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WIMMERA HARVEST 2015: RECIEVAL SITES OPEN FOR BUSINESS
GRAIN recieval sites in the region are starting to feel the effects of the 2015 harvest. Pulse growers have been rolling into Wimpak Exporting Company at Minyip for the past three weeks. Marketing and accumulation team head James French said growers had been coming from Minyip’s surrounding district, along with Warracknabeal and Beulah. “Some of the southern Mallee guys, who have had trouble with quality, have also been coming to us to get their grain cleaned,” he said.
“We started about three weeks ago and it’s now started to back off a bit as growers get stuck into cereals.” Mr French said the overall mood was one of disappointment.
“Farmers are mainly disappointed about the lack of volume,” he said. “It’s just been a tough season unfortunately. “However, quality wise, it’s not too bad.
“It’s been a bit of a mixed bag all round.” Mr French said high lentil prices at the moment was one positive growers could take away. “We’ve also had some good quality pulses, being graded number one,” he said.
Grainflow Dimboola site superviser Ken Ough said harvest was ticking along slowly. “It’s not going too good – all barley has gone feed and we’ve had high protein wheat. “It was what we expected with the dry finish.”
Mr Ough said while prices overall weren’t fantastic, some growers were getting more than they initially thought. He said the site opened on November 9 – two weeks earlier than last year. “We will probably finish about three weeks earlier too,” he said.
GrainCorp’s latest harvest update shows deliveries of wheat and barley have started in northern areas of the state. “Canola is being windrowed in the western districts and initial deliveries are expected later this week,” the report said. Birchip Cropping Group chief executive Chris Sounness said harvest was now under way for most of the Wimmera. ”Some areas are slightly better while others are slightly worse,” he said. “Farmers start with their best paddock though, so the worst is still to come. That’s the economics of harvest.”