A system for dispensing agricultural products includes: a master controller, sets of agricultural product containers, meter devices, and secondary controllers. The meter devices are operatively connected to the product containers and configured to dispense products from the containers to rows in a field wherein each of the sets of containers is associated with a respective row in the field. The secondary controllers actuate the meter devices. Each secondary controller receives command data from the master controller and controls the meter devices for dispensing in response to the command data. Agricultural product from each product container is dispensed in accordance with operator defined instructions to the master controller. The instructions are capable of being provided to the master controller during the planting allowing the dispensing of individual containers to be controlled. In one embodiment the invention is a process for dispensing agricultural products at low application rates utilizing precision placement equipment.

The present disclosure relates to agriculture. The teachings thereof may be embodied in methods to determine a percentage of weeds and/or control device. For example, a method for determining a weed percentage in an observation section of a field may include: acquiring actual spectral information using an optical observation section sensor aimed at the observation section; acquiring reference spectral information using an optical reference sensor aimed at a reference section of the same ground area; determining a difference between the actual spectral information and the reference spectral information; and mapping the difference to the weed percentage using predefined mapping.

A monitoring system and method for modify a motor speed driving a seed conveyor on an implement so that the seed release speed is matched to the travel speed of the implement. A speed sensor measures the travel speed of the implement. A seed conveyor having a plurality of flights receives seeds from a seed meter. A monitor is in communication with the speed sensor, the motor driving the seed conveyor, a first sensor disposed to detect the passing of seeds and the flights as they travel toward the soil and a second sensor disposed to detect the passing of flights after the seed is released, wherein the monitor modifies the motor speed of the conveyor based on the speed sensor and signals generated by the first sensor and second sensor.

A system for dispensing crop input products from multiple meters per crop row, including: a) a georeferencing module configured to receive and process georeferenced location information; b) a prescriptive control module configured to receive the processed georeferenced location information from the georeferencing module and utilize the georeferenced location information to generate specific prescriptive rate information for individual meters in the field; and, c) a meter controller module operatively connected to the prescriptive control module. The meter controller module is configured to utilize the specific prescriptive rate information to individually control multiple meters per crop row, to simultaneously dispense crop input products at specific prescriptive rates at georeferenced locations throughout the field.

The present disclosure describes an agricultural system having a flow path configured to distribute agricultural product from a product storage tank to a row unit across a field via an air flow. The flow path includes an inlet configured to receive the agricultural product, an outlet configured to output the agricultural product, a body extending between the inlet and the outlet, and a first pressure tap and a second pressure tap each extending into the body. The agricultural system also includes a first pressure sensor fluidly coupled to the first pressure tap and configured to output a first signal indicative of a first static pressure of the air flow proximate to the first pressure tap, and a second pressure sensor fluidly coupled to the second pressure tap and configured to output a second signal indicative of a second static pressure of the air flow proximate to the second pressure tap. Further, the agricultural system includes a controller communicatively coupled to the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor and configured to receive the first signal and the second signal, and a supplemental air supply fluidly coupled to the flow path proximate to the inlet and configured to selectively provide a supplemental air flow to the flow path. The controller is configured to instruct the supplemental air supply to selectively provide the supplemental air flow to the flow path based on the first signal, the second signal, or a combination thereof.

A multi-purpose on-board system for automating the process of releasing different biological precision pest control materials using, but not limited to, unmanned aerial vehicles (or drones). The system includes multi-purpose high-performance electronic equipment (hardware), a dedicated or shared GPS/GLONASS/GALILEO in the aircraft and four different dedicated electromechanical release assemblies, specifically: a loose parasitic egg release assembly (BioBOT), a loose mass release assembly (BioCOTe), a live material (mite) release assembly (BioMITe), and a powdered beneficial fungus release assembly (BioFUNgus). The system enables full compliance throughout the biological control chain, including production, monitoring, integrated digital planning, controlled precision release and generation of reliable reports.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for milestone prediction of fuel and chemical usage. An example apparatus includes one or more memories comprising computer readable instructions; one or more processors to execute the computer readable instructions to determine a current amount of fuel required without halt and a current fuel consumption rate for a machine during a harvesting event in a field based on a first amount of fuel required without halt, a first fuel consumption rate, and real time information from sensors of the machine, and determine a real time amount of fuel required based on the current amount of fuel required without halt, the current fuel consumption rate, and a halt time for the machine during the harvesting event, the one or more processors to use the real time amount of fuel required to schedule fuel delivery for the machine.

A method performed by an as-applied data storage device while dispensing crop input products from RFID-tagged crop input containers by georeferenced locations. The method includes: a) reading product information from at least one RFID-tagged crop input container when an RFID tag reading device is operably connected to an RFID-tagged crop input container, where the RFID tag is factory installed by the manufacturer/formulator of the crop input product; b) calculating and recording as-applied information when the product is dispensed; c) transmitting the as-applied information to a data aggregator; and, d) utilizing said data aggregator for aggregating the as-applied information by georeferenced locations, where the aggregation ensures the as-applied information for that crop input is recorded in a consistent manner across the field or fields so-treated.

There is provided an industrial machinery system including an industrial machine, an area information acquiring device that acquires information on an operation area where the industrial machine is to be caused to perform an operation, and a control apparatus that determines whether to perform the operation by the industrial machine in the operation area, wherein the control apparatus includes a storage section that stores information on a registered area, the information being acquired in advance, and a determining section that determines whether to perform the operation by the industrial machine in accordance with whether an area corresponding to the operation area is identifiable from the registered area stored in the storage section.

A predictive map is obtained by an agricultural material application system. The predictive map maps predictive weed values at different geographic locations in a field. A geographic position sensor detects a geographic locations of an agricultural material application machine at the field. A control system generates a control signal to control the agricultural material application machine based on the geographic locations of the agricultural material application machine and the predictive map.