New Manual Offers Guidance on Producing Olives for Oil

University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources has published >Olive Production Manual for Oil, a first-of-its-kind manual for U.S. growers. The 273-page manual is available for purchase. It is focused on equipping growers to produce olives for oil of consistent, high quality, which the authors say can provide U.S. olives a market niche in a world market with stiff competition on price. Although parts of the book are specific to California, the authors say that much of the material could be helpful to growers in other states, as well. The manual includes information based on grower experience. It addresses hand pruning, irrigation management, nitrogen management, harvest timing, site selection, and testing.