Olive oil finds a new production home in Southern Oregon.
While California is known as the big domestic producer of olive oil, Southern Oregon farmer David Hoyal has begun planting olives in a former peach orchard that should yield its first commercial harvest in 2011.
Neighbors Nancy and Robert Wartenbergh took advantage of the Hoyal Farms research, and put in six acres of olives at the same time Hoyal’s 124 acres were planted in late August and September. A business associate of Jeff Hoyal, Steve Pugsley, said he’s installing trellis and irrigation for a 70-acre planting near Eagle Point.
The three orchards will use an olive oil processing mill Hoyal Farms plans to build next year off Medford’s West Main Street, the old highway to Jacksonville.
Read the full story at the Capital Press.
