SOUTH AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA —  Viterra is introducing dynamic binning for barley across its network for the 2019-20 harvest. Expanding dynamic binning to barley in addition to wheat is part of Viterra’s ongoing focus to improve its services through continued investment in its supply chain.

Viterra Operations Manager Michael Hill said growers will have the opportunity to have their barley upgraded with dynamic binning available for malting barley varieties Planet, Scope, Spartacus and Compass as well as Feed1.

“We are pleased to introduce barley dynamic binning following the success of wheat dynamic binning last harvest and feedback from growers asking for a similar option for barley,” Hill said. “Our wheat dynamic binning provided significant value back to growers, approximately $6 million in the 2018-19 harvest, and we will again provide it this harvest for ASW1, APW1, H2 and H1 grades.”

“We’ve been able to provide a valuable service to growers while also maintaining market access for South Australian grain and continuing to meet the high standards of end use customer requirements,” Hill said. “Dynamic binning also had the added benefit for growers of creating efficiencies in the classification process and improving turnaround times at harvest due to less retests being requested.”

Hill noted dynamic binning provides growers with more flexibility to potentially access a higher grade for loads that are just outside of receival standards for protein, screenings and test weight in both wheat and barley, and also retention for barley.

“In addition to dynamic binning, we also provide a one per cent tolerance for moisture above Grain Trade Australia (GTA) receival standards on all wheat and barley deliveries, which has been in place for a number of years,” Hill said.

A dynamic binning upgrade will be given if the load falls within the specified tolerance zones, the load meets all other quality requirements including variety, contaminants and maximum residue limits and the higher grade segregation is available at the delivery site.

Viterra made an upgrade to its IT grain management system in 2018, which enables the quality of grain to be monitored closely in real time to ensure it meets outturn standards.

“We provide the upgrade instantly at classification and the grain is available immediately for growers to transact,” Hill said. “If the rolling stack average for a grade falls below the GTA receival standards then dynamic binning will not be available until the average again meets grade receival standards. This is to ensure that grain is not compromised at outturn.”