MARKING their milestone 100 years of marketing Western Australian grain to the world, CBH Group has published The Fourth Quarter: The Grain Journey Continues.
The book documents and celebrates the century of trading grain by CBH's marketing and trading division, which was formerly known as The Grain Pool of WA.
It was launched at the CBH head office in Perth this morning.
The Fourth Quarter: The Grain Journey Continues was by Peter E Ramshaw and Katja Lee and is the sequel to the popular The Grain Journey by Michael Zekulich.
A scanned reproduction of The Grain Journey, which documents the first 75 years of history of the The Grain Pool of WA, is also included in the new book.
Well worth a read, it is a journey of how WA grain has been traded through times of war, global financial crises and ever changing political and regulatory environments, as well as the development of new markets and production of a range of grains.
It follows a linear timeline and delves into the internal politics as well as greater factors such as the deregulation of the market in Australia.
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Peter Ramshaw was commissioned by CBH to write the most recent 25 years of history.
"As the book grew, so did my appreciation for the imagination, tenacity and foresight of everyone who has worked for The Grain Pool and CBH Marketing and Trading over the years," Mr Ramshaw said.
"It has morphed into an amazing story of success and forward thinking and celebrates how central this organisation is to WA agriculture."
Dr Lee was tasked with researching the book.
"I spent much of my time immersed in library archives - it was an exciting and absorbing treasure hunt," Dr Lee said.
"The debates, tragedies, personalities, weather patterns and even pests were the traces of a vibrant past."
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CBH's chief Marketing and Trading officer Jason Craig said the book captures the long and proud history of grain marketing in WA.
"This book captures and preserves the incredibly rich legacy of what is now CBH Marketing and Trading," Mr Craig said.
"It is a story that needs to be told - to celebrate the people who got us here, and to fully appreciate how we came to be Australia's largest grain exporter.