SA farmer and engineer creates farm machinery to destroy weed seeds during harvest

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Australian crop farmers spend around $3.3 billion annually managing weeds, and herbicide resistance is becoming a growing problem. But one SA farming family’s invention is helping to make some of the countries worst weeds a problem of the past.

Transcript

00:00While weeds are a pain in our backyards, on farms they're a nightmare.

00:08An arsenal of chemicals, insects and even controlled burns can help, but some of the

00:13most pervasive weeds have become resistant to herbicides.

00:17The herbicide resistance of weeds is a well known fact, but there's nothing resistant

00:23to Australian steel.

00:24Kangaroo Island farmer and engineer Dr Nick Berry set his mind to creating a different

00:30solution, a weed-destroying machine.

00:33It sits at the back of the harvester, killing annual ryegrass, wild radish, wild oats and

00:39broomgrass seeds.

00:41We direct all of the chaff and the weed seeds into those shoots, put it through the seed

00:45terminator and smash the bejesus out of it and spread it back on the soil.

00:49Researchers say the innovative technology has an added benefit of protecting farmland.

00:54We've had other practices where farmers have burnt their weed seeds and straw and of course

01:01what that does is it leaves the soil bare and you've got opportunities then for erosion

01:07over the summer time.

01:08The family business has received a $3.1 million grant from the federal government to export

01:14into European and North American markets.

01:17Manufacturing creates secure, well-paying jobs.

01:21That's why we're backing it.

01:22It's important that Australia is a country that makes things.

01:25Mr Ashenden says it's been rewarding to see their product help the farming community.

01:30They are saving time, they are saving money and they're leaving their land in a better

01:33place than what it was before.

01:35The seed of an idea now going global.

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