The disclosure relates to agricultural planter and associated devices and systems. In various implementations, the planter includes a toolbar and at least one row unit. Each row unit may include at least one parallel bar and a sensor fixedly attached to the toolbar and rotatably fixed to the at least one parallel bar. The sensor is configured to measure the movement of the at least one row unit relative to the toolbar. This detected movement of the row unit is indicative of row unit position that may be used by a monitoring system to evaluate various parameters and situations during high speed planting.

A row unit downforce system including: a downforce actuator in operational communication with the row unit and constructed and arranged to apply supplemental downforce to the row unit and opening disks; a monitoring system comprising at least one furrow depth sensor constructed and arranged to generate furrow depth values; and a control system module, wherein the control system module is constructed and arranged to generate actuator command signals in response to the furrow depth values.

A trench closing sensor adapted to mount to an agricultural implement to detect whether a seed trench is sufficiently closed with soil to ensure good seed to soil contact. The trench closing sensor may also detect the amount of compaction of the soil over the seed within the seed trench. The trench closing sensor may be in the form of a seed firmer from which a drag wire extends. As the open seed trench and drag wire are covered with soil, instrumentation measures or detects whether the seed trench is being adequately closed with soil by measuring the amount of force required to pull the wire through the soil or by measuring the amount of strain, pulling force or tension in the wire or by measuring the amount of soil pressure acting on the wire. The trench closing sensor may include other sensors for detecting soil characteristics.

A row unit for a seeding machine includes a depth sensor coupled to the frame. The depth sensor is configured to generate signals corresponding to a depth of a furrow. The row unit also includes a controller configured to receive the signals, and a downforce adjustment mechanism coupled to the frame and to the controller. The controller is configured to activate the downforce adjustment mechanism to adjust a downforce on the frame based on the signals received by the controller.

A seeding system includes a commodity tank configured to store a commodity, the commodity tank having an outlet. A meter has a meter inlet at the outlet of the commodity tank, a meter outlet, and a metering device between the meter inlet and the meter outlet. A manifold has a commodity inlet at the meter outlet, a first shoot having a first air inlet and a first manifold outlet, and a second shoot having a second air inlet and a second manifold outlet. A valve is positioned upstream of the first and second air inlets and configured to selectively direct an airflow to the first air inlet and to selectively direct the airflow to the second air inlet. Each of the first shoot and the second shoot are in selective communication with the commodity inlet to receive the commodity therefrom.

In one aspect, a system for controlling the operation of rotating ground-engaging components of an agricultural implement may include a rotating ground-engaging component configured to rotate relative to soil within a field as the agricultural implement is moved across the field. The system may also include a rotational speed sensor configured to capture data indicative of a rotational speed of the ground-engaging component. A controller of the system may be configured to monitor a first-order derivative of the rotational speed of the ground-engaging component based on data received from the rotational speed sensor. Moreover, the controller may be configured to determine when a frequency of the monitored first-order derivative falls outside of a predetermined frequency range. Additionally, the controller may be configured to initiate an adjustment of an operating parameter of the ground-engaging component to return the frequency of the first-order derivative to within the predetermined frequency range.

A closing wheel assembly is provided for a row unit agricultural planter. The planter is configured to open a trench in the soil and the closing wheel assembly is configured to close the trench.

The disclosed devices, systems and methods relate to agricultural planters, particularly to a two-stage closing system for a planter row unit. In some implementations, the row unit includes a soil engaging member, where the soil engaging member engages at least one sidewall of a trench and displaces soil from the sidewall to cover the seed. In further implementations, the row unit includes a sensing system for sensing sidewall compaction and/or soil moisture.

A working element is mounted on an agricultural machine having a deformable connecting structure including upper arms and lower arms. The connecting structure includes a system for adjusting the down-pressure having a movable mechanism and a reference member. The mechanism includes a lever and a resilient member that are articulated about a first axis. The mechanism allows an engaged state in which it is held against the reference member in a working position, subjecting the working element to a down-pressure, and an adjusting state in which it is movable about a lower axis with respect to the reference member. The mechanism includes a second axis about which the lever is pivotable in an intermediate state.

A method of controlling the downpressure on an air seeder that has a plurality of seed assemblies and a plurality of fertilizer assemblies each applying an adjustable downforce, wherein the method includes keeping a total downforce applied by all of the plurality of seed assemblies and all of the plurality of fertilizer assemblies less than a maximum downforce. The method may also include keeping the downforce applied by each of the fertilizer assemblies less than the downforce applied by each of the seed assemblies.