The Geraldton port zone has passed its total tonnage for the whole of last harvest with some 650,000 tonnes in the bin on Tuesday and it is expected to more than double its total grain tonnage for the past two seasons.

 

CBH operations manager Michael Musgrave said it was a relief that the harvest had finally got going again this week after the run of bad weather harvest conditions and rainfall which has prompted quality concerns.

 

By Tuesday about 807,000 tonnes had been received, the bulk of which was from the Geraldton port zone, but all port zones were off the mark.

 

Drought saw the Geraldton port zone bin 530,203 tonnes last year and 423,000 in 2006-07. This season, Mr Musgrave said growers in the northern region would give the record of 2.584 million tonnes a shake with CBH's estimate for the zone sitting at 2.3 million tonnes.

 

In response to frost-affected grain, additional feed barley segregations have been added at Merredin and Jubuk. The hectolitre weight for feed barley is 56, for the new feed barley 4 segregation the minimum hectolitre weight is 50 and for feed barley 5 the minimum hectolitre weight will be 44.

 

Mr Musgrave said there would also be some lower colour restrictions in these additional feed segregations.

 

Other segregations, although not related to quality have also been added. A quality assured lupin stack is expected to be put in place at the Metro Grains Centre.

 

CBH is also planning a variety specific segregation for the noodle variety, Binnu, in the Merredin area.

 

Marchagee farmer Michael O'Callaghan who started harvesting in earnest Monday week ago, after a false start due to rain, couldn't be happier.

 

"Yields have been exceptional, in the canola, and the quality seems to be good," he said.

 

Mr O'Callaghan said they had taken off 400ha of Stubby canola to average over two tonnes, with the oil averaging 44 per cent.

 

He said of the 150ha of Calingiri, two loads had made it into noodles, the rest slipping outside the window because the protein was a bit high. The proteins were going between 11.5 to 13.5 per cent.

 

But he won't be keeping any Calingiri seed for planting next season.

 

"I think noodles will disappear overnight - it will happen that quickly. There is too much risk in growing noodles and it's very hard to get it in the noodle window."

 

Paul Southam, farming between Brookton and Corrigin, was hoping to start harvest this week.

 

He anticipated that after two inches of rain in the past couple of weeks that there would be staining in the barley. He is also anxious to see how the rest of the crops yield after a severe frost.