A system for sensing characteristics of a trench in a soil surface during planting operations. A trench opening assembly opens a trench in the soil surface as the trench opening assembly moves in a forward direction of travel. A trench closing assembly disposed rearward of the trench opening assembly closes the opened trench with soil. One or more sensors may be disposed on an appurtenance disposed in said trench configured to provide characteristics of an area of the open trench or an area of the trench closed with soil by the trench closing assembly or a sensor may be disposed outside of said trench configured to provide characteristics of an area of the trench closed with soil or a combination of the sensors may be disposed in the trench and outside of the trench.

System for adjusting the depth of a trench opened by a row unit (10) of an agricultural planter. The row unit (10) includes a trench depth adjustment assembly (90R) configured to modify the trench depth. The trench depth adjustment assembly (90R) includes a depth adjustment body (3044) pivotally connected via a pivot (92) to a frame member (14) of the row unit (10). An electric motor (3030) is operable to cause rotation of a shaft (3034) operably coupled with the depth adjustment body (3044), whereby rotation of the shaft (3034) causes the depth adjustment body (3044) to pivotally move about the pivot (92) thereby changing a position of contact of the depth adjustment body (3044) with a gauge wheel arm (54), thus changing the amount of upward travel of the gauge wheel (50) with respect to a trench opening disc (62) and thus the depth of the trench.

A harvesting and sowing integrated compound operation machine, including a combine harvester, a stubble cleaning device, a topsoil loosening device, a fertilization device, a rotary tillage and ditching device, a sowing device, a detection device, a first driving device, a second driving device and a control device, wherein the stubble cleaning device is mounted below a header of the combine harvester; and the topsoil loosening device, the fertilization device, the rotary tillage and ditching device and the sowing device are mounted at a rear of a chassis of the combine harvester.

Air seeders that have force actuators acting on the firming implement and/or the closing wheel to adjust the downforce. In one example, the seeding implement includes a support arm having first and second portions. A finning implement support arm is pivotally connected to the support arm second portion at a first pivot at a first end of the finning implement support arm. A firming implement force actuator is pivotally connected to the support arm second portion at a first end of the firming implement force actuator and connected to the firming implement support arm at the second end of the firming implement force actuator.

An agricultural planter is operable in a travel direction and a travel velocity and configured to dispense seeds into a furrow formed within an agricultural surface. An adjustment assembly is for the agricultural planter and includes a bracket configured to be coupled to a frame of the agricultural planter and a debris cleaner coupled to the bracket. The debris cleaner is configured such that during operation of the agricultural planter the debris cleaner has, relative to the travel direction, a leading edge and a trailing edge. The debris cleaner is movable such that a distance between the leading and trailing edges in the travel direction is adjustable.

A closing wheel system for a seeder unit comprising a pair of closing wheels, each closing wheel comprising a coil member having a first end and a second end and a plurality of coil windings extending therebetween. The system comprising a base plate having a first surface and a second surface to which the second end of the coil member may extend around a periphery of the base plate. The system comprising an axle member extending through the base plate and having a free end extending from the base plate for engagement with the support arm, and a pair of wedge washer members mounted on the free end. The wedge washer members may engage with the support arm such that the wedge washers members engage with the support arm such that the axle member is caused to extend downward to orientate the closing wheels with respect to the support arm.

A ground-engaging component disposed at least partially within a planting trench formed by a planter row unit in a soil surface. The ground engaging component is capable of pivoting laterally side-to-side about a pivot axis as the ground engaging component advances in a forward direction of travel. The ground engaging component may include at least one wing extending laterally outward to form a side trench in a sidewall of the planting trench as the planter row unit advances in the forward direction of travel. The at least one wing may include a fluid outlet in fluid communication with a fluid source to deposit fluid into the side trench.

A row unit includes a blade and a packer arm pivotally coupled to a packer support structure. The row unit also includes a packer wheel rotatably coupled to the packer arm, and configured to rotate across a soil surface to limit a penetration depth of the blade into the soil. The row unit further includes an actuator having a first portion rotatably coupled to the packer arm and a second portion rotatably coupled to the packer support structure, wherein the penetration depth of the blade is controlled by extending and contracting the actuator.

A hinge for a gauge wheel arm for movably swinging the gauge wheel away from the agricultural equipment, such as an agricultural planter, is disclosed. The hinge is located along the length of the gauge wheel arm for rotating the gauge wheel away from the agricultural equipment to expose an inner surface of the gauge wheel and an interior portion of the agricultural equipment. The gauge wheel arm rotates about an angle of rotation formed by the hinge and permitting rotation between 0 and 180 degrees. The gauge wheel arm may also include a lock bolt for preventing rotation of the gauge wheel when desired.

Described herein are implements and application units for placement of fluid applications with respect to agricultural plants of agricultural fields. In one embodiment, an application unit includes a frame to be positioned in operation between two rows of plants and a plurality of flexible members coupled to the frame in operation such that the plurality of flexible members guide a lateral position of the frame to be approximately equidistant from the two rows of plants based upon whether at least one flexible member of the plurality of flexible members contacts one or more plants of the two rows of plants. The plurality of flexible members include a plurality of fluid outlets for spraying crop input in close proximity to the rows of plants.