A row unit control system for an agricultural harvester includes a controller having a memory and a processor. The controller is configured to identify an absence of crops along a respective path of each row unit of a set of row units of the agricultural harvester. In addition, the controller is configured to terminate operation of at least one component of the row unit in response to identifying the absence of the crops along the respective path of the row unit.

A row unit of a corn header includes a first deck plate, a second deck plate, and a gap between the first and second deck plates. A position of one or both of the deck plates may be adjusted by a linkage assembly including at least one arm pivotably coupled, at a first end, to one or both of the deck plates and, at a second end, to an actuator. The actuator may be controlled by a controller to move one or both of the deck plates based on signals received from an ear size sensor such as a camera that measures various parameters of corn and also based on a kernel depth of the type of corn to be harvested.