Meters for fertilizers, small seeds, and chemicals include a housing defining a loading chamber, a rotatable metering disk provided with a receiving surface and a discharge surface, the disk including metering orifices; a ring including a discharge opening, and an insulating barrier arranged in the interior of the housing, the insulation barrier forming an insulating chamber on the rotatable disk and defining an inlet region of the disk and an output region of the disk; a metering bulkhead associated with the insulating barrier in the inlet region of the rotating disk with metering orifices loaded, the metering bulkhead being arranged on the rotatable metering disk so that a lower portion of the metering bulkhead is coplanar to the receiving surface of the rotatable disk.

A device for distributing bulk material, such as seed material, includes a flow path having at least one conduit for conveying the bulk material from a bulk material source towards an agricultural area, and a blockage detection device in the flow path. The blockage detection device includes at least one sensor, which is mounted to the outside of the line and is configured to register mechanical vibrations of the line, as well as an evaluation unit in signal communication with the sensor, which is configured to detect a blockage as a function of the registered mechanical vibration. A method for detecting a blockage includes a sensor that identifies blockage as a function of the detected mechanical vibration.

An agricultural system that includes a planter frame. A track and/or wheel couple to and support the planter frame. A first row unit bracket couples to the planter frame. A first offset bracket couples to the first row unit bracket. A first row unit couples to the first offset bracket. The first offset bracket offsets the first row unit from a path of the track and/or wheel.

The disclosed pneumatic seed meters for small seeds and fine grains may include a rotational disk with a plurality of radially disposed holes. The holes may define a seed path when the rotational disk rotates. The seed meters may also include a sealing structure that is positioned and configured to inhibit seed leakage from the seed meter. The sealing structure may define a seed containment chamber. Various other related methods, systems, and devices are also disclosed.

An agricultural planting machine includes a seed meter configured to meter seed, a transport mechanism configured to transport the seed to a discharge location, and a loader assembly. The loader assembly includes an element having an actuating surface, a hub configured to rotate relative to the actuating surface, and a compartment supported on the hub and configured to receive the seed from the seed meter and to eject the seed into the transport mechanism, the compartment comprising first and second movable elements that are movably coupled to the hub and configured to engage the actuating surface and move relative to the hub based on rotation of the hub relative to the actuating surface.

In one aspect, a calibration method for a seed meter may include controlling an operation of a singulator to apply an initial aggressiveness setting for the singulator. The method may further include controlling the seed meter to rotate a seed transport member of the seed meter relative to a seed chamber of the seed meter containing a plurality of seeds. The method may additionally include performing a calibration cycle, which may include monitoring a first parameter indicative of a number of occurrences of seed multiples as the seed transport member rotates, iteratively adjusting the aggressiveness setting from the initial aggressiveness setting as the first parameter is being monitored, and when the first parameter crosses a first threshold, recording the associated aggressiveness setting as a minimum aggressiveness setting for the singulator.

A method including adjusting a changeable component of a seed planting machine when switching from a first variety of seed to a second variety of seed during planting, wherein the adjusting is based on a location of the planting machine.

A method including adjusting a changeable component of a seed planting machine when switching from a first variety of seed to a second variety of seed during planting, wherein the adjusting is based on a location of the planting machine.

A computer system and computer-implemented techniques for determining and presenting improved seeding rate recommendations for planting seeds in a field are provided. In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes receiving digital data representing planting parameters including seed type information and planting row width, and retrieving a set of seeding models based upon the planting parameters, where each of the seeding models includes a regression model defining a relationship between plant yield and seeding rate on a specific field. The method also includes generating an empirical mixture model as a composite distribution of the set of seeding models, generating a seeding rate distribution for the planting parameters based upon the empirical mixture model, and calculating a seeding rate recommendation based on the seed rate distribution. The method then also includes planting plant seeds in the specific field consistent with the seeding rate recommendation.

A near-plug monitoring system includes particle flow rate sensors coupled to or downstream of a distribution header, wherein the distribution header is coupled to a primary distribution line and a plurality of secondary distribution lines, the distribution header is configured to receive a flow of a granular product from the primary distribution line and to divert the flow of the granular product among the secondary distribution lines. The system includes a controller configured to receive feedback from the particle flow rate sensors, to determine a real-time flow rate of the granular product in the secondary distribution lines, to determine if a near-plug condition is occurring in at least one secondary distribution line based on the real-time flow rate, and to automatically provide a control signal to alter one or more operating parameters of the pneumatic conveyance system when the near-plug condition is occurring to resolve the near-plug condition.