MANY growers view harvester-integrated weed seed control technology as the ultimate step in further improving their harvest weed seed control (HWSC).
But in various cases the investment has been a bridge too far.
That equation changed with the introduction of the vertical, mechanical Harrington Seed Destructor, reducing upfront capital costs by almost 50 per cent from its hydraulic predecessor.
Over the next five weeks, growers have the opportunity to take advantage of the Federal government's $150,000 instant asset write-off (IAWO) until June 30.
The Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative (AHRI) has developed an interactive model with estimated costings to help guide growers' investment in the technology.
The model has consistently shown that the Harrington Seed Destructor is one of the most cost-effective, mechanical weed control options during harvest.
This is based on the system's starting price of $85,000 plus GST ($93,500 plus GST including fitment), however, through the IAWO until June 30, growers can now own a Seed Destructor for less (after tax deductions).
While AHRI previously provided cost estimates for HWSC in cereal crops based on average yield and crop area, the latest interactive model allows growers to input their own details to help provide the best estimates.
Producers can access the model to help estimate their costs by visiting ahri.uwa.edu.au/whats-the-cost-of-hwsc-for-you/
In addition to WA, the Harrington Seed Destructor also is proving increasingly popular with growers throughout Australia.
Justin Smorti, branch manager with Ramsey Bros, Riverton, South Australia's Mid North region, said the latest vertical, mechanical-drive design of the Seed Destructor was one of its strongest features.
He said it was excellent to be able to control weed seeds while harvesting and it eliminated the need for labour-intensive strategies such as windrow burning.
"There are plenty of keen eyes out there now looking at the results of the systems,'' Mr Smorti said.
"One grower with an 8000 hectare program who installed a Seed Destructor on one of his harvesters last year is already considering a second one.''
To maximise mill capacity, the Harrington Seed Destructor is designed to operate at 3000rpm, with independent testing confirming it destroys up to 99 per cent of targeted weed species at various harvester speeds.
Mr Smorti said the lower cost of the latest system was a bonus.
"Definitely in relation to the high seed kill rate numbers, the cost is the lowest we see of all available products,'' he said.
He said a rear hatch with the vertical design allowed easy grain loss checks and a chute to be installed for chaff windrowing, while a stone trap was another great feature.
"With other systems, objects can go into the mills, but with the Seed Destructor they fall into the stone trap,'' Mr Smorti said.
"You can see anything that would have otherwise gone through the mills.''
New South Wales continuous cropper Sandy Day, who farms in the Riverina region near Lockhart, said the simple, robust design of the Harrington Seed Destructor immediately impressed his family.
"We knew it had been tested for years, which gives you confidence and it just seemed that the Harrington mills had a lot better capacity," Mr Day said.
"The size of the throat, as I call it, where the material goes down into the mill, is huge.
"It's extremely user-friendly, requiring very little maintenance.
"We probably over-check it compared with what's needed.
"Each day it's a bit of greasing and keeping an eye on the bearings and that's it - 90pc of the time you forget it's on there.''
Mr Day said the rear hatch, allowing easy checking of grain losses and stone trap to catch any foreign objects coming through the mills, were particularly valuable.
"Another reason why we chose it was the stone trap, which was a huge thing,'' he said.
"Being able to do some calibration by checking the grain losses quickly was also a big plus.''
The Harrington Seed Destructors are in limited supply Australia-wide and growers have been encouraged to lock-in their "build slot'' to upgrade their harvesters with the machines at the earliest opportunity for the 2020 harvest.
Invented by WA grower Ray Harrington, the Harrington Seed Destructor is designed and manufactured by de Bruin Engineering and distributed nationally by McIntosh Distribution.
The core mill technology was developed by UniSA with funding and support from GRDC.
The latest system can be fitted to later model John Deere (S670, 680, 690 and S770, 780 and 790), Case IH (7230, 7240, 7250, 8230, 8240, 8250, 9230, 9240 and 9250), New Holland (9080, 9070, 8090, 9090, 8.90, 9.90 and 10.90) and CLAAS harvesters (770 and 780 fitted with Mercedes-Benz engines).
Growers interested in further information about the latest Harrington Seed Destructor and locking-in early orders for next harvest can contact their local McIntosh & Son dealer.
