A system and computer-implemented method for sensing an amount of free water in cut crop material and automatically adjusting an operating parameter of a mower conditioner to optimize the amount of free water. A sensor located at the exit of a conditioning mechanism measures an actual free water content value of the material as it exits the conditioning mechanism, a processor compares the actual value to maximum and minimum values, and if the actual value is outside this range, automatically adjusts an operating parameter, such as a gap between pairs of conditioning rollers, a pressure exerted by the rollers, or a speed of the mower conditioner, to optimize the actual value. Another sensor may be located at the entrance of the conditioning mechanism. The processor may take into account an operator-selectable value weighting the actual free water content versus a dry down time when adjusting the operating parameter.

An automatic uniform distribution apparatus for the threshed material from the combine harvester comprises a tangential flow threshing and separating device, a shaking plate threshed material detecting device, a shaking plate, a shaking plate flow guiding mechanism, an axial flow threshing and separating device, a chaff screw conveyor, a return plate, a return plate flow guiding mechanism, a return plate threshed material detecting device, a vibrating sieve, and an on-line detection controller. Force sensors are provided at lateral positions below discharge ports of the shaking plate and the return plate to measure flow rates of the threshed material in lateral regions of the shaking plate and the return plate.

A harvester including a frame supported by a drive assembly for movement along a support surface, a head unit coupled to the harvester and configured to selectively harvest crop material, a camera coupled to the frame and configured to generate one or more images of a field of view, and a controller in operable communication with the camera and the head unit, where the controller is configured to determine one or more crop attributes based at least in part on the one or more images produced by the camera.

A method for operating a harvesting machine for harvesting a crop in a field, at least one operating value for a working part of the harvesting machine being determined in dependence on at least one plant property of the crop. The plant property is mapped in a plant growth model, the plant growth model modelling a development over time of the plant property and determining a predictive value or a predictive characteristic of the plant property for the time of the harvest.

A mower-conditioner (2, 6) for cutting and conditioning crop material, comprises a mower unit (2) for cutting crop material and a conditioner unit (6) that is configured to condition the cut crop material. A drive input (10) is configured to receive a rotational drive from an external drive unit, and a drive transmission system (30) is configured to transmit rotary drive from the drive input (10) to the mower unit (2) and the conditioner unit (6). The drive transmission system (30) includes a continuously variable transmission (CVT) (40) that transmits rotary drive between the mower unit (2) and the conditioner unit (6) with a variable speed ratio.

A driver assistance system of an agricultural work machine constructed as forage harvester, wherein the agricultural work machine comprises a header for gathering crop, a chopping device having a chopping drum and chopping knives for comminuting the crop, and a monitoring device operable to generate a signal containing information about the wear status of the respective chopping knife and/or about the distance of the cutting edge of a chopping knife from a shear bar. This information is compared with a reference value, and the agricultural work machine has activation devices for activating and deactivating a knife grinding process and means for change of position of the shear bar. The monitoring device is integrated in the driver assistance system so that the driver assistance system automatically detects when a knife grinding process or a change of position of the shear bar must be activated or deactivated.

A detection arrangement for detecting a wear status of a chopping knife arrangement of a chopping device provided for processing a product flow, wherein the chopping device has a revolving chopping drum receiving the chopping knife arrangement and at least one shear bar which cooperates with the chopping knives, with a sensor arrangement which has a magnetic exciter arrangement and a flux conducting device magnetically coupled thereto. The sensor arrangement provides a pole arrangement which forms at least one magnetic pole with a pole surface for conducting magnetic flux, wherein at least a portion of the chopping knife passes the pole arrangement during a rotation of the chopping drum. A voltage induced when a chopping knife arrangement passes the sensor arrangement forms the measured magnetic value, which is used by the evaluation unit to determine the state of wear of the chopping knife arrangement.

A harvester including a frame supported by a drive assembly for movement along a support surface, a head unit coupled to the harvester and configured to selectively harvest crop material, a camera coupled to the frame and configured to generate one or more images of a field of view, and a controller in operable communication with the camera and the head unit, where the controller is configured to determine one or more crop attributes based at least in part on the one or more images produced by the camera.

A priori georeferenced vegetative index data is obtained for a worksite, along with field data that is collected by a sensor on a work machine that is performing an operation at the worksite. A predictive model is generated, while the machine is performing the operation, based on the georeferenced vegetative index data and the field data. A model quality metric is generated for the predictive model and is used to determine whether the predictive model is a qualified predicative model. If so, a control system controls a subsystem of the work machine, using the qualified predictive model, and a position of the work machine, to perform the operation.

An agricultural harvesting machine and a method for operating an agricultural harvesting machine is disclosed. The agricultural harvesting machine includes an attachment configured to receive a crop containing grain components, at least one work assembly for processing the received crop, a transfer device, a near-infrared (NIR), and an evaluation device. The crop is received by the attachment and traverses the harvesting machine, thereby defining a crop stream. The NIR sensor is positioned along the crop stream downstream from the at least one work assembly and generates one or more signals indicative of at least one aspect of the grain components in the crop stream. Further, the evaluation device receives and analyzes the signals from the NIR sensor in order to determine a degree to which the grain components contained in the crop stream are cracked.