The last two olive oil seasons have fully manifested all the effects of the sudden climate changes, commonly known as "climate change".

In this ongoing climate change, the olive grower of the third millennium navigates by sight.
Each olive oil season, from a meteorological and microclimatic perspective, is characterized by elements that, although similar or even identical, have different effects on olive oil production.
In southern Lazio, in Ciociaria, where we are located, both the 2024/25 season and the previous 2023/24 season were characterized by: mild winter, rainy flowering period, hot and dry summer; yet the effects on the two productions were totally different.
Let's analyze the repercussions these factors have had on olive oil production and extra virgin olive oil.

Despite two mild winters and two rainy flowering periods, the olive yields per quintal per hectare of olive grove were completely different, with a decent yield in the 2024/25 season compared to a poor, if not even absent in some microzones, yield in the 2023/24 season.

The summers, both scorching and drought-stricken, instead had beneficial effects on the quality of the fruit, which, thanks to these two factors, were protected from the attack of the number one enemy of olive production, the bactrocera oleae - olive fruit fly.
However, the two olive oil seasons were completely different in terms of oil yield per quintal of olives. In fact, in the 2024/25 season, the oil yield in mid-October was 40% lower than in the same period of the 2023/24 season, with a totally different oil quality in organoleptic terms.
Now certain of some practices consolidated in the last decade, such as early harvesting, many olive growers also proceeded this past season to harvest their olives as soon as possible, often unknowingly giving up a good part of the extra virgin olive oil, thus finding themselves unprepared to face the yield calculations at the mill.
A good olive grower must be able to assess the meteorological and climatic conditions of the area where they cultivate their olive groves, and if necessary, know how to wait for the right moment to obtain a good extra virgin olive oil product, but also the right quantity in terms of yield, because whether they are a hobbyist or a professional, the oil yield is also a useful and fundamental parameter for evaluating the economic viability of managing an olive grove.