Described is a processing machine for processing fibre plants, particularly hemp or flax. The processing machine comprises a pick-up unit for picking up fibre plants, a chassis, transport means mounted on the chassis for transporting the gripped fibre plants to the delivering means which are likewise mounted on the chassis and which deliver the fibre plants. The chassis comprises a first chassis part with front wheels and a second chassis part with rear wheels. A pivot element is mounted between the two chassis parts in order to make the first and second chassis parts pivotable relative to each other about an imaginary or physical upright pivot axis. Also described is a method for processing the fibre plants with the processing machine.

A system for removing parts from plants rooted in an agricultural field while leaving other parts of the plants rooted in the agricultural field may include a harvester apparatus with an intake throat formed by structures such as the combination of an infeed head and infeed conveyor, a pair of stripping assemblies including stripping belts, or stripping assemblies including stripping members such as chains.

A harvesting system for harvesting stalky plants is mountable on a power unit such as an agricultural or construction tractor having hydraulic power and/or a power takeoff (PTO). The system includes at least a reel-based harvesting head configured to cut off at least the tops of the plants and to transport the cut plants laterally of the harvesting system without threshing or otherwise processing the plants. The harvesting head may be mounted on, for example, an upper lift arm assembly or a three-point hitch mechanism of the power unit. If the harvesting head is mounted on the upper lift arm assembly of an agricultural tractor, a second harvesting head may be mountable on the tractor's three-point hitch mechanism beneath the first harvesting head for cutting stalks near their base, gathering the cut stalks, and windrowing the cut stalks behind the second harvesting head.

An automated hemp field harvester can be driven by a tractor or attached to various types of self-propelled machines. The automated hemp field harvester has a set of two combing belts that rotate up vertically with a plurality of comb assemblies for stripping the buds and flowers from the hemp plant as the automated hemp field harvester is directed down the row of hemp plants. A set of winged plates in front of the combing belts gather the hemp plants and directs them into the drive assemblies. The comb assemblies are inclined in an upward direction and strip the buds and flowers from the stalks and stems. There is a deflecting plate at the top end of the combing belts to deflect the buds and flowers in a controlled manner to a product discharge conveyor belt to be loaded into a trailer or wagon for removal from the field.

Embodiments of a harvesting machine configured to uproot hemp plants and process various cut portions of the plants. The harvesting machine includes a harvesting head removably coupled to a main body of the harvesting machine. The harvesting head includes a roller positioned adjacent a lower front end of the harvesting head, the roller having tines extending therefrom and the roller configured to rotate so that the tines loosen soil and lift roots of the plants from the soil. The harvesting machine includes at least one belt positioned adjacently rearward of the roller and is configured to move the uprooted plants from the tines and to move the uprooted plants rearward from the harvesting head. Further, the harvesting head includes a cutting system positioned adjacent the at least one belt and is configured to make at least two cuts along a length of the plant to form the cut portions.

An apparatus and method for separating plant flowers from stalks by means of a lateral rotating tube having a plurality of flexible, elongated members affixed to and extending radially outward from the tube. The apparatus may include a platform and a frame supporting the tube above the platform to accommodate plants held between the platform and the tube so that when the tube is rotating, the elongated members affixed thereto brush against the plants and cause the flowers to brush off at and separate from the stalks. The frame further supports a housing to form a contained space, including a back wall, side walls and a hood to direct the flow of flowers after separation from the stalks. The hood extends above and over the tube, having a front wall extending about or below a central axis of the tube. A power system provides rotational power to the tube.

An automated hemp field harvester can be driven by a tractor or attached to various types of self-propelled machines. The automated hemp field harvester has a set of two combing belts that rotate up vertically with a plurality of comb assemblies for stripping the buds and flowers from the hemp plant as the automated hemp field harvester is directed down the row of hemp plants. A set of winged plates in front of the combing belts gather the hemp plants and directs them into the drive assemblies. The comb assemblies are inclined in an upward direction and strip the buds and flowers from the stalks and stems. There is a deflecting plate at the top end of the combing belts to deflect the buds and flowers in a controlled manner to a product discharge conveyor belt to be loaded into a trailer or wagon for removal from the field.

A plant processing system may include a plant stripping apparatus with a frame and a plurality of stripping fingers including at least two groups of the stripping fingers being movable relative to each other. Each group of fingers may extend from a respective working surface, and the working surfaces may be oriented in substantial opposition to each other with a gap being formed between the first and second working surfaces to provide a pathway for movement of plant materials between an input and an output of the stripping apparatus.

A debucking machine, for use with processing industrial hemp or cannabis, is provided. Embodiments of the debucking machine include counter-rotating rollers equipped with rubberized combs for gently removing flowers, or buds, from harvested industrial hemp or cannabis. Embodiments of the debucking machine are portable and may be moved from location to location within a drying shed.

The present disclosure discloses a method for producing raw cotton of machine-harvested long-staple cotton with a modal length of greater than or equal to 35 mm, including the steps: planting sea-island long-staple cotton and machining seed cotton, wherein planting the sea-island long-staple cotton includes preparation before machine harvesting, defoliation and ripening, choosing a cotton variety, etc.; and machining the seed cotton includes preparation before seed cotton ginning, mechanical separation of cotton seeds and raw cotton, and finishing the separated raw cotton. Raw cotton fibers obtained by the method of the present disclosure have main quality indexes that: a fiber length is 36.5-38.4 mm, a specific strength is 42.3-46.1 cN/tex, a uniformity is 86.2-87.0%, a foreign-fiber content is 0.2-0.4 g/t, and an impurity content is 2.6-3.4%. According to the method, not only can impurities and foreign fibers be effectively removed, but also mechanical damage to the raw cotton of the machine-harvested long-staple cotton with the modal length of greater than or equal to 35 mm is relatively small.