07 October 2022

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

Today's Top Story

BOM forecasts more wet weather for soaked east coast

The Murray River is high at Echuca. (Supplied: Tom O'Dea)

More rain and storms are expected today as a cold front sweeps across the nation's south-east. Rain and thunderstorms are expected to extend across much of southern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania today.

Australia

And an important warning for NSW readers in particular …

More rain forecast for western New South Wales has residents on high flood alert, with 'danger day' on Saturday for Sydney

SES resupply farmers in western NSW (Supplied: State Emergency Service).

The New South Wales Emergency Minister is warning Saturday will be "danger day" for Sydney and surrounding areas, with two more significant rain events set to sweep the state.

If you’re in an affected area, please take care – and don’t take risks around fast-moving water.

Farmers are getting renewable Standalone Power Systems as Western Australia's regional power grid is dismantled

Providing farmers with solar and batteries is often cheaper than maintaining poles and wires. (Supplied: Western Power)

Devastating summer bushfires torched the power poles and knocked Craig Poultney's farm off-grid, but there's a silver lining: the solar panels and batteries that were installed the following winter. "It's one good thing to come out of it," he said. In Western Australia, an ambitious project to take thousands of farms and properties off-grid is slowly taking shape.

Electric vehicles might be booming in cities but diesel remains king on the land in WA

While there's a push across Australia for more electric vehicles, farmers say diesel remains key to the sector. (ABC News: Nathan Morris)

While passenger car manufacturers are rapidly moving to electric power to meet emissions regulations and market demand for cleaner urban transport, machinery dealers in Western Australia are raising concerns that similar pressure to switch their equipment to electric will prove unworkable in remote and regional areas.

COVID restrictions: stay informed

While restrictions have now largely lifted, 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:

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

Water trade between QLD, NSW inaccurate, NSW Inspe ctor-General of Water Compliance says

An audit has found discrepancies in the trading of water in the Border Rivers region between New South Wales and Queensland. The NSW Inspector-General of Water Compliance Troy Grant said incorrect volumes were being recorded in water accounts, and manual adjustments were being made by the authorities.

And while we’re talking about water …

Tasmania's largest irrigation project launches sales to get new scheme off the ground

Despite projected increases in water costs, farmers Justin Nichols and Ian Newnham support the new scheme. (ABC Rural: Madeleine Rojahn)

Tasmania's largest irrigation scheme has launched its water sales after farmers "outgrew" the old scheme. The $522 million Greater South East Irrigation Scheme will merge the existing South East Irrigation schemes in Tasmania.

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.

There are real alternatives to widespread pesticide use. Australia must embrace the change

Canola farmers will have to stop using omethoate to control red-legged earth mites if they want to sell into the European market. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP.

Australian farmers are heavily reliant on the use of pesticides to control weeds, diseases, and insect pests, collectively known as agripests. In some industries, pesticides are the first option when managing pests, rather than a last resort.

Farmers' stinging response to government’s rural safety blitz

Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers CEO Bree Grima wants a workplace health and safety checklist that is fit for the unique conditions farmers encounter on their properties, as opposed to criteria that has been developed in other commercial settings such as construction or mining.

Opportunities

VIC: Horticulture Seasonal Workforce Group Traineeships

The new Seasonal Workforce Group Traineeships in Horticulture pilot program links students with training and on-the-job experience to build their skills and open new career pathways.

The pilot program will be rolled out across key Victorian horticulture regions, including the Sunraysia, the Goulburn Valley and Gippsland. The new traineeships will be run by Apprenticeship Employment Network in collaboration with group training organisations, TAFEs, horticulture businesses, local industry groups and Agriculture Victoria.

More information here.

Cool-climate growers wanted for climate adaptability research project

Scientists are giving Aussie horticulture growers in cooler climates the opportunity to participate in a $6.4M research trial program to help industry adapt to climate change.

Being delivered through Hort Innovation and led and co-funded by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA), with support from national and international industry partners, the five-year project aims to grow cool climate horticulture production by 20%.

Find out more here.

Events

2022 AOA National Olive Conference & Trade Exhibition – see you next week!

Friday 14 - Sunday 16 October, Devonport, Tasmania

This time next week we’ll be in Devonport, Tasmania, getting out and about on the Field Day being held prior to the 2022 AOA National Olive Conference & Trade Exhibition. On Saturday and Sunday we’ll be head-down listening, learning, questioning and clarifying at the Conference plenary sessions and industry Trade Exhibition.

For those of you who have registered, we’re looking forward to catching up (it’s been a while!). The AOA/FOE/Olivegrower team will all be there, so please come and say hello. It’ll be great to see old friends again and fab to meet new industry members, and put faces to names.

Event confirmation email

Please note that all registrants will be receiving an email shortly confirming details of the event such as transport details, and registration times and locations. If you have registered for the Conference and do not receive this email by Monday the 10th, please check your SPAM folder and/or email secretariat@australianolives.com.au.

See you in Devonport!

International

Spain's multi-million dollar olive oil industry hit by 'catastrophic' heatwave

A farmer has told of the "catastrophic" olive harvest in Spain this year caused by the country's heatwave and said climate change heralds a bleak future for the major olive oil producer.

While next door in France …

Farmers in France confirm grim predictions as harvest gets underway

Heat and drought led to premature olive drops across southern France. The yield is expected to fall by 50 percent compared to last year.

And it seems they may have to get used to it …

Europe's record heatwave to become summer norm by 2035

Predicted and observed data on summer mean temperature across Europe by the Met Office Hadley Centre (2022). The red curves are individual runs of the model, the yellow curve is the average of these, and the black line is the observed summer temperatures in central Europe up to 2021. Graphic commissioned by the Climate Crisis Advisory Group (CCAG).

The worst drought and heatwave that Europe is experiencing might just be an "average" in less than a decade, according to a climate analysis published on Thursday.

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!

Thankfully, it’s not all bad news:

Promising signs of a robust harvest in Greece

Contrary to other main European producers, Greece expects a substantial increase in its harvest yield. However, significant challenges could hamper the final tally.

Inflation cuts premium food sales in U.S., but not EVOO

A recent survey found six in 10 Americans are buying less premium or luxury food. However, importers and producers reported no drop in olive oil sales.

Municipalities in Southern Italy swap used cooking oil for EVOO

Positano near Sorrento, Italy.

Olive growers and producers in the southern Italian region of Campania have teamed up with local authorities to promote extra virgin olive oil and foster an environmentally-friendly approach to used cooking oil disposal.

Biden administration plans overhaul of nutrition labeling

New guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will focus on overall dietary patterns instead of specific macro and micronutrients.

And here’s an interesting background read on the changing opinions around “healthy” foods:

Auburn food historian explains new FDA guidelines for ‘healthy’ food labels

Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, updated its criteria for foods labeled “healthy.” The proposed change is based on current nutrition science and prioritizes healthy dietary patterns, continuing from the FDA’s overhaul of the Nutrition Facts panel in 2016. Assistant Professor of History Xaq Frohlich explains why and how “healthy” food label criteria has changed over the years.