[February 2022]
After the biggest harvest on record, West Australian farmers should be congratulated on their work to make the best of the season, with 22 million tonnes delivered. Now, onto making the best of the 2022 season with record high input costs, is now the time to add a Seed Terminator to your weed control toolbox?
Agriculture in Western Australia is enjoying a rapid growth trajectory based on ever-increasing demand for food. Western Australian farmers have always been known for their ability to diversify and innovate based on upstream and downstream forces. Facing an ever-increasing demand for food; innovations like Seed Terminator are critical in capturing every marginal efficiency available.
For North American and European manufacturers Australia, particularly Western Australia, is viewed as a global breaking ground for new tech. Tom Slatyer, new commercial manager for Seed Terminator shares “that’s one thing that drew me to Seed Terminator, they are reversing the flow. It’s homegrown aussie innovation, taking disruptive technology to the world and transforming how growers everywhere manage weeds.”
“I’m proud to be a part of that narrative and I feel it’s just the beginning.”
Growing up in the southwest, Slatyer was lucky enough to enjoy the lifestyle of a close-knit regional community and cultivated a lifetime passion for working in ag with a focus on broad-acre dry-land cropping. With experience across the board in agriculture, he started with a placement in a Wongan Hills dealership which led onto a Territory manager position with Hardi Australia. More recently, working in grain marketing, he gained valuable insights from the opposite side of the ledger, “I’m so grateful for the skills and experiences that WA Ag has rewarded me.”
Slatyer shares he “is looking forward to helping growers make the right investment when entering the HWSC space. A mill isn't just a mill - Seed Terminator are the innovators in the market.”
“Recent benchmark studies completed in 2021 confirm the highest kill at 99% on Australian Ryegrass, certifying their ability to deliver the market leading kill rate, it’s a brand that you can trust.”
Seed Mill Benchmark Testing
“I’d hate to see growers burning extra time and diesel during harvest for a subpar result, there’s too much at stake.”
Local farmer David Hesford invested in the technology for his family operation near Northam, purchasing the unit through CLAAS Harvest Centre Northam branch. When asked why he chose a Seed Terminator over other options on the market, David said he “likes to buy Australian owned wherever possible” and shared that in combination with the quality of the product, long lasting mill components and ease of use, it was an easy decision.
He shares other farmers' concerns about weed control in the future, with concerns that there may be bans on burning and restrictions on chemical applications, “it's just another tool in the kit, we really need to get on top of weeds now. This is the time.”
Alongside Product Specialist Brett Asphar, Tom looks forward to further entrenching Seed Terminator’s presence in Western Australia. A new facility in Canning Vale will bolster the companies ability to deliver class leading support to all stakeholders, and provide a base of operations that will facilitate dealer training and grower days. While so many providers have pulled out of WA to consolidate over east Slatyer shares “I view this investment as a strong statement to our commitment to WA.” He states “as we scale up there will be scope to increase our technical support network in WA. For those with relevant industry experience and interest in working with a passionate team who value work-life balance, and support personal and professional growth, we want to hear from you.”
Brett Asphar, Seed Terminator integration expert shared that this was a challenging harvest. With crop bulk, density and material quality, leading to high sieve and mill loadings across all brands. Not to mention green material, which is traditionally not present across the wheat belt “we learned so much about harvester optimisation in big crops, last years modifications saw a performance gain in this years harvest, every little bit was worth it.” Big thanks to our dealer network, for their continued support, this was our 6th harvest in Western Australia.
For those who have already invested in Seed Terminators, farmers can expect a parcel in the post at the end of February with the team seeking feedback on the harvest that was. Marketing Manager Kelly Ingram, based out of the Kangaroo Island office shares “the harvest feedback we gather from farmers using the product is critical to our research and development, we’re constantly learning, year on year, since we started in 2016.”
The Seed Terminator can be fitted to select CLAAS and Massey Ferguson models, New Holland CR models, all flagship Case IH models and all John Deere S series machines. To secure a Seed Terminator under the Early Order Program, get in before 28th February 2022 to ensure pre 30 June delivery and to take advantage of tax savings.
Featured in Farm Weekly February 2022