FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oct. 18, 2005

Contact: Tom Uribes
559.278.5366 or 559.246.1717

Olive Field Day 2005 will be held at Fresno State on Wednesday, Oct. 19, featuring the University Agricultural Laboratory‘s new super high density olive orchard planting system and a demonstration of trees harvested in three seconds or  less – a 21st Century approach to one of the world's oldest crops.

The result of the new revolutionary orchard planting system – with support from two local firms, Bonomi-Gabrielson Harvesting and Grape Harvester Sales, who are donating harvesting services to the project – will be Fresno State’s own “California Extra Virgin Olive Oil” that will be introduced later this year.

This will be the first commercial harvest of an olive plantation for oil from a super high density (SHD) planting in the Central Valley, said Gino Favagrossa, orchard enterprise manager for the university’s Agricultural Laboratory Operations Department.

The "olive for oil" project is under the academic auspices of the Plant Science Department in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at Fresno State. Also partnering with Fresno State are California Olive Ranch and Burchell Nursery.

Preliminary plans call for the “California Extra Virgin Olive Oil” – processed by California Olive Ranch, the nation's largest olive oil orchard and mill – to be ready by the end of the year for the holidays and later featured at another university event, the Fresno State Winemaster Weekend in March, 2006.

But on Wednesday, the public can see not only the new super high density planting system on the university farm but also a harvesting demonstration when each olive tree grown under the system is mechanically harvested in three seconds or less.

The harvesting demonstration will be from 8:30 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. at the orchard, located at the northwest corner of Bullard and Willow on the northeast end of the campus. Access is from Bullard about one–eighth of a mile west of Willow at the mid-street signal light.

The event will also include an olive oil tasting and a private luncheon featuring several presentations by representatives of California Olive Ranch and Burchell Nursery designed for farmer/growers as well as agribusiness contacts in the valley and Fresno State agriculture students:

• Olive oil tasting and facts about olive oil with Alan L. Greene, California Olive Ranch

• High Density orchard management  – John Slaughter, Burchell Nursery

• Marketing Olive Oil – Alan L. Greene

The private luncheon is sponsored by Burchell Nursery, which has been responsible for major donations of trees to Fresno State, as well as continued industry leadership through the university’s Orchard Advisory Group, Favagrossa said.

California Olive Ranch is contracted to process the olive oil which includes a portion for Fresno State that will be bottled under the distinctive label used for other student-produced university farm products, including the award-winning Fresno State Wines. At the Winemaster Weekend, the olive oil will be paired with the Fresno State Winery’s award-winning Red Wine Vinegar.

Favagrossa said more than 100 growers and other industry representatives have signed up for the Olive Field Day,  a sign of the rapid gains California olive oils are making in popularity among consumers and the excitement in the industry over this new technique being pioneered at Fresno State with it s partners.

“In the past 10 years, per capita consumption of olive oil in the U.S. has doubled as consumers are drawn to olive oil for its freshness, taste, high quality and health benefits,” Favagrossa said. “As a result, many California farmers are considering tapping into this explosive growth by planting one of the world's oldest crops with a 21st Century approach.”

The prospects for this crop have gotten brighter as evidenced by the recent decision of the California Olive Ranch, the nation's largest olive oil orchard and mill, to expand and build a new olive oil mill in the Fresno area, he said.

Dr. Ganesan Srinivasan, the new director of Farm Operations at Fresno State, said this is another example of partnership between Fresno State and the agriculture industry.

"We are constantly trying to identify new and diverse opportunities for Central Valley farmers and agri-businesses to make agriculture more profitable and stay that way in the valley," said Srinivasan. "California Olive Ranch has kindly agreed to help us with extracting the oil and packaging it and soon we will be able to add this to our portfolio of products carrying the Fresno State label."

For more information, contact Favagrossa at 278.7945 or 906.5028. E-mail:  ginof@csufresno.edu.