Olives Continued from Page 3
it would be worth it to pursue a future in the table olive industry.” She noted some growers have tran- sitioned their orchards to high-densi- ty plantings that allow for mechanical harvesting, which the industry has been pushing during the past few years as pro- duction costs continue to soar. But it will take several years for the new trees to begin producing fruit, she added. “Like any commodity, it’s not something
that’s going to happen overnight,” Carranza said. Meanwhile, growers continue to fund research on ways to harvest traditional olive orchards mechanically, such as through pruning techniques and differ- ent equipment. So far, there hasn’t been “an end-all-be-all solution for that,” Carranza noted. (Ching Lee is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at clee@cfbf.com.)
harvested by hand and who face “signifi- cant” labor costs. Bearing acreage for table olives in the state continues to decline, with 2022 acreage at 12,000, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s a loss of 800 bearing acres since 2021. Acreage stood at 25,000 about 10 years ago and 40,000 in the 1980s. Carranza said the U.S. trade actions have given California growers “hope that
to “effectively pierce the European veil” that has shielded EU farm subsidies from external scrutiny. Being successful in im- plementing protections for U.S. table ol- ives—still a relatively small industry that’s mainly in California—“is a huge deal,” Carranza added. But she acknowledged growing table olives remains a challenge for California farmers, whose fruit is still primarily
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February 15, 2023 Ag Alert 9
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