From the Fields - Mikayla Gnoss

By Mikayla Gnoss, Yolo County olive farmer 

This year was a tough one for olive growers. There was a frost at the end of February that hit just as the trees were starting to push buds, which really impacted this year’s crop. We had about a six-week harvest that wrapped up just before Thanksgiving. There were a lot of acres that didn’t get harvested this year, so milling efficiencies were as important as ever. In a year like this when there’s not much fruit, we obviously want to make sure we’re getting as much oil out of every olive as we can.

On the bright side, a lot of the acres that didn’t have much of a crop to support were able to put on a good amount of new growth. Olives grow on year-old wood, so that hopefully sets us up for a good crop next season, weather permitting. Our milling staff did a great job. They were still able to produce high-quality extra-virgin oils. With harvest wrapped up, the focus has shifted to getting the 2022 oil bottled and on the shelf.

It’s nice to see some rain in the forecast. Every little bit helps. Olives don’t require as much water as a lot of other tree crops, but it’s obviously still a concern. We have some young groves that haven’t fully matured yet, so year on year, that water demand is still increasing. We’re trying to do the best with what we have, just like everybody else, and we put a lot of effort into using what water we do have efficiently.