Harvest presents major test for supply chain

This rings especially true for the grain industry at harvest time. Grain is the result of an entire year's work, and croppers cannot afford any delays in the supply chain.

With the weather always throwing a few curveballs at harvest time, for most growers, the top priority is to keep the header going for as many hours of the day as possible.

For those delivering into the bulk handling network, the last thing they want is to have to stop the header when every on-farm silo, field bin, chaser bin and mother bin is full to the brim, and they either can't get a truck to take a load that day, or their truckie is held up in a long line at the silo.

While trucking companies play an integral role in getting agricultural produce from the farmgate to consumers' plates all year round, few sectors have more of a seasonal surge in demand than the grain industry.

A report into the trucking industry's future is cause for concern, not just because of the average age of the workforce, but also because it signalled issues with the availability of skilled drivers in the next 12 months.

With the rail network being used to transport less grain in recent years, trucks are also playing an ever-increasing role in shifting grain from upcountry silos to port facilities.

Related reading: Silo closures increase pressure on larger sites

Although this year's harvest won't be a record-breaker here in SA, it does present a test for Viterra's scaled-back network of silos across the state, with 29 sites having closed in the past two years.

The pressure to ensure receivals run smoothly will be especially high at key sites like Port Lincoln, Roseworthy and Tailem Bend, and with each of these three sites setting daily receival records this season, things appear to be running reasonably well.

While it is still a long way off opening for grain deliveries, the multi-commodity port project at Cape Hardy was back in the news this week, unveiling a new name - Portalis - and announcing Rob Kerin as chairperson of stage one of the development.

Mr Kerin faces a balancing act to fit the new role into his already impressive list of positions held - including Primary Producers SA executive chair, Regional Development SA chair, and SA Football Commission chair.

But if anyone has experience in how to successfully keep so many balls in the air at once, it has to be a former Premier.