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The AOA has recently created a Facebook page to help promote Australian Olive Oil and the Code of Practice symbol. AOA CEO is urging all Facebrook users to go to the page and hit the “like” button. When you’ve done that, copy and paste the link into your status and ask all of your friends to “like” it too. Access the page https://www.facebook.com/AussieOliveOil
Producers wanting to learn about organic farming can now do so for a fraction of the cost. Biological Farmers of Australia, BFA, is subsidising the cost of the Diploma in Agriculture (Organic Production) organic farming course for 55 students. The 18-month long curriculum is focused on developing plans to change or develop systems towards organic, and is offered through TAFE NSW Riverina Institute via correspondence. Students are linked with a mentor in their region to help them. A $400,000 grant from the National Workforce Development Fund means students only pay a third of course costs. For more information contact Rob Fenton on 0408 227 624 or [email protected].
The AOA is updating its database to ensure its efficiency and relevancy, and have enlisted the help of university student Georgia Walden to assist with the task. Georgia will be contacting every person on the database to ascertain whether they still wish to be on the list and to ensure that details are correct. Any comments are welcomed to Lisa Rowntree at [email protected] or the AOA office on (08) 8573 6545.
Olives New Zealand has organised a training event entitled “Tasting Extra Virgin Olive Oils for Aspiring Judges”, being run to concide with the national EVOO Awards in September. An introductory course for people interested in judging or evaluating Extra Virgin Olive Oils, or people who just want to know more about tasting Extra Virgin Olive Oils, the event will be presented by Fernando Roman Martinez, head judge for 2012 New Zealand Extra Virgin Olive Oil Awards. A Doctor of Biological Science and specialist in oils and fats, Sr Martinez is also an internationally respected olive oil taster. The program will include sensory evaluation, IOC standards for defects and positive attributes, guided tastings of oils from various countries, and judging based on the IOC Mario Solinas Judging Criteria. The course will be held on Tuesday, 18 September at the Massey University Albany Campus, Auckland. Registrations close on 10 August. More information and registrations https://www.olivesnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Tasting-Extra-Virgin-Olive-Oils-for-Aspiring-Judges.pdf
Social media use is increasing, and that could be good news for manufacturers of branded products, as frequent social media users tend to be more loyal to name brands, according to new research from the NPD Group.
FIG & OLIVE, one of New York’s premier restaurants with a location in Scarsdale, NY, has introduced its first kid’s menu. FIG & OLIVE boasts an exquisite selection of more than 30 extra virgin olive oils from throughout the Mediterranean. The kid’s menu was created under the restaurant’s philosophy that extra virgin olive oil better accentuates food’s natural flavor than butter and offers five kid’s meal classics with a gourmet twist.
Expert tasters can judge the quality of an olive oil just smelling it, and they are not afraid to drink it from the official, small blue glass. But when it comes to “normal people” there is no better way to enjoy a good extra virgin olive oil than using it in a tasty recipe.That is why Arsial (Lazio’s Regional Agency for Development and Innovation in Agriculture) and Uliveti del Lazio (Lazio’s olive oil producers association) asked a bunch of young, clever chefs to come up with their own interpretation of some of the best extra virgin olive oils from the region.
According to the data by IOC, production in 2011/12 looks poised to be 302,000 tonnes higher than in the preceding crop year. Stocks of approximately 1 million tonnes are expected, an increase of 34%. Producers in Spain, Greece and Italy, the only three countries for which the IOC has reliable price data, are getting a low price – €1.75, €2.38 and €1.84/kg respectively – for the extra virgin olive oil they produce. One has to go back to May–June 2009 in the 2008/09 crop year to find comparable price levels.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board, are presenting a series of free workshops on soil health and carbon farming. The workshops will feature expert speakers on topics such as soil carbon, biology and fertility and will also introduce the Carbon Farming Initiative, including the process, methodologies for the region and funding opportunities. Sessions will run from 9:30am-4pm, with morning tea and lunch provided. Venues and dates are: Hahndorf – 19 June; Yankalilla – 20 June; Gawler – 21 June. For information or to register contact: Hahndorf – Melanie Bullers (08) 8389 5913, [email protected]; Yankalilla – Jodie Pain (08) 8550 3405, [email protected]; Gawler – Gail Kennedy (08) 8523 7700, [email protected].
Olive oil prices are at rock bottom, so food manufacturers would be advised to secure supplies now to fix prices, as the trend will not last, Mintec has warned. Low current demand and over-supply are responsible for the price crash but predictions are that the situation will change within a year, due to the severe drought across Spain’s major growing regions over the past season.