CBH has deployed more than 80 Falling Number machines to its receival sites in the regions most affected by unseasonal heavy rain and storms since the start of harvest. More than 100 machines will be in use by the peak of the harvest.
Under the official Grains Industry of Western Australia Wheat Receival Standards and the Grain Trade Australia standards used in Eastern Australia, any load in which sprouted grain is detected is classified as feed grade unless a Falling Number result is available to override the sprouted grain result.
Through the use of Falling Number machines, CBH is able to upgrade loads with sprouted grain from feed to general purpose or even into milling grades such as APW and H2.
CBH General Manager Operations Colin Tutt said load-by-load testing ensures the highest possible classification as the Falling Number result over-rides the visual presence of sprouted grains. It is the only mechanism that allows potential feed to be upgraded to higher value milling grades.
“So far, CBH has tested 3,500 individual loads with an estimated value uplift of A$7.5 million,” Tutt said. “Given we are only 10% of the way through the expected harvest, the value of having this service available to growers is very clear.”
Tutt said the Falling Number testing takes between 5 to 10 minutes per load.
“While the extra time can be frustrating at busy receival sites, we ask growers to be patient because it’s likely to be worth the wait. It can be the difference between a Feed or higher grade classification,” he said. “Our Falling Number machines are here to create value for our growers and that is exactly what they will be doing this harvest. Our aim is to not have to downgrade any load to feed based on visual sprouted alone. However, this will be increasingly difficult as seasonal conditions deteriorate in a number of areas across the state.”
