Farmers spraying chemicals to kill weeds is a decades-old approach.
But what if you could add a new tool to your weed control toolbox to share the load and help reduce input costs?
One Saskatchewan farmer has taken this approach by using the Seed Terminator. The mechanical device destroys weed seeds and makes them unviable before they exit a combine’s spreader at harvest.
Read Also
Yield EyeQ camera system measures harvest loss at header
Harvest equipment manufacturer Geringhoff won a silver Innovation Award at Agritechnica for its Yield EyeQ camera system, meant to help farmers measure grain loss at harvest.
The Seed Terminator broke ground in Australia years ago, but it’s gaining some interest with farmers in Western Canada.
“We’ve been using it for what, six years or more,” said Josh Lade, who farms north of Saskatoon.
“We don’t have any issues with it, other than a little bit extra power required because we are running a multi-stage hammer mill and a little extra fuel.”
In an article on this site last year, Lade noted that the Seed Terminator has reduced spray costs on his farm. For example, he now has to spray canola only once — albeit at a higher rate —– rather than twice to keep weeds at bay.
Lade also noted that he’s seen bumps in cereal crop yields due to spraying less herbicide.
“We’re not often spraying for wild oats or grasses in our cereal crops, for example … because it can be quite expensive and it can also have quite a metabolizing effect since you’re trying to kill a grass weed in a grass crop,” said Lade.
While the idea of cost savings is likely to perk up the ears of most farmers — Lade estimates savings of about $20 per acre — for him, it isn’t just about the money.
Outside of the cost factor, it’s a reliance on a single-barrel approach to weed control that helped motivate him to use the Seed Terminator.
“I really now feel I take for granted the ability for us to use certain herbicides on our Canadian farm,” said Lade.
Lade’s comment stemmed from visiting a farm in Germany while attending last fall’s Agritechnica farm equipment show.
Herbicide legislation in Europe is especially onerous due to environmental and sustainability concerns.
The situation facing European farmers when it comes to weed control made him reflect on farming in Canada.
“We’re only certain policies away from maybe not being able to use some chemicals, and that’s exactly what has happened here in Europe,” said Lade.
“So I think we need to be looking at other sources of weed control tactics while we still have a lot of easy options.”
– With files from Mark Halsall
