Productivity and profitability for olive growers in a land of weather extremes
By Laura Thomas
While farmers in Australia’s southern states continue to battle through lingering drought, others further north are still mopping up after devastating floods.
Australia truly is a land of weather extremes, with the agriculture industry on the frontline at the mercy of Mother Nature.
Like any crop, olives are vulnerable to the effects of weather.
An unexpected late frost, torrential rain and hail, wind, flooding or continued drought stress can destroy crops and reduce yields and fruit quality, impacting a producer’s bottom line considerably.
Understanding the impact of weather and climate on olive production can help reduce these impacts and maximise profitability, even as weather patterns continue to evolve and extreme weather events become more frequent.
The biennial State of the Climate Report 2024 – released by the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology – confirmed Australia’s weather is continuing to change, with an increase in extreme heat events, longer fire seasons, more intense heavy rainfall and sea level rise.
This presents a very real challenge to the Australian olive industry, according to Australian Olive Association Chief Executive Officer Michael Southan,
“Growers must be prepared for the possibility of factors like drought and floods, from the very outset,” he said.
“They are something that producers and industry must learn to work with – they’re not going anywhere.”
Australia’s olive industry centres around production of quality extra virgin olive oil, with close to 14.5 million litres produced in 2024, mostly for domestic consumption.
The nation’s 3,000 tonne per annum table olive production sector is also making gains, with work underway to improve processing efficiencies, operation scalability and increase outputs.
Real opportunity for growth awaits the Australian olive industry, as consumer appetite for quality olive products swells and production falls behind.
So what groundwork can an industry newcomer do to prepare for a successful future in the olive growing business?
Initial site selection is a priority, according to Southan,
“From a new grower’s perspective or someone looking at new planting, site selection is very important,” he said.
“If in a dry or Mediterranean zone, access to irrigation is a must.
“Alternatively, if near a river system and flooding is possible, then how long will water hang around and is a higher site available?
“Educating yourself about the types of seasonal weather conditions and environmental factors that may affect your grove will help you manage the risks and achieve better productivity long-term.”
To learn more about the impact of climate change on the Australian olive industry, take a look back at this presentation by Dr Dane Thomas, SARDI Climate Applications, at the 2018 AOA National Olive Industry Conference.
It provides some great insight for growers and is available on the AOA website now.
Keen to know more about olive productivity and profitability?
Join industry members and experts at the 2025 AOA National Olive Industry Conference!
This year’s event will focus on productivity and profitability, building on the success of our Back to Basics field day program events held across the country in recent months.
It will give olive growers at both ends of all experience spectrum more information about producing good olives and running a successful olive business.
It will also cover one of the most significant issues affecting Australian olive growers – water.
Find out more on the AOA website.
View more resources on the AOA website!
As the national peak industry body representing Australian olive growers, the Australian Olive Association is your go-to for everything you need to know about olive production.
A wealth of information is available on the brand new Australian Olive Association website, while AOA members can also refer to the resources available from the Members Lounge.
Not a member? Find out more about the benefits of joining the industry’s national representative body.
Sources:
www.australianolives.com.au
CSIRO
Bureau of Meteorology