfall events and store large amounts of water. 

Details: 15 July 2021 at 12 noon (IST)

Further information and register here. 

In the Cromwell basin’s midwinter gloom, it is hard to imagine the burning heat of the Central Otago summer that produces the region’s famous fruit. This is the time of year when the not-so-glamorous aspect of horticulture gets done and former Dunedin couple Jocelyn Robinson and Sandy Black are busy pruning.

Renewed attention on workers’ rights, support for small farmers and young farmers and easier access to compensation will help Italian olive growers.

We’re now 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!

Andalusian olive oil exports reached €852 million in the first four months of 2021, according to data collected by the Andalusian government’s office of exports and foreign investment (Extenda).

The Exporters’ Association of Crete, the Region of Crete, and eight Cretan groups and chambers of commerce have published a letter objecting to Nutri-Score, the French front-of-pack nutrition rating system that is being considered for use throughout the European Union. The letter contends that the Nutri-Score system is flawed and should not be adopted.

Last week the International Olive Council (IOC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations signed an agreement to formalize their long-running association. The memorandum, which was signed during the 113th session of the Council of Members of the IOC, clarified the working details of the partnership that is geared toward supporting the olive sector.

OliveCare® Best Practice Webinar 3: Table Olives/Olive Paste Production

Entries open, 2021 Royal Tasmanian Fine Food Awards

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