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Harvest very slow

All CBH zones reported a very slow harvest week with poor weather conditions especially in more southern areas.

Even the Geraldton zone had light receivals of only 200,000 tonnes.

Richard Simonaitis, manager of CBH's Albany zone says only 40,000 tonnes was delivered last week bringing total receivals for the zone to 147,000 tonnes which is only five percent of the harvest estimate of 2.8 million tonnes.

Grain quality to date has been quite good with mainly canola and barley being delivered.

Richard says that the rain last week has caused some wheat to sprout and falling numbers machines will be installed at some receival points.

Avon catchment study

A three year study in the Avon Catchment has revealed new details about the chemical, physical and biological make up of their soils.

The study was over two hundred and sixty sites and involved more than eighty farmers from Greenhills, Beverley, Wickepin, Corrigin and Kellerberrin.

Dan Ferguson from the Avon Catchment Council told Karen Hunt farmers wanted to know more about their soils and what could be done to improve soil quality.

Flystrike problems reach abattoir

The Western Australian Meat Marketing Cooperative (WAMMCO) is urging lamb producers preparing lambs for slaughter to take special measures to identify and treat flystrike because of the unique warm, moist, early summer conditions.

Livestock manager for the Cooperative, Peter Krupa said up to twelve percent of one line of lambs delivered for processing at Katanning in the past two weeks had been affected by body and belly strike.

This resulted in lambs being either condemned and destroyed, or treated at grower cost in lairage.

WAMMCO is urging producers to ensure they closely inspect each lamb for flystrike before loading them for delivery to Katanning. They are also being asked to ensure that lambs treated with strike control chemicals comply with the export slaughter limits before they leave the property.

Byline; Owen Grieve