Olives are an innovative crop that offer many opportunities for Oregon small farmers to diversify their farms and generate alternative income from value-added farm products. The Olea Project was established with the goals of making olive production economically feasible and reducing climatic limitations for olive growers in Oregon’s unique growing conditions.

The Olea research program, started in 2017, is led by Heather Stoven, Neil Bell and Hayley White at Oregon State University. This team provides outreach and assistance to potential and current Oregon olive growers as they explore this relatively new crop. A 1-acre research trial, planted in 2021 at the OSU North Willamette Research and Extension Center, is evaluating the relative winter cold tolerance of 118 olive cultivars to establish which are the hardiest and produce the highest quality fruit in western Oregon. 

Visit the Olea Program website