A mulching device is equipped with a tool that can be set into rotation about an axis of rotation tilted upwards and to the rear in order to process plant stubble. The rotational direction of the tool can be selected such that the tool is pressed back out of the ground by the driving torque in the event of an overload.

Harvesting machines are provided for use in harvesting corn from corn plants. An example harvesting machine includes a tractor and at least two row units coupled to the tractor and operable to remove ears of corn from corn plants. A first row unit of the at least two row units is moveable relative to the tractor to change a height and/or rotational position of the first row unit, and a second row unit of the at least two row units is moveable relative to the tractor independent of the first row unit to change a height and/or rotational position of the first row unit.

An offset header for attachment to a grain harvester includes a body having a back and a bottom which form a collection trough extending the length of the body. The back further defines at a first proximal and an opening for receiving and for attachment to a grain conveyor of a grain harvester. A mechanism is located at the bottom for removing and collecting a crop from an agricultural field, and a transfer mechanism is operationally positioned in the collection trough to transf's er the collected crop toward the opening. A drive unit at a second distal end of the body supports and propels the second distal end of the body in cooperation with a grain harvester.

A non-row sensitive corn threshing header comprising a forwardly disposed cutting apparatus for severing standing corn crop from the ground and a rearwardly disposed threshing apparatus for separating kernels from the plant, collecting the kernels, and discarding the remaining plant. The threshing apparatus includes a plurality of screw auger conveyors arranged in upper and lower planes that receive the crop and urge the crop into diminishing space between adjacent auger conveyors, the space defined by the auger flighting and the expandingly tapered auger shanks. Kernels are separated from the cob as the ears are urged rearwardly in the threshing apparatus. The header may include screens and the like for cleaning the grain of chaff prior to transferring to on-board storage or chaff removal may occur after the grain is off-loaded from the harvester.

A stalked crop harvesting header comprising multiple harvesting units each comprising a pair of deck plates defining a channel, a pair of snapping rollers mounted below the deck plates and adapted to pull stalks downwardly through the channel, a pair of gathering chains provided with cams, the gathering chains extending between a first pair of gears located at a front end of the harvesting unit and a second pair of gears located at a back end of the harvesting unit, wherein each harvesting unit further comprises a pair of stalk guiders positioned to rotate around axes coinciding with respective axes of the first pair of gears, wherein the stalk guiders each comprise an upper stalk guiding wheel and a lower stalk guiding wheel which are interconnected, and wherein a cutting element is provided below the lower stalk guiding wheel to cut stalks while being guided by the stalk guider.

An agricultural machine configured to harvest a crop having stalks includes a main frame and a plurality of wheels supporting the main frame from the ground. A crop header is mounted on the main frame and includes a header frame extending transversely to a forward direction and having a transverse width. The crop header is configured to cut stalks of the crop as the agricultural machine moves in the forward direction. At least one on-the-go nitrate sensor is mounted on the agricultural machine and oriented to collect electromagnetic energy reflected from or emitted by the stalks, the sensor being configured to generate a nitrate level signal representative of a nitrate level in the stalks.

Systems and methods are provided for monitoring operation of an agricultural machine performing an agricultural operation. Image data from one or more image sensors is obtained and used to monitor operation of an implement operably coupled to the machine. The image data is used determine a crop parameter for each of one or more crop constituents indicative of the position and/or motion of the respective crop constituent with respect to the implement. A performance metric for the agricultural operation is determined in dependence on the determined crop parameter(s). One or more operable components associated with the machine can then be controlled in dependence on the determined performance metric.

A deck plate sensing system for a corn harvester having a sensing unit. The sensing unit having a sensor and a magnet associated with a row unit of the corn harvester. The magnet and sensor are configured to measure a distance between the magnet and the magnetic sensor and apply a calibration to determine a relative distance between an adjustable deck plate and a fixed deck plate.

An agricultural system includes a header with multiple row units distributed across a width of the header. At least one row unit of the multiple row units includes a pair of stalk rollers configured to engage material other than grain (MOG) of a crop and to drive the MOG toward a field, a light emitter configured to emit light, and a light detector configured to detect the light and to generate a signal indicative of detection of the light at the light detector. The agricultural system also includes a control system configured to determine a level of the MOG between the light emitter and the light detector based on the signal.

An agricultural system comprises a stalk-diameter sensing system associated with a row unit and configured to sense diameter-related data of respective stalks and generate signals based on the diameter-related data. Deck plates associated with the row unit are spaced apart to define a deck plate spacing. A deck plate positioning system is coupled to at least one of the deck plates to adjust the deck plate spacing. A control system is configured to communicate with the stalk-diameter sensing system and the deck plate positioning system. The control system is configured to receive the signals, determine a statistical representative stalk diameter for a sample of stalks based on the diameter-related data, determine a target deck plate spacing based on the statistical representative stalk diameter, and output a control signal to command the deck plate positioning system to set the deck plate spacing based on the target deck plate spacing.