Tasmanians are facing a frosty long weekend with snow possible in some Hobart suburbs as antarctic winds batter the island state and parts of southern Victoria. Cold fronts will also see temperatures plummet elsewhere in eastern Australia, with sub-zero temperatures expected in parts of regional Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

 

New research shows fencing and enhancing vegetation around a dam can halve methane emissions. (Supplied: Deakin Blue Carbon)

 

Scientists are lobbying for farmers to be financially rewarded in the form of carbon credits for cleaning up their dams. Deakin researcher Martino Malerba has spent the past four years determined to show farmers the simple solutions that can reduce their carbon footprint, after a 2018 study found farm dams emit significantly more greenhouse gases than other waterways.

 

Australia's food supply is uniquely vulnerable to cyber attacks, the director of a national cybersecurity firm warns, as he calls for the industry to raise its standards on the anniversary of the JBS ransomware hack.

Will Johnson's farm was noticeably greener in 2018 (left) than it was when he first bought the property in 2002 (right). (Supplied: ANU Sustainable Farms)

 

Twenty years ago, Will Johnson's farm in the New South Wales central west was a dust bowl, after the previous owner stripped the property of its trees. But after planting 15,000 trees in shelterbelts Mr Johnson has seen productivity on the farm, near Cargo, rapidly increase. 

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:

The latest olive harvest at Penna has been delayed by weather conditions and a clutch problem on the tractor used to harvest the olives.

East-coast Australians know what unrelenting La Niña feels like. (ABC News: Tara Cassidy)

 

Climate change is slowing down the conveyor belt of ocean currents that brings warm water from the tropics up to the North Atlantic. Our research, published today in Nature Climate Change, looks at the profound consequences to global climate if this Atlantic conveyor collapses entirely.

Food Agility CRC chief scientist David Lamb with an agricultural drone used for aerial spraying. (ABC Riverina: Olivia Calver)

 

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.

Phil and Fiona Murdoch have bought an electric side-by-side vehicle for their conservation property. (ABC Rural: Kellie Hollingworth)

 

Imagine cutting out the fuel bill for your farm vehicles, spending less on servicing and at the same time drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Electric side-by-sides have hit farm tracks, and some owners said they were a viable alternative to the petrol- or diesel-powered equivalent.

The supply of new vehicles and machines into Australia has been limited for almost two years, pushing up the price of second-hand vehicles and equipment. (Supplied: Hassalls)

 

Second-hand vehicles and machinery are selling for record prices as wait times balloon for essential equipment across multiple industries. Industrial auction markets selling everything from second-hand vehicles to agricultural equipment were setting records with some items "grossly exceeding" their full retail price.

A new non-commercial website aims to collect and share information about observations of insects, diseases and other issues observed on orchard weeds on farms. Farm-based researcher Gavin Chirgwin is developing the site, knowing that many of the weeds found in and around orchards have a wide distribution. Users can search for a particular weed and access information on insects, pests and diseases - weeds are known hosts for crop diseases - which have been observed on or around the weed.

The website is currently a functional draft version, where observations on an introductory listing of weeds can be shared via a form. An additional form is planned to enable new weeds to be added.

Chrigwin is keen for growers, consultants, farmworkers, or anyone else with an interest to report their observations and grow the shared information base; also for feedback on the site to guide its future design and functionality.

You can access the orchard weeds site here and provide feedback at gachirgwin@gmail.com.

*Note: the website may not load correctly on older apple devices and may require updating of newer versions.

A two-day workshop is being run in Central NSW in July, aiming to address specific issues that growers in that region and the Hunter Valley have endured over the past few years, namely:

As there have been many olive groves in the region which have changed hands in recent years, the workshop is also aimed at new olive growers, recognizing that they need industry information and support to produce olives profitably and to process the olives into high quality EVOO and/or table olives.

When: July 28 - 8am-4pm (optional dinner); July 29 - 7.30am-4pm            

Venue: Rylstone Olive Press, Monivae, NSW

Workshop cost (GST incl):

2 days AOA member/levy payer $165; 2 days general $176

1 day AOA member/levy payer $99; 1 day general $110

+ Optional dinner $110 pp + bus transport $33 pp

More detail and register here.

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:

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.

Wednesday 22 June, 11.00am AEST

Cost: Free

Register here

 

The latest multi-year drought in Europe (from 2018 to 2020) was the worst such event since 1766, according to newly-published research. The study, published in Earth’s Future, concluded that these droughts are having a profound impact on agriculture, the environment and local populations.

 

 

Low levels of winter precipitation mean that reservoirs and groundwater sources will not be replenished. Officials said farmers will need to adapt.

 

Atsas started as a farm ion deteriorated land in the island’s buffer zone, and evolved into a leading olive oil producer in less than a decade.

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!

 

More frequent extreme weather events and a changing climate, which impact farming and food security on every continent, are worsening, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

 

The next raspberries you eat might have been picked by a Kraken-like four-armed robot, rather than a human. Fruit harvested by what is believed to be the world’s first raspberry-picking robot in commercial operation is now on sale in British supermarkets.

 

 

Good extra virgin olive oil has long been hailed for its associated health benefits -- and now, some social media feeds are overflowing with users encouraging others to hop on the trend of taking a sip first thing in the morning. But nutrition specialists ABC News spoke to say the true benefit is likely achieved by adding EVOO as a complement to your meals.

Webinar - EVOO shelf life prediction

Entries open, 2022 Hunter Olive Show – Hunter Valley, NSW

Central NSW Olive Workshop - Monivae, NSW

Entries open, WA Olive Awards

Entries close, 2022 Australian International Olive awards

Entries close, 2022 NZ EVOO Awards

Entries close, 2022 Hunter Olive Show – Hunter Valley, NSW

Entries close, WA Olive Awards

Olives NZ Processing Practices seminar – Canterbury, NZ

Medals announced, 2022 Australian International Olive awards

Awards presentation, 2022 Hunter Olive Show – Hunter Valley, NSW

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

2022 AOA National Olive Conference & Exhibition – Devonport, Tasmania

Awards Night, WA Olive Awards

SA Olive Festival - Nangkita Olives, Fleurieu Peninsula

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