Storm clouds clear for better than expected winter harvest

Before harvest season began, the region was hit with hundreds of millimetres of rain over just a few days, causing significant damage to crop and soil. Come harvest time, tractors were bogged, crops were drowned, and reaching the paddocks was pretty much unattainable, for some farmers.

But as skies cleared towards the end of the year, farmers were able to get back to their crop and push through.

“In GrainCorp’s Dubbo-north area, which includes the sites of Armatree, Coonamble, Gilgandra and Gulargambone, we have taken in over 460,000 tonnes from growers,” GrainCorp area manager, Dubbo-north, Tom Koerstz said.

“Receivals across this region of NSW were significantly delayed due to widespread wet weather, compared with previous seasons. However, harvest ramped up over the Christmas period thanks to clearer skies, with receivals trickling into late January,” he added.

 “It’s pleasing to note that, despite the weather challenges, canola deliveries were strong, with a cool, wet spring bringing good yields and high oil levels.” Meanwhile, in GrainCorp’s Dubbo-west area, which includes the sites of Narromine, Nevertire, Nyngan, Tottenham, and Trangie, GrainCorp has taken more than 390,000 tonnes of grain.

“Across these sites, we received everything from feed to milling grades for wheat, opening up additional segregations on site to cater for the full spectrum of grades coming,” GrainCorp site manager, Stacey Irvine said.

“Overall, we did as much as we could to deliver for our growers across the region, in another challenging season,” she concluded.