A residue management system or method can be implemented for an agricultural harvester that includes a residue processing system. A sensor arrangement can be in communication with one or more components of the residue processing system. The sensor arrangement can be configured to measure indicators of a mass flow rate of the crop residue through the crop residue system across a width of a stream of the crop residue.

An agricultural harvester with crop residue spreaders distributing crop residue laterally. Each crop residue spreader has a plurality of radially extending bats rotatable within a housing for directing residue from an axially directed inlet radially outward through an outer outlet. The housing has an outer wall with a height that increases axially in a uniform fashion around the periphery to minimize if not eliminate recirculation of residue to the inlet.

An agricultural harvester with crop residue spreaders distributing crop residue laterally. Each crop residue spreader has a plurality of radially extending bats rotatable within a housing for directing residue from an axially directed inlet radially outward through an outer outlet. The housing has an outer wall with a height that increases axially in a uniform fashion around the periphery to minimize if not eliminate recirculation of residue to the inlet.

A residue handling system for an agricultural harvester includes a chopper that is positionable within a straw hood of the combine harvester and a seed mill that is mounted directly to the chopper. The chopper has projecting elements for chopping straw within the straw hood as the chopper rotates. The seed mill includes a rotatable rotor that is at least partially positioned within a concave. The rotor and the chopper are connected or unitized so as to rotate together.

An agricultural residue depositing apparatus includes a human-controllable mobile vehicle that is capable of generating agricultural residue and depositing it on a ground surface over which the mobile vehicle is moveable. The vehicle includes an interface device that is capable of generating one or more output that is interpretable by a human operator. The apparatus include sensors of agricultural residue deposited by the mobile vehicle and processors to which the sensors are operatively connected. The processors are additionally operatively connected to the interface device such that the interface device generates one or more outputs, based on one or more signals generated by the one or more sensors, of or relating to agricultural residue deposited by the mobile vehicle. The processors are capable of adding human-interpretable augmentation to the outputs indicating one or more parameters of or relating to the deposition of residue.

A spreader system for use in an agricultural harvester having a threshing system and a cleaning system. The spreader system includes a chopper for the chopping of straw from the threshing system and a chaff spreader system and a straw spreader system. The chaff spreader system is configured to receive a flow of chaff from the cleaning system; and the straw spreader system is configured to receive a flow of straw from the chopper. The chaff spreader system is configured to emit a chaff airflow stream in a first flow path, and the straw spreader system is configured to emit a straw airflow stream in a second flow path. The first flow path and the second flow path intersect at a place of confluence apart from the chaff spreader system and the straw spreader system.

A spreader system for use in an agricultural harvester having a threshing system and a cleaning system. The spreader system includes a chopper for the chopping of straw from the threshing system and a chaff spreader system and a straw spreader system. The chaff spreader system is configured to receive a flow of chaff from the cleaning system; and the straw spreader system is configured to receive a flow of straw from the chopper. The chaff spreader system is configured to emit a chaff airflow stream in a first flow path, and the straw spreader system is configured to emit a straw airflow stream in a second flow path. The first flow path and the second flow path intersect at a place of confluence apart from the chaff spreader system and the straw spreader system.

Weed seeds are destroyed in the chaff from a combine harvester by repeated high speed impacts caused by a rotor mounted in one of a pair of side by side housings which accelerate the discarded seeds into contact with stator bars at angularly spaced positions around the axis of the rotor. The stator bars are formed from bent sheet metal which are L-shaped or U-shaped in cross-section to define a first leg lying in a cylindrical surface surrounding the axis of the rotor and a second leg extending outwardly from the cylindrical surface connected to the first leg at an apex at a leading end of the first leg relative to the direction of rotation of the rotor. When U-shaped, the bars are symmetrical and can be reversed when the second leg is worn for extended life.

Weed seeds are destroyed in the chaff from a combine harvester by repeated high speed impacts caused by a rotor mounted in one of a pair of side by side housings which accelerate the discarded seeds into contact with stator bars at angularly spaced positions around the axis of the rotor. The stator bars are formed from bent sheet metal which are L-shaped or U-shaped in cross-section to define a first leg lying in a cylindrical surface surrounding the axis of the rotor and a second leg extending outwardly from the cylindrical surface connected to the first leg at an apex at a leading end of the first leg relative to the direction of rotation of the rotor. When U-shaped, the bars are symmetrical and can be reversed when the second leg is worn for extended life.

A combine harvester separates crop into straw and chaff and weed seeds using a sieve, a chopping rotor with a spreading device and at least one weed seed devitalization section. The components can be operated in a first mode where both the first material and said second material are directed to the chopper and a second mode the first material is directed to the chopper inlet and the second material is directed to the WSD. This can be effected by providing a guide wall which has a leading edge attached adjacent a rear edge of the sieve and extends rearwardly therefrom. The chopper and the WSD can also be moved to provide the change of modes. A construction of destructor mill with an outer stator on the housing is also disclosed along with a method of feeding the lost grain to the WSD.