- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Citrus growers in Florida, who are struggling with the devastating citrus disease huanglongbing, are considering growing olives, according to a report on the Tampa, Fla., ABC news affiliate.
Reporter Ryan Raiche covered a meeting at the University of Florida Citrus Research and Extension Center where UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Paul Vossen introduced growers to olive production and marketing and offered citrus growers the opportunity to taste a variety of olives and olive oils.
“This is not a slam dunk, because this is a...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
To ease poverty and stimulate economic growth, the U.S. government has pledged $301 million to help Morrocon farmers rehabilitate existing olive trees and expand olive, almond and fig production. However, San Joaquin farmers say the move undercuts the struggling local industry, according to an article in the Porterville Recorder.
“It’s ludicrous,” said farmer Rod Burkett. “We’re a small industry. We have less than 24,000 acres (of olive trees) in the state. [Morocco] has more than 1 million acres. That gives them a real advantage. Now [the U.S. government] is taking my tax money and giving it to those people so they can make their trees more...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
San Francisco Chronicle wine columnist Jon Bonné wrote about the prospects for another variety of white wine to rise in popularity, perhaps to the level of such well known wines as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Reisling. In the article, Bonné referenced a new trial at UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, where 55 varieties are under study, from Trebbiano to Petit Manseng. The study was designed to determine what might best match the San Joaquin Valley's hot climes. Project leader UC Cooperative Extension viticulture specialist...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Thanks to the generous spirit of late brothers Allen and Robert Young, the 3-acre Young Family Ranch in Weaverville is the setting for community workshops on soils, gardening, food preservation and more, reported Laura Christman in the Redding Record Searchlight. The farmhouse basement has been turned into a community classroom. Carol Fall, program specialist with Trinity County UC Cooperative Extension, has office space in the basement. Upstairs, two bedrooms are offices for the extension's nutrition staff. Being at the ranch allows the UC experts to tap into the...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The USDA's new voluntary guidelines defining "extra virgin" olive oil go into effect Monday, but many of California's producers are already following even stricter regulations set down by the California Olive Oil Council, according to an article in the Ventura County Star.
USDA's guidelines allow for no defects and no more than 0.8 percent free oelic acid in olive oil labeled "extra virgin;" COOC requires no defects and no more than 0.5 percent free oleic acid.
The new guidelines come on the heels of a UC Davis Olive Center study finding that of 52 bottles of 19 brands of...