Seed Terminator
Sector: Agriculture / Advanced Manufacturing
Industry: Agricultural Machinery - Weed Seed Control Technology
About the business
Seed Terminator set out to solve a long-standing problem in farming: how to stop weed seeds returning to the soil at harvest, without relying solely on herbicides.
Farmers can spend all season controlling weeds, but the toughest often survive to harvest, where the harvester inadvertently collects and spreads them back across the farm, setting up next year’s problem.
Seed Terminator was developed to close that loop.
Rather than improving an existing approach, the company created an entirely new category, building machines that destroy weed seeds inside the harvester before they reach the ground.
From its base in Lonsdale, the business has grown into a global agricultural technology company, with its machines now running on harvesters around the world and systems built around patented processing technology refined over years of engineering, field testing and farmer feedback.
The journey
The idea behind Seed Terminator came from Dr Nick Berry, who grew up farming on Kangaroo Island before studying to become a mechanical engineer.
It emerged from his PhD research into weed seed control, as herbicide resistance was spreading across the world, and the need for a non-chemical answer was growing.
Seed Terminator began a small group of engineers working from the NVI at Flinders University in Tonsley, turning research into something farmers could actually use.
The next major step came in 2021, when the company established a 2,000m² manufacturing facility in Lonsdale, moving from early product development into structured manufacturing.
A company of builders and problem-solvers with a bias for getting things built, Seed Terminator scaled quickly from there.
Partnerships with major harvester manufacturers soon followed, and its machines spread beyond Australia, into North America and Europe.
Today, a decade on, more than 700 units have been commissioned worldwide, working across 5.9 million hectares of farmland and delivering over $306 million in farm-gate savings.
Why Onkaparinga?
Fittingly, Seed Terminator is based in a region with deep agricultural roots, known for advanced manufacturing, innovation and strong values around sustainability.
Lonsdale provides the infrastructure, skilled trades and manufacturing expertise needed to build agricultural machinery for global markets, alongside access to South Australia’s broader research ecosystem.
The business also invests back through an apprenticeship program in mechanical engineering trades, helping to build local capability.
But the fit runs deeper than practical advantage.
In a region whose prosperity has always been tied to the land, their environmental impact has been significant.
With up to 80% of weed seeds entering a harvester, and Seed Terminator’s proven ability to destroy up to 97% of those seeds, the technology helps farmers reduce seedbank return, manage herbicide resistance and protect their farming systems.
And the next chapter looks bright, with further international expansion and scaling to meet growing global demand.
“Our focus is on continuing to advance the technology, delivering strong outcomes for our customers, and building long-term adoption through education across Australia and key international markets.” Greg Stevens, General Manager, Seed Terminator