INCREASING OPTIONS: Wimpak plant manager Damian Milne, right, discusses the installation progress of the company’s
new cleaning plant with LMC sales manager Grant Bruner. Mr Bruner travelled from the USA to monitor the final
commissioning of the plant.

A Wimmera agricultural business is providing an example of how regional services are providing broadacre cropping farmers with opportunities to make the best of poor situations. Minyip grain-cleaning and packing business Wimpak Export Company is in the early stages of assessing pulse-harvest results across the region and starting to handle more samples. General manager Jo Cameron said expectations had gone from early hopes of a big harvest to making sure growers had access to reliable and efficient grain-handling services. “Importantly, we’re making sure our clients can get the most from disappointing yields,” she said. Wimpak, which buys and sells predominantly pulse grains, is already seeing the benefi ts of a new state-of-theart grain cleaner it is installing for this year’s harvest. “The quality of pulse

commodities this harvest will vary considerably so the installation of our new cleaning plant has been timely,” she said. “It ensures we can effectively clean grain for our growers while offering competitive prices.” Ms Cameron said the firm was seeing varying degrees of grain quality after many crops had undergone frost damage and stress due to lack of spring rain. She said Wimpak, established by Minyip district farmers in 1998 and now with a permanent staff of 11, had the ability to clean grain that fell outside Australian Pulse Standards, allowing growers to obtain premium prices for their cleaned product. She added that Wimpak was also offering growers a trade credit insurance and 14 years of 100 percent grower-payment history. “Wimpak removes stress by only dealing with reputable exporters and end users and gives payment security to growers by covering all contracts under our trade credit insurance policy at no extra cost,” she said. “With the season’s potential lack of grain, markets will be competitive in the region so Wimpak is also offering growers shortened or extended payment fl exibility and free onfarm pick-up services in some circumstances this harvest. “Regardless of reduced yields this season and the challenges facing many small businesses across the Wimmera-Mallee, we will continue to provide growers with cleaning, packing and trading services that are second to none.”

 "The Weekly Advertiser "