Harvest sampling huts make it simple

Farmers in the Albany zone can save precious time this harvest thanks to five community sampling huts.

The huts will also reduce the cost of farmers carting long distances before finding any quality problems with their grain, given around 90 receival sites haven’t opened this harvest.

The first community hut in the Albany Zone opened its doors at Amelup last week followed by Toolbrunup with huts opening this week in Frankland River, Kendenup and south of Kojonup.

The portable huts are modified sea containers and can be easily moved to follow the harvest trail.

CBH operations manager Colin Hutt said they were trialled last year in the Wheatbelt with great success.

“The huts have two objectives – first to make sure growers understand the quality of their load before committing to drive long distances to deliver and secondly to fast track deliveries so growers don’t have to queue up and can go straight through, ” he said.

Growers at Amelup which is 100 kilometres north east of Albany couldn’t sing high enough praise for the CBH initiative which they have described as a handy tool.

Darren Moir said traditionally many Amelup growers carted straight to the Albany port terminal.

“It’s going to be very handy to know before you head 100 kilometres south what sort of quality you have got and if there are any issues or if you need to go to the cleaners rather than going to the port.

“We are very appreciative of CBH doing these things for us. They are trying to make it so we get the crop off quickly with the best quality and I think they are really working for the shareholders to make sure that happens.”

And Rob Hitsert, who had his first load checked last Thursday said growers travelling from Lake Grace to deliver Albany will also benefit by getting sampled so they can go straight through to unload.

Other huts were located at West Ogilvie; Valentine Road, Eradu; Mullewa; Scaddan; Wittenoom Hills and Beaumont.