Building Resilient Supply Chains: Insights from CBH

One of the strengths of our ARE/ARRES seminar program is the opportunity to be regularly informed about our own wide range of research but also to hear directly from industry leaders about the challenges and opportunities shaping their sectors.

Recently, staff had the chance to do just that, with Richard Codling, Chief Legal, Risk and Governance Officer and Company Secretary at CBH, joining us to discuss “Strategic pathways for a grower cooperative: CBH's outlook on infrastructure, market dynamics, and business resilience.”

For those who don’t know, CBH has a fascinating history. From its modest beginnings in 1933 with just five trial sites, it has grown into Australia’s largest cooperative, operating across the entire grain value chain — fertiliser, storage, handling, transport, marketing, and processing. Today, CBH manages 100+ grain receival sites and four export port terminals, all working towards a single goal: sustainably creating and returning value to WA growers.

Richard’s seminar struck a great balance between informality and depth, guiding us through three key themes:

🔹 The Cooperative Advantage

Richard highlighted how CBH’s cooperative structure offers unique benefits in today’s privatised market, particularly in leveraging scale to keep costs low and maximise grower returns. A striking example was the comparison of storage and handling fees: on average, CBH charges $23 per tonne less than providers on the East Coast. At the same time, he was candid about the inherent challenges cooperatives face, especially in navigating regulation and competition.

🔹 Infrastructure Investment

A growing grain crop requires a supply chain capable of moving it efficiently. Richard underscored the enormous logistical planning behind CBH’s operations, from receival sites to port terminals. Long-term investment in rail, ports, and regional roads was identified as critical to ensuring WA grain remains globally competitive.

🔹 Risk Management

CBH, like the wider agricultural sector, faces significant external pressures. From tariffs and trade barriers to climate change, competition, regulation, and advances in seed genetics, the cooperative must continuously adapt. Richard outlined how CBH is managing these risks with forward-looking strategies to ensure resilience across the supply chain.

Richard Codling, Chief Legal, Risk and Governance Officer and Company Secretary at CBH delivers a seminar to UWA staff and students at CAED.

What really stood out was Richard’s ability to connect the big-picture challenges of global trade and climate volatility with the very practical realities of moving grain from paddock to port. His reflections were a reminder of how cooperative models can deliver real value to members, even in the face of disruption.

Sessions like these not only expand our understanding of industry practice but also spark ideas for collaboration and research. A big thank you to Richard for generously sharing his expertise — thanks also to Emma Scaife for inviting Richard and organising the seminar, and to everyone who came along to listen and engage on the topic.

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More information

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ARE/ARRES Seminar organisers

German Puga: german.puga@uwa.edu.au

Emma Scaife: emma.scaife@research.uwa.edu.au