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Media Publications
In the press
Georgia Trend Magazine | May 2025
Feature Article: Small Size, Big Values
Read the full article → & Here
We are honored to be featured in Georgia Trend magazine’s April 2025 edition. The article, “Small Size, Big Values,” highlights the story behind Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm—from restoring our historic family land to producing award-winning extra virgin olive oil rooted in sustainability, innovation, and American craftsmanship.
“Tracy and Curtis Poling are proving that you don’t need thousands of acres to make a big impact—just vision, grit, and a deep respect for the land.”
– Georgia Trend Magazine, April 2025
This recognition reflects the heart of what we do—crafting premium olive oil while honoring the land, our history, and the future of American agriculture.
For interviews, speaking opportunities, or media collaborations, please contact us:
world renowned Chef Leninha Camargo visits our farm
Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm was privileged and honored to have world renowned Chef Leninha Camargo to visit our farm and taste our olive oil. We had a comment back today with some pics taken. "We very much enjoyed the visit, meeting you and your wife and trying the delicious olive oil. The quality of the oil you produce is impressive.
A little background on Chef Leninha Camargo. Graduated from the Accademia Italiana Della Cucina in Enogastronomy. Specialist in Olive Oils, pioneer in suggesting the first four criteria for harmonizing olive oils for the world. Specialist in Gastronomy and Food Safety from the University of Brasília .Specialist in large-scale banquets, responsible for catering services in all VIP lounges at the World Cup in Brasília, serving everything from snacks to caviar, coordinating a team of 875 employees and serving personalities and celebrities from all over the world, including 13 heads of state.
Responsible for accompanying the Swedish royal family and their entourage during their stay in Brasília.
Served Prince Harry during his stay in the federal capital. video here
Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm a Georgia Centennial Farm
October 9 2024 Georgia National Fair Grounds
Award presented to Tracy and Curtis Poling by Tyler Harper, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Agriculture
We’re thrilled to announce that the Georgia Centennial Farm Award was officially presented to us during a recent ceremony at the 2024 Georgia National Fair. This event, honoring farm owners and their historic properties, was organized by the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, along with the Georgia Farm Bureau Georgia Department of Agriculture @Georgia EMC, UGA Extension, and Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter.
Signed by Governor Brian Kemp, the award was personally presented to Tracy and Curtis Poling by Tyler Harper, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Agriculture. This marks only the second time a farm in Greater Tattnall Chamber of Commerce County has been recognized. We’re incredibly honored that the Simon Smith Estate, established in 1854 (also known as Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm), continues to play a central role in preserving Georgia’s heritage, contributing to the state’s economic, cultural, and family legacy across generations. Read official release: https://www.ncsha.org/.../georgias-newest-centennial.../
South magazine Travel & advneture edition
2023 South Magazine
Check our listing in South Magazine The Spring 23 Travel & Adventure Issue. We are in the travel and adventure section #3 to visit. the story goes: Olive You (Glennville, GA)
The welcome sign to this olive farm claims to have the “World’s Best Olive Oil” and in terms of extra virgin olive oil, they might just be correct. Take a tour through 300 acres of olive groves and even learn about freshwater wildlife from the ponds on site.
Announce coming events
Tasting the olive oil is also part of the experience. Learn how to taste olive oil (similar to wine tasting) and become familiar with the unique differences found in real extra virgin olive oil versus the oils sold at big box stores. Take home a bottle of their award-winning olive oil and wow your friends with your new knowledge! Story link
We won! The UGA Flavor of Georgia 2023 contest
UGA Flavor of Georgia Award
UGA Flavor of Georgia Award
UGA Flavor of Georgia Award
We won! The University of Georgia Flavor of Georgia 2023 contest in Athens.
UGA Food Science and Technology" would like to congratulate the winners of the Flavor of Georgia 2023 The University of Georgia Flavor of Georgia 2023 contest in Athens.
UGA Food Science and Technology“ would like to congratulate the winners of the Flavor of Georgia 2023
The Award Ceremony
UGA Flavor of Georgia Award
UGA Flavor of Georgia Award
This year’s winners represent all corners of the state and the best of Georgia’s diverse culinary heritage.
Flavor of Geargia Contest
UGA Flavor of Georgia Award
Flavor of Geargia Contest
Flavor of Georgia is an opportunity not only to showcase all that Georgia has to offer, but also to propel individuals and businesses forward as leaders in food
Ode to Olive Oil Class at Vanderbilit UNiversity 2023
Zoom Class
lori.cat My “Ode to Olive Oil” course at Vanderbilt is going great!
Remote from our Farm
Our farm is excited to partner with Vanderbilt University in the upcoming credit class SPAN 1001 - Commons iSeminar - Ode to Olive Oil with Professor Lori Catanzaro and Curtis Poling this month via zoom from our farm to the classroom. The class subject including the history, mythology and symbolism of olive oil in Ancient Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome, its health benefits and role in medicine since Hippocrates, the business and production of olive oil worldwide today, its classifications and varietals, fraud and legal issues, the impact of climate change on olive cultivation globally and of course, enjoyment in cuisine.
Remote from our Farm
lori.cat My “Ode to Olive Oil” course at Vanderbilt is going great!
Remote from our Farm
Our focus will be on our farm's olive oil production and a sensory tasting session. The students are excited to learn this industry. I can add Professor Poling to my tales.
lori.cat My “Ode to Olive Oil” course at Vanderbilt is going great!
lori.cat My “Ode to Olive Oil” course at Vanderbilt is going great!
lori.cat My “Ode to Olive Oil” course at Vanderbilt is going great!
Thanks to Curtis @woodpeckertrailolivefarm for sharing his passion and award winning EVOO with us in today’s tasting see more:
As seen in March 2022 Georgia Magazine
Exciting new read about Our olive farm as feature article in March 2022 Georgia Magazine! Full story on Page 34-36 link
TAKING THE SCENIC ROUTE TO THE WOODPECKER TRAIL OLIVE FARM
by Jim Dorsey at Playground Earth July 13th 2021
From a recent visit and story on our farm from the publishers "Playground Earth" an online travel publication and marketplace dedicated to exploring and sharing ideas, resources and stories from the most beautiful places on earth. Jim & Fernanda Dorsey supplied us with this awesome article. Please enjoy!
In search of Award Winning Olive Oil along the Historic Woodpecker Trail
Taking the scenic route to the Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm drivers pass miles of open farmland growing everything from soybeans and peanuts to onions and grapes. This beautiful countryside may seem like an unlikely location to grow olives yet that is exactly what the owners of this six generation, 300 acre farm in the heart of Georgia’s Magnolia Midlands are doing.
Along the scenic Woodpecker Trail in Georgia’s Magnolia Midlands lies a 300 acre, six generation plot of fertile land called the Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm. It is here that Tracy and Curtis Poling nurture 7000 olive trees and produce what is widely considered to be among the world’s finest Extra Virgin Olive Oils. read more
As seen in NYIOOC Official Index
Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm won a Silver Award at the 2020 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world's most prestigious olive oil quality contest.
The company employs traditional methods to produce its extra virgin olive oil from 6000 Arbequina olive trees in Georgia, United States. It won a Silver Award for its Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm medium Arbequina.
2021 Reflections Magazine Quotes " Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm, a 6,000 tree olive grove that produces what a Growing number of chefs, foodies, and judges believe may just be one of the best tasting extra virgin olive oils on the planet. "
Ben Merril writer for Reflections Magazine of Richmond Hill Ga on a recent visit to our olive farm captured the essence of our story! Read and enjoy!
The ‘Tree of Life’ May be Closer Than You Think
Here’s how I heard the story: An American couple travels to Italy to enjoy the cuisine, sip the local wine, and drizzle the finest extra virgin olive oil onto freshly baked bread, still warm from the oven. They knew from years of visiting tasting rooms that Mediterranean countries produce the finest olive oil in the world, and now they were ready to experience it for themselves, first hand. As they approached the tasting counter they told the attendant: “We’ve traveled many miles and we’ve waited many years, but finally we are here and we would like to sample the best olive oil in the world.”
The attendant, not quite sure what to say, decided to tell them the truth: “I am very sorry to have to tell you this,” he said. “But if you’re looking for the best olive oil in the world, you’re going to have to travel to Georgia.”
*****
Georgia Route 121, also known as the Woodpecker Trail and one of the 50 most scenic drives in America, weaves its way from South Carolina to the Florida line, passing though gentle hills and acres of farmland. As it passes through Glennville, it grazes the eastern edge of the Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm, a 6,000 tree olive grove that produces what a growing number of chefs, foodies, and judges believe may just be one of the best tasting extra virgin olive oils on the planet.
Award-winning olive oil comes to Georgia
By Seth Schwartz / For Savannah Morning News Posted Oct 28, 2020 at 6:15 AM
Growing up in Reidsville, Ga., Tracy Poling enjoyed frequent visits to her grandparents’ 300-acre farm, 30 miles south in Glennville. Performing a variety of tasks on the land, she acquired an appreciation for working the land. A native of West Milton, Ohio, Curtis Poling spent summers on his grandparents farm. The two met in Atlanta and married in 2001. Moving to St. Simons in 2002, Tracy worked in medical insurance and Curtis has been CEO of CN Global Partners since 2009. When her father passed away in 2011, they pondered what to do with the land, which had been in the family since 1855. Their farm was adjacent to the Woodpecker Trail, which was established in the early 1900s and ran from Virginia to Orlando, Fla. It’s now Route 121. Extensive research included trips to olive tree farms in California, Texas and Terra Dolce in Lyons, Ga. Returning to Glennville in 2014, they cleared 14 acres and planted 4,000 Arbequina super high-density trees. In Jan. 2018, over an inch of snow was on the ground for two days with a temperature of 22 degrees. 1,600 trees were lost, four survived from their second planting in 2017. Bringing in a dozen people to harvest by hand at the end of September, they were able to put olives into a refrigerated truck within 15 minutes. Taking the fresh crop to Lyons for milling, they had a bountiful EVOO first press with over 300 cases of a flavorful oil with a peppery finish and a acidity level of .03 (The acidity level required for Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Europe is .08, in California it’s .05.). They won a silver medal in the New York International Olive Oil Conference. Curtis got word out through the internet and half their sales have been outside of Georgia. “It’s one of the most exciting things I’ve done in life,” he said. “You put something in the ground, watch it survive and then have a good harvest. We take a spoonful of oil every day.” Handling the daily operations, Curtis put in 14 miles of a drip irrigation system and bought a mower from Italy to cut down weeds. The sandy loam soil is quite conducive for growing and drains well. Using lime, he brought the pH level up to 7 from 5. Last year, they bought 300 high density trees from Spain, France and Tunisia and they now have a total of 6,000 trees. Always entrepreneurial, Tracy and Curtis took year old leaves off the branches and made olive leaf tea for purchase. They project nearly 300 orders and expect more in 2021. Olive leaf tea is the healthiest of any green tea on the market. They are one of two olive farms in the United States to make this product. https://www.savannahnow.com/news/20201028/former-state-senator-among-georgia-olive-farmers-finding-successful-harvest-this-year
Tracy & Curtis at Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm
Georgia olives take off
Agriculture, Nominations and Achievements as posted in Georgia Trend Magazine
When it comes to growing olives, our state is giving Spain and Italy a run for the money. A new crop for Georgia within the last decade, olives are starting to take off with about 7,000 acres of trees growing in south-to-mid-Georgia and along the coast, according to Georgia Olive Growers Association executive director, Vicki Hughes.
Curtis and Tracy Poling decided in 2014 to get into the olive game after doing extensive research that indicated the state would be a good environment in which to grow the crop. The trees they planted at Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm in Tattnall County bore their first harvest last fall. The Polings bottled the oil and submitted it to the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world’s largest and most prestigious quality contest. A couple of months ago, they found out their extra virgin olive oil won a 2020 silver award in their category, taking its place among the world’s best oils. https://www.georgiatrend.com/2020/07/06/georgia-olives-take-off/
Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm in Georgia Trends Magazine
Record Wins for Americans at World Olive Oil competition
American producers received 74 awards
Among these producers was Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm
Among these producers was Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm
American producers took home a record-high 56 Gold and 18 Silver Awards at the world's premier olive oil quality competition. Only Spanish and Italian producers received more.
Among these producers was Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm
Among these producers was Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm
Among these producers was Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm
Among these producers was Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm. The southern Georgian producer earned a Silver Award for its medium Arbequina.
Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm makes award-winning olive oil
RFD-TV Broadcast
In the News:
Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm made news with RFD channel- "RFD-TV with a broadcast to (52 million homes), RURAL RADIO Channel 147 on SiriusXM Radio (33 million units), The Cowboy Channel (42 million homes), and RFD-TV The Magazine. RMG networks are distributed worldwide by DBS, telco and cable systems, including DISH, DIRECTV®, Comcast, AT&T U-Verse, Mediacom, Charter Spectrum, Suddenlink, Cox, and more than 600 independent rural cable systems. Exciting!
How Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm makes their award-winning olive oil
Olives Take Off in Tattnall County
Proud to be a Farmer: Olives take off in Tattnall County
By Dal Cannady | May 18, 2020 at 6:37 PM EDT - Updated May 19 at 12:00 PM
TATTNALL COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - If each tree at Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm had a flag from its home country, the grove would look like the United Nations.
Curtis and Tracy Poling brought plats here from around the world when they introduced olives in the family timber farm.
“We were living on St. Simons and Curtis said, ‘you know, we should move back to the farm.’ I said, ‘well, what would we do,’” Tracy Poling said.
Curtis researched ideas and learned how settlers planted olives here back in the 1500's.
“The Spanish came in and planted olive trees on Cumberland, and St. Simons all the way to South Carolina,” Curtis said.
Curtis said you can blame the British for Georgia's olive crop disappearing. When they colonized, they brought their diet with them and the Mediterranean touches went away until just a few years ago.
The Polings are one of only a dozen or so olive farms in Georgia. Last fall, they pressed their first olive harvest and bottled the oil. They submitted it to international competition and picked up a silver medal in their category. They say the award helps affirm their resolve to do something others haven't.
“To put a tree in the ground, watch it grow over the years and then produce fruit.”
That experience makes them Proud to Be Farmers.
Copyright 2020 WTOC. All rights reserved.
See The Broadcast
Dal Cannady Bureau Chief of WOTC News spends a few hours here at the Woodpecker Trail Olive Farm
What a surprise!
REAL REVIEWS FROM REAL SHOPPERS: "Great Olive Oil: We were at a villa in Italy that has olive trees and the owner served us some recently pressed oil from her trees and it was wonderful with a fresh peppery taste. My first-time tasting Woodpecker Trail Olive Oil reminded of that oil in Italy, hard to believe it comes from South Georgia. I recommend this oil for dipping fresh sourdough or Italian bread in or serving with fresh home-grown North Georgia tomatoes in the summer. "