WA Harvest update - 1.47 million tonnes received so far

By: "Farm Tender" News
Cattle News
Nov 11, 2019
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CBH Operations Update

Harvest has really picked up this week with total receivals ticking over one million tonnes, and each zone seeing its biggest week of receivals to date.

It looks to be a short season in the north with some growers in the Geraldton zone likely to wrap up their harvest program within the next week.

CBH General Manager Ben Macnamara acknowledged that it's been a hard year for many growers.

"It's been a tough year for a lot of our growers, but despite the dry season we are seeing some really positive quality and yield results which is testament to how agronomy and cropping practices have advanced and enabled the industry to build this resilience."

Across the network almost 90 per cent of loads have been received via the CDF app.

Mr Macnamara said it was really pleasing to see the CDF app being fully utilised.

"This is the second year we have encouraged growers across all zones to use the CDF app, and the take-up for this season so far has been incredible.

"It's saving growers time spent on paperwork and allowing them the ability to track their deliveries from the farm, so they can see what is happening with their grain on site in real-time.

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"The CDF app gives the site advance notice when a load is due to be delivered, as well as giving us real-time site cycle data which our people monitor to see how the site is performing and make decisions on the go to ensure the site is operating as efficiently as possible," said Mr Macnamara.

Zone Summary

Geraldton zone

· Weather over last weekend delayed some growers but receivals have picked up again during this week.

· Majority of the tonnes received has been wheat, making up approximately two thirds of receivals in the zone, followed by barley.

· There are some growers in the zone who will look to finish their program this week and we will monitor those sites closely over the next week to manage opening and closing times.

Kwinana North zone

· The zone received between 5mm and 25mm of rain last Thursday and Friday which held up some growers.

· Majority of the tonnes received to date have been barley, with growers now moving on to harvesting wheat and canola.

· There is some variability in quality with wheat a mixed bag of grades from H1 to ASW1 and some sites have introduced AUW1 and AUH2 segregations.

· All sites planned to be open this season are now open.

Kwinana South zone

· The zone was slow to get going after the rainfall received last weekend, however has ramped up considerably this week.

· Three quarters of grain received to date has been barley with smaller amounts of wheat and canola.

· A high percentage of barley is going feed compared to previous years, with a Malt 2 segregation being offered at a couple of sites.

Albany zone

· Rain in the back half of last week slowed up both harvesting and receivals for the first part of the week but dry weather towards the end of the week has allowed harvesting to resume at a solid rate.

· Most sites planned to be open will be operating by next week.

· Barley receivals have increased in the last week with sites along the south coast roughly even for barley and canola receivals, and the north eastern areas seeing strong barley inflows.

· A high percentage of barley is going feed compared to previous years, with a Malt 2 segregation being offered at a couple of sites.

Esperance zone

· All sites in the zone are now open.

· Harvest was slowed up over the weekend by some rain however most growers were able to get going again on Monday. The weather over the next week looks unsettled, and any rain might slow growers up again.

· Deliveries to date have been predominately canola and barley, with a little bit of wheat starting to be received.

· Quality has been good although moisture has been frustrating for some growers.

Market Update

Wheat

Wheat prices remained at A$325 per tonne free in store (FIS) Kwinana levels throughout the week with limited grower selling. Growers are focused on harvesting their barley first and with variability in yields and quality it appears growers are waiting for their wheat to be harvested prior to selling. On the international market there is some demand interest from both South East Asia and Middle East with Australian prices now calculating into key markets, although for limited volumes. The initial wheat harvest quality results do show a larger percentage of higher protein wheat, a stark contrast to last year where the large majority was low protein ASW.

Barley

The barley harvest in Western Australia is in full swing with growers prices generally easing A$3-5 per tonne over the week with feed barley prices at A$263 per tonne FIS Kwinana and Spartacus malt barley at A$278 per tonne FIS Kwinana. The dry finish and frost in southern areas has seen malt selection rates coming in well below average. This is anticipated to improve as harvest moves into the areas of the state not as heavily impacted by the season. Internationally, demand for feed barley has remained quiet however some interest is being seen from Asia although in small quantities. The market is awaiting a decision on the China barley anti-dumping investigation and this will be an important signal for the direction of this market.

Canola

Canola prices continue to remain historically high at A$614 per tonne FIS Kwinana, however grower selling remains slow. Oil contents are slightly lower than last season with reports of 44% compared to 46-48% in the previous year. Internationally, Europe has been in the market and despite a lower crop size it is expected that the majority of tonnes will be exported to key European crushers.

https://www.cbh.com.au/