A Flanker wheat crop at Illabo on the south west slopes of NSW which yielded an average of 2.5 tonnes per hectare. Photo: James Kanaley

RECEIVALS in the eastern Australian harvest have hit 4.2 million tonnes, according to the latest updates from bulk handlers GrainCorp and Viterra.

GrainCorp said the Queensland harvest was close to completion, and harvest activity in southern New South Wales was also winding down now that good progress had been made in its slopes regions.

Harvest is well underway across most of Victoria, and grain quality from its central and Wimmera regions has been described as good.

Viterra said South Australia had its second biggest week of harvest to date last week, and receivals had increased with warmer weather.

Viterra’s two largest receival days for the harvest occurred consecutively last week, and wheat deliveries have increased to make wheat and barley the two main commodities received to date.

Canola, lentils, faba beans, field peas and lupins have also been received at Viterra sites.

Prior to rain on the weekend slowing deliveries, SA’s western region had its largest week of receivals last week.

Port Lincoln on the Lower Eyre Peninsula has had a busy shipping schedule, with two vessels loaded with wheat and barley on the berth.

In the central region, most activity in the past week was seen at Yorke Peninsula sites, with high volumes received into Port Giles and Ardrossan.

Volumes have increased in the region’s southern reaches, including Roseworthy and Saddleworth.

Gladstone has also had an increase in deliveries from Jamestown and northern areas, while harvest has gotten close to completion in the Bowmans, Snowtown and Wallaroo areas.

In the eastern region, a few days of warmer weather saw an increase in receivals, and resulted in its biggest week for deliveries in the harvest to date.

Source: GrainCorp, Viterra