Grain breaks all records

WA grain growers have delivered their biggest crop ever and grain is still being delivered.

On Tuesday, growers had delivered 14,698,741 tonnes, breaking the 2003-04 record of 14,695,321 tonnes.

Every zone across the grainbelt has exceeded delivery expectations and the pre-harvest forecast of 13.5 million tonnes.

CBH grain operations manager Max Johnson said the 2011-12 harvestcould go close to the “magical” 15 million tonne mark and may stretch until mid-February because of wet weather during harvest.

Daily delivery records have been broken at 57 receival sites and around 2000 harvest casuals were employed to help, twice the number employed last year.

During December, more than half a million man-hours were worked.

Another 100,000 tonnes is expected to be delivered to the Albany zone, 80,000 tonnes from Esperance and 50,000 to 100,000 tonnes to Kwinana.

In the Albany zone, manager Greg Thornton said harvest could run another two to three weeks for some farmers, but most, weather permitting, should be finished by the middle of next week.

He said while a few had crops to get off, plenty were carting grain from farm storages to CBH.

Those still harvesting are mainly around Ongerup, Borden, Cranbrook, Broomehill and Nyabing, while farmers in the south-west corner of the Kwinana zone, including Williams and Brookton, are still getting headers bogged.

On Tuesday Cranbrook had received 300,000 tonnes for the season, the highest amount of grain delivered to a receival point in Albany zone, other than the port.