Harvest rolls on

CBH has binned 5.7 million tonnes of an estimated 6.1 million tonnes for the 2010/11 crop.

The Geraldton zone received about 70,000 tonnes last week, bringing total receivals in the region as of Tuesday to 1.45 million tonnes.

Geraldton zone manager, Duncan Gray said harvest is all but over.

“We’ll hit about 1.5 million tonnes this season, ” Mr Gray said.

“This is down significantly on the 2.4 million tonnes we received last year and is very much reflective of the dry growing season.”

Kwinana zone manager Brett Jeffrey said initially the area is looking at a crop of about 1.5 million tonnes, but with yields and quality holding up, the zone is likely to receive close to 2.2 million tonnes this year.

“There’s no doubt about it – we’ve had one of the toughest seasons we’ve seen in the Kwinana zone, but to end with a few more tonnes than we initially anticipated makes for a pleasing finish, ” Mr Jeffrey said.

“The poor season meant that around 50 per cent of sites in the Kwinana region did not open this year and I thank all growers and staff for their patience, understanding and support to get the grain in this harvest, particularly given the adversity we faced.”

As of Tuesday, the Albany zone had received about 850,000 tonnes, which is 350,000 tonnes shy of the zone’s 1.2 million tonne estimate.

In the Albany region, cold and damp weather conditions halted progress as it did in Esperance.

Esperance manager Mick Daw said the zone received about 200,000 tonnes last week bringing receivals to 1.17 million tonnes.

“We had a slow moving week, ” Mr Daw said.

“Deliveries have ramped up over the past few days as the weather has improved, but earlier this week most of the grain delivered had come from storage on-farm.

“Many growers are expected to finish their programs over the next few days, provided the weather stays favourable for harvesting.”

Mr Daw said receival sites will continue to close as harvest wraps up in the zone, with most sites expected to be closed before Christmas.

The Esperance zone is on track to receive its 1.5 million tonne estimate, which is in line with the tonnage it received last season.