SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — GrainCorp said on Nov. 20 that 4.5 million tonnes of grain had been delivered to GrainCorp sites.
Harvest of the Queensland winter crop is largely complete, and there was no damage from recent storm acticity. Prospects for the summer sorghum crop have been lifted thanks to recent rain in central Queensland and on the Downs.
In northern New South Wales there were minor delays arising from weekend storms in the Moree zone, however harvest in the area is around 90% complete, with 1.2 million tonnes delivered from that area. Conditions remain relatively dry, with many growers still waiting for further rain for sorghum.
In Narrabri, good conditions last week brought winter crop harvest to almost 80% completion. A lot of growers in this area are now focused on the later chickpea crops. Harvesting conditions have been favorable for all grains in the Liverpool Plains, with only around one-third of the crop stripped to date.
Harvest in central NSW resumed following rains. Quality remains sound. GrainCorp’s Coonamble site received over 20,000 tonnes per day for three days running. Despite the high volumes across the region, the harvest has been coming in smoothly, with new ‘super’-stackers helping to accelerate intake.
A solid week for receivals in southern NSW, with Barellan beating its daily record in receiving just under 10,000 tonnes on Nov. 17. Two substantial capacity upgrades have been completed at the Cunningar and Maimuru sites. In the eastern zone, more canola has been windrowed, with harvest to commence next week. The canola crop in this area looks excellent.
In Victoria, grain is now being received from all regions, but it’s still early days. Wheat receivals are increasing across the Mallee and fine weather is forecast for the coming days, which is expected to provide further momentum to harvesting.