The Southern Olive Growers Association of NSW [SOGA] will be meeting at the home of the award winning Olevano Olives on Sunday 30 November. The property lies north of Crookwell near the Abercrombie National Park. This field day will focus on both the production of award winning oils and table olives.
The Association comprises growers from the Southern Highlands, Southern Tablelands and south coastal regions of NSW and promotes the industry, enables growers to get the latest information, share experiences and facilitate collaboration.
The Australian olive industry has seen a significant boost since the recent exposure of several imported brands of olive oil that did not meet the recognised international standard and indeed in some cases contained more than just olive oil.
To be called Extra Virgin Olive Oil each oil must meet both a chemical test and a taste test. These tests have been embodied in the new Code of Practice for the Australian Olive Industry – see http://www.australianextravirgin.com.au <http://www.australianextravirgin.com.au/> .
One of the priorities for SOGA is to help and encourage members to embrace the new Australian Code for Australian Extra Virgin.
The Southern region of NSW is ideal for growing olives. The President of the Australian Olive Association, Paul Miller, commented recently that the region has a “relatively cool climate, and that confers additional flavour and colour to the olive oil. That in turn means that oil is actually of better quality.”
This year SOGA is running a series of field days across the Southern Region covering growing, table olives, irrigation, pruning and other areas of key importance to growers. Anyone who is yet members of SOGA will be very welcome to attend on 30 November – but will need to contact SOGA in advance of the field day for both catering purposes and directions.
Enquiries relating to the field day should be made to Peter O’Clery, President, SOGA, at poclery@iprimus.com.au or 0417 258 471.
