Dear Grower.
Since 1933 the collective unity of Western Australian grain growers has transformed CBH from humble beginnings into being the leading grain handler and marketer in Australia.
To keep this momentum going your board and I have conversed with many growers, PGA, WAFarmers and WA Grains Group over the past few weeks about Paddock Planner and the CDF (Carters Delivery Form) app.
Your board is absolutely passionate and determined to make CBH work solely for you and your community's benefit - some of us have been driving this objective since 2000 when growers voted to keep CBH working solely for them and their community and again in 2016 when this was reinforced by members.
I want to take this opportunity to make it very clear the value we are seeking to drive for your business and the protections we already have in place to provide you with a modern, safe and easy to use grain handling system from paddock to port, using the Paddock Planner and CDF app.
These platforms allow growers to work collectively with CBH to deliver grain from your paddock to the customer in the most efficient way possible.
Accurate information allows for accurate planning and Paddock Planner will provide the right level of detail to drive operational efficiency.
Below are some of the benefits generated by the Paddock Planner combined with the CDF app.
p Provides you with more accurate segregations at your preferred sites with planning information to minimise carting grain backwards against freight rates and using least cost pathways to port.
p Makes the delivery process for you, or your transporter, easier at harvest with your paddocks pre-filled into the CDF app.
All you need to do is select the paddock from a scroll down list on your mobile app, deliver the load and return back to the paddock for the next load and all the recording is done automatically for you.
It is that easy.
p Provides reliable information to ensure growth in CBH storage is targeted in the right areas to increase performance and reflect changes in your cropping enterprise.
p Allows CBH to more accurately understand the true cost of the grower transport leg of your paddock to port costs and factor this into future decision making.
p Provides you with opening hours and site availability that better reflects the local harvest, as CBH will be able to monitor in real time harvest progress, making adjustments on site to make it easier for growers delivering.
p Ensures segregations remain open if there is more grain to come in from the surrounding area.
p It will ultimately reduce your cycle times as we can focus on the bottlenecks within sites, speeding up your deliveries and services.
p For those back at the farm you will know when your truck arrives or leaves the CBH site and see in real time the sampling results enabling any harvesting adjustments to be implemented sooner.
Most importantly, getting grain into the right sites at harvest - by having segregations available, adequate storage capacity, staff, opening days and hours better matched to your business - will allow CBH to operate a more efficient network so we can further reduce your costs.
This is our number one objective along with making it easier for growers and truckies to deliver.
I have spoken to many growers and industry representatives about trusting where your data goes and how it is used, and this is a very important conversation to have.
As growers have traditionally been rapid adopters of technology, CBH acknowledges we may have overestimated how quickly and comfortable growers would feel in adopting this innovation without understanding the full benefits, and justifiably so.
Your board are growers, so think the same as you.
We are very protective of grower's data, we go to great lengths in engaging external expertise regularly to make certain that our systems and processes are best practice and are as secure as they can possibly be.
Our privacy policy has been in place for many years, well before it was required by legislation and is on the CBH website for all to see.
Visit the website cbh.com.au/utility/footer/ footer-items/privacy-policy.
Refer to the section stated Collection Statements and When does CBH disclose personal information?
The Paddock Planner Collection Statement provided on LoadNet reads, "The estimates you provide to CBH are used to help us plan and deliver better services to you and understand the scale, location and commodities grown in a harvest.
"We do not share your individual estimates with any marketer, including CBH's Marketing and Trading division, except where you have provided permission to do so".
CBH must continue to evolve, innovate and find ongoing efficiencies - all growers demand this of us as co-operative members.
We have unfortunately lost market share in many countries to international competition coming mostly from the Black Sea and other low cost competitors.
We must all constantly ask ourselves "how can we do it better?"
Your board and I cannot emphasise enough just how valuable and easy to use the Paddock Planner and CDF app will be to your business once you have it in place.
Should you have any concerns at all please contact your directors.
If you would like support in setting up Paddock Planner please contact the Grower Service Centre on 1800 199 083.
If you have already submitted your estimates through Paddock Planner, the board and I thank you.
Your board and I truly believe the strength of our collective success will always depend on working together and we are firmly committed to working with you.
I trust the season goes well for you.