A system for monitoring seed placement within the ground during the performance of a planting operation includes a row unit including a furrow opening assembly configured to create a furrow in the soil and a furrow closing assembly configured to close the furrow after the seeds have been deposited therein. Particularly, the seeds are coated seeds that are coated with a coating having a coating dielectric property that is greater than a dielectric property of the seeds without the coating. The system further includes a seed placement sensor supported relative to the row unit and configured to generate data indicative of the coated seeds as planted underneath a surface of the soil. Additionally, the system includes a computing system configured to determine a seed placement parameter associated with the coated seeds underneath the surface of the soil based at least in part on the data generated by the seed placement sensor.

Systems and methods for automatically capturing visual data of a seed placed by a seed planting machine (e.g., a crop row planter). An electronic controller is configured to receive a signal indicative of a seed being dispensed by the seed planting machine and to trigger a camera to capture an image of the dispensed seed in response to a determination, based on the signal, that the seed has been dispensed by the seed planting machine. In some implementations, the system includes a seed sensor configured to detect a seed moving through a seed tube that dispensed seeds from the seed planting machine. In other implementations, the system is configured to detect a new seed being dispensed by the seed planting machine by analyzing image data captured by a camera.

A row unit for a seeding machine includes a frame supporting a gauge wheel and a seed meter. A depth stop assembly includes a stop setting an upward travel limit of the gauge wheel with respect to the frame, and a handle that is lockable and releasable to move the stop to select among seeding depths. A downforce actuator is operable to generate downforce to be applied through a gauge wheel arm and the gauge wheel to the soil. A downforce sensor is incorporated into the depth stop assembly and movable therewith. The depth stop assembly includes a multi-piece body having a first piece receiving the handle, and a second piece defining a pivot. The first piece of the multipiece body includes a handle-receiving receptacle portion, a fastening portion for fastening to the second body piece adjacent the pivot, and a portion therebetween forming a housing of the downforce sensor.

An agricultural tillage implement has a vertical tillage section and an aerating section behind the vertical tillage section, each extending substantially perpendicular to the pull direction of the implement. Individual vertical tillage elements, such as disc blades, can be indexed with individual rotary tine assemblies of the aerator section so that discrete holes formed by the aerator section are positioned between substantially continuous slits formed by the vertical tillage section. A ground deposit system deposits a component on the ground and may be configured for conducting and depositing a granular component, such as seeds, fertilizers, minerals or the like, or liquid components, such as liquid manure.

An apparatus (1) and method are disclosed for seeding soil. The apparatus (1) comprises a soil-sensing arrangement. The apparatus (1) comprises a seed-delivery mechanism. The soil-sensing arrangement comprises one or more soil-sensing elements. Each of the one or more soil-sensing elements is configured to sense one or more conditions of the soil. The one or more soil-sensing elements can take the form of one or more soil-sensing tines 19. In the method, material is delivered to a locally-optimised soil depth LOD. In the method, there is at least periodic sensing of one or more conditions of the soil, and at two or more depths at mutually differing proximities to the locally-optimised depth.

A tool assembly for a planter row unit resides at the forward end of the row unit beneath the tool bar. The assembly includes a bracket assembly connected to the row unit, with a ground engaging tool removably mounted on the bracket assembly for movement between raised and lowered positions. A linear actuator controls the position of the tool. The tool may also include a depth control mechanism. Different tools can be interchanged on the bracket assembly.

A system for measuring temperature and dielectric properties of soil and other semi-solid materials on-the-go uses a long-wearing non-ferrous wear plate with two metal prongs supported by the wear plate to measure dielectric properties. The metal prongs each have a mounting end soldered to a printed circuit board containing a capacitance sensor circuit. The metal prongs have exposed ends arranged to contact the semi-solid material being measured. The sensor circuit has an oscillation frequency of 50 to 100 MHz to allow rapid dielectric measurements to be made as the sensor moves through the semi-solid material. In one embodiment, the system includes an implement for traversing a field, a shank with a leading edge for opening a furrow in soil, and a spring-loaded mounting system for biasing the wear plate downwardly relative to a shank to maintain a consistent pressure of the wear plate and metal prongs against the soil.

A carrier adjustment assembly for coupling to a frame member of an implement includes a laterally adjustable carrier configured to be coupled to an opener and a first outlet providing at least one nutrient. The assembly further includes a plurality of lateral spacers positioned adjacent to the carrier to laterally adjust the carrier and provide a plurality of adjustment positions. The carrier adjustment assembly facilitates lateral adjustment of the carrier by removal of at least one captively held lateral spacer that sets the lateral adjustment of the carrier, a lateral adjustment of the first outlet, and an adjustment of a lateral separation between a seed row provided by a second outlet and a nutrient row provided by the first outlet.

A load sensing bracket for a disk opener assembly of an agricultural implement. The load sensing bracket includes a body having a cantilevered arm, the body is configured to engage with and secure to a portion of a depth setting arm of a disc opening assembly. The cantilevered arm has an upper end with an extending projection that is receivable in any one of plurality of notches of a fan shaped member thereby setting a position of the depth setting arm relative to the fan shaped member which sets a position of the gauge wheel relative to the disk. A sensor is disposed on the cantilevered arm generating a signal relating to strain in the cantilevered arm which corresponds to a down pressure on the gauge wheel.

A system for detecting plugging of an agricultural implement includes a frame member and a ground-engaging tool rotatably coupled to the frame member. The ground-engaging tool is configured to engage soil within a field as the agricultural implement is moved across the field. The system also includes a tool scraper positioned relative to the ground-engaging tool such that the tool scraper is configured to remove field materials from the tool as the tool engages the soil. Moreover, the system includes a sensor configured to detect a parameter indicative of a load on the tool scraper and a controller communicatively coupled to the sensor. The controller is configured to monitory the load on the tool scraper based on data received from the sensor and determine when the tool is experiencing a plugged condition based at least in part on the monitored load.