An illustrative modular smart implement for precision agriculture includes a chassis having a hydraulic system, a control system, and articulating tool arms that are adapted to releasably receive one of a tool attachment for working a crop and/or field, including precision planting, cultivating, thinning, spraying, harvesting, and/or data collection. A toolbar fixed to the chassis receives and supports the articulating tools arms. An alignment member and side shift actuator provide movement of a portion of the tool arms along an axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the toolbar, and a lift actuator provide movement along a vertical axis.

A farming support system includes a position detector provided in one of a work vehicle and a rake implement attachable to the work vehicle, and a processor configured or programmed to obtain, based on information about the rake implement, a positional relationship between a reference point to be positioned by the position detector and a swath to be formed by the rake implement, in a local coordinate system that is defined for the work vehicle and the rake implement attached thereto. The processor is configured or programmed to generate swath position information indicating a position of the swath in a geographic coordinate system, based on information indicating a position of the reference point in the geographic coordinate system detected by the position detector during forming of the swath, and the positional relationship.

A method of controlling a mower implement includes sensing a separation distance between the mower implement and an adjacent windrow with an outboard distance sensor. The sensed separation distance is then compared to a defined separation target. The computing device indicates that a course of the mower implement is on-target when the separation distance is approximately equal to the defined separation target. The computing device indicates that the course of the mower implement is drifting in a first direction when the separation distance is less than the defined separation target and greater than zero. An offset distance is sensed between the mower implement and a standing crop edge. The computing device indicates that the course of the mower implement is drifting in a second direction when both the separation distance and the offset distance are substantially equal to zero.

Methods, systems 1 and devices such as robots 8, 9 for farming are disclosed. An autonomous monitoring robot is configured to traverse a farm plot and generate, from a sensor set of the monitoring robot, a farm plot data set. The farm plot data set is processed to generate operating instructions for a tending robot. The tending robot is arranged to execute the operating instructions so as to traverse the farm plot and performs tending tasks on it including such as seed-planting, weeding, and applying crop treatments such as fertiliser, fungicide, herbicide or pesticide.

A system for monitoring soil conditions within a field includes an agricultural implement including a frame and a ground-engaging tool coupled to the frame. The system further includes a first sensor coupled to the ground-engaging tool and configured to detect motion of the ground-engaging tool as the agricultural implement is moved across the field. The system additionally includes a second sensor separate from the first sensor. The second sensor is configured to detect an orientation of the ground-engaging tool relative to the frame as the agricultural implement is moved across the field. The system includes a controller communicatively coupled to the first and second sensors. The controller is configured to determine an indication of a soil condition at a given location within the field based at least in part on the detected motion and the detected orientation of the ground-engaging tool at the given location within the field.

The use of self-powered, autonomous vehicles in agricultural and other domestic applications is provided. The vehicles include a self-propelled drive system, tracks or wheels operatively connected to the drive system, a power supply operatively connected to the drive system, an attachment mechanism for attaching equipment to the vehicle, and an intelligent control operatively connected to the drive system, power supply, and attachment mechanism. The vehicle is configured to connect to the equipment to perform agricultural operations based upon the equipment. Multiple vehicles can be used in a field at the same time. Furthermore, the invention includes the ability to move one or more of the autonomous vehicles from field to field, home to field, or from generally any first location to a second location.

An agricultural system comprising a plough. The plough comprising: a plough body; a stone-trip-mechanism that is configured to be tripped when the plough body encounters a stone or other obstruction; and a trip-sensor configured to provide trip-data in response to the stone-trip-mechanism being tripped. The agricultural system also includes a location-determining-system associated with the plough, wherein the location-determining-system is configured to provide location-data that is representative of a location of the plough; and a controller. The controller is configured to: receive the trip-data; and store location-data provided by the location-determining-system as a trip-location based on the trip-data, wherein the trip-location is a location of the plough at the time that the stone-trip-mechanism is tripped.

Systems and method for coordinating movements of agricultural machines and irrigation systems on irrigated fields to avoid collisions and other interferences between the equipment may be implemented with a mobile irrigation system, a number of agricultural machines, and a processing system. The processing system receives and analyzes data from an irrigation schedule for the irrigation system and location data from the agricultural machines to detect possible interferences between the equipment and takes corrective action if likely interferences are detected.

A method for controlling an agricultural vehicle includes receiving, via a processor, a first signal from a user interface indicative of a value of at least one parameter. The method also includes determining, via the processor, a path of the agricultural vehicle toward a guidance swath based at least in part on the at least one parameter. In addition, the method includes outputting, via the processor, a second signal to a display of the user interface indicative of instructions to present a graphical representation of the path of the agricultural vehicle. Furthermore, the method includes controlling the agricultural vehicle, via the processor, based at least in part on the at least one parameter upon receiving at least a third signal from the user interface indicative of acceptance of the value of the at least one parameter.

A farming vehicle is configured to automatically raise and lower an implement for the farming vehicle. The farming vehicle may measure a duration to lower the implement during a calibration period or during the first time the farming vehicle lowers the implement to operate on a field. When entering the headland to turn around between rows, the farming vehicle may raise the implement after determining that the entire implement is located within the headland. Based on the determined amount of time to lower the implement, the farming vehicle may begin lowering the implement with sufficient time such that the implement is fully lowered just prior to exiting the headland and returning onto the field.