There is a certain satisfaction in a machine that gets taken back, rebuilt to exacting standards, and sent out to fight weeds all over again. For Lonsdale-based Seed Terminator, that is not an afterthought. It is a design philosophy.
Marking a decade of operation and more than 750 machines working paddocks across Australia and internationally, Seed Terminator has launched its REMAN program: a range of certified, warranted, pre-owned units rebuilt to current specification by the company’s own manufacturing team and, once installed, commissioned. It is the company’s answer to one of the most pressing questions in Australian grain farming right now: how do you justify machinery investment when every dollar needs to work harder than ever?
The pressure on Australian farmers is unlike anything in recent memory. Diesel, urea and costs have all moved hard at once. Australian farmers are among the most self-reliant in the world, but this level of uncertainty is in a category of its own.
Nick Berry is getting a much clearer picture of what growers are up against right now. As a farmer on Kangaroo Island himself, and in the first year of taking over the reins on the family farm, he says getting his hands dirty has made the pressure feel much more immediate.
“We can see the results of where the Seed Terminator has been on our own farm,” he says. “The evidence is right there. But I understand why any capital commitment feels far from front of mind right now. Markets, urea, fuel — it’s a lot. The REMAN program exists because farmers still need access to this technology.”
For Geraldton grower Ben Cripps, that practicality is exactly the point.
“It’s a good way to get value in this space,” Mr Cripps says. “When you’re making that jump to a second header, you are already spending big dollars on the machine. A REMAN unit at $80,000 makes it much easier to set that second header up properly and not compromise on weed control.”
Farmers already know it in their gut: it makes no sense to spend all season trying to control weeds, only to spread the toughest survivors back across the paddock at harvest. The harvester is not neutral. It is either part of the weed control program or the head of weed distribution, spreading next year's problem.
That is why harvest weed seed control has remained such an important part of integrated weed management, particularly in Western Australia, where growers have been refining these systems for decades.
Mr Cripps has been using HWSC since 2014.
“We started with chaff carts, then went to chaff decks,” he says. “They were good, but they mostly held numbers where they were. They didn’t drive the weed numbers down. Mills are a different story; done and dusted.”
“For me it just makes sense. When I look at the farming calendar, cultivation, herbicides and harvest weed seed control are all just different opportunities to take out weeds.”
“We’re now at the point where herbicide costs across the wheat program have come back by about 20 per cent. We’ve got green-on-green cameras now, but that wouldn’t work without the Terminator. The Terminator cleans up what gets missed.”
GRDC-backed research has shown that harvest weed seed control remains profitable over the long term, even when annual ryegrass seed capture is relatively modest (>30%), provided costs stay under control (<$34/ha). That matters in an era where weed management already absorbs a major share of the cropping budget, and herbicide resistance continues to tighten the screws.
Running at around $20 a hectare, Seed Terminator sits well within that economic threshold. For farmers already carrying weed pressure or resistance, the justification is stronger again.
The REMAN program is designed to remove one of the biggest remaining barriers: cost.
“The REMAN program is our way of meeting farmers where they are,” says Seed Terminator Head of Distribution Tom Slatyer. “Not every operation is ready for a new machine, and we understand that. A lot of farmers are also running a second header with decent hours on the clock. They don’t want to put a brand new Terminator on it, but they can’t bear to keep spreading weeds with it either. That’s exactly who REMAN is for.”
These are not second-hand machines in the usual sense. They are proven field units, stripped, sandblasted, repainted and rebuilt to current spec with brand new belts, latest-generation AeroIMPACT technology, new final drives, magnet trays and updated software. Every REMAN unit leaves the factory backed by a two-year manufacturer's warranty on non-wear components.
That confidence comes from a deliberate engineering philosophy. After a mechanically troubled first prototype season in 2016, Dr Berry made a decision that has defined every machine since: over-engineer it.
“After that first year, I decided we would always over-engineer the product,” he says. “These machines are built to last.”
He says the mechanical concept has stood the test of time. The horizontal mills were designed to spread residue properly without disrupting cleaning shoe airflow, while the drive system was engineered to isolate shock loads and keep the gearbox running cooler and more efficiently without wasting power on a cooling system.
“We’ve made a lot of reliability improvements over the journey, but the DNA of the original design is still front and centre with every Seed Terminator sold,” Dr Berry says.
That confidence is something growers notice.
“I was really happy with how ours performed last year,” Mr Cripps says. “It worked well, and the backup has been excellent. We had an issue, and the Seed Terminator service techs were on it straight away. They didn’t mess around. That kind of warranty and support gives you real confidence.”
Initially available on Origin units to suit John Deere S-series (670, 680, 690, 770, 780 & 790), Case IH Flagship (8120, 9120, 7230, 8230, 9230, 7240, 8240, 9240, 7250, 8250, 9250) and New Holland CR Dot series (8.90, 9.90 & 10.90), REMAN opens the door for growers who have been watching the technology for years and waiting for the right moment.
The fight against herbicide resistance is not won in a single season. It is won harvest by harvest, paddock by paddock, by farmers thinking about the next decade, not just the next crop.
“To every farmer who has supported us, thank you,” says Dr Berry. “You helped us build something that genuinely works. The REMAN program means that work can keep going, in more paddocks, for more farmers. We don’t change the world. But our farmers do.”
The REMAN range is available now in limited numbers. For specifications, pricing, and to register interest, Register Interest here or contact the team directly enquiries@seedterminator.com.au