RECEIVALS in CBH Group’s Kwinana zone that came in at 4.1 million tonnes (Mt) in the harvest just completed – little better than half the previous harvest’s intake of 8Mt – indicate how hard the season has been in the Western Australian bulk handler’s central zone.

In the northern Geraldton zone, the impact of the patchy start and low in-crop rainfall was even more dramatic, with 1.3Mt delivered to CBH sites, down 61 per cent from the 3.3Mt received in the bumper 2018-19 harvest.

CBH reports the 2019-20 harvest is now complete, with most parts of the state recording challenging seasonal conditions throughout 2019 which contributed to a smaller-than-average crop and CBH receivals of 9.7Mt.

Continued dry weather throughout harvest allowed for minimal interruptions, with many growers able to finish their harvest programs before Christmas.

Highlights included a safe harvest with minimal incidents on site, a significant improvement in the number of loads delivered using the CDF app, and a record-breaking season for the recently upgraded Cranbrook site.

CBH receivals by port zone for the 2019-20 and previous harvest. Source: CBH Group

CBH general manager operations Ben Macnamara said the 2019 growing season conditions presented some challenges.

“With a season like what we have just encountered it was anticipated that we would see wide variability in crop quality, so we proactively planned a number of niche and off-grades to be made available if and when the need presented,” Mr Macnamara said.

“We aim to find the balance between maximising marketing opportunities for growers via offering additional segregations, costs incurred from offering those segregations, and what is practically possible on sites.

“The use of technologies like Paddock Planner and the CDF app also assists CBH to plan segregations.”

Of all the tonnes delivered to CBH this harvest, 91 per cent came in using the company’s CDF app, up from 69pc in the previous harvest.

CBH said the CDF app had helped to smooth the delivery process, interpret site cycle times and identify bottlenecks, and the information had allowed site managers to act quickly to address issues, and point to where investment was required in the future.

Record at Cranbrook

The Albany zone weathered the hard finish better than other zones, with some areas of the zone experiencing above-average yields and quality.

On 19 December, the zone’s Cranbrook site surpassed its season receival record by receiving 412,000t, up from the previous record of 394,354t set in 2014.

Mr Macnamara said pre-harvest improvements at the site, 100 kilometres north of Albany, contributed to a better grower experience.

“Cranbrook was one of nine network strategy sites that received a major upgrade prior to harvest.

“We added 152,000t of storage through six new open bulkheads, as well as three new conveyor-loading systems and one upgraded conveyor-loading system to speed up throughput.

“Works to improve traffic flow also helped reduce cycle times for growers at the site, with an average cycle time of 42 minutes, which is a significant improvement on last year.

“The performance at Cranbrook is particularly impressive considering that the site had a record-breaking season,” said Mr Macnamara.

Across the CBH network, the average delivery cycle time was 37 minutes, down from 43 minutes in the previous harvest.

The improvement has been attributed to a combination of improved site processes, better use of technology and a smaller crop.

CBH is now focused on outloading grain safely and efficiently to meet the requirements of a fully booked shipping stem for the first part of the year.

CBH harvest receivals by port zone in thousands of tonnes for October, November and December 2019. Source: CBH Group

Source: CBH Group

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