Patent Publication Number: US-2022210972-A1

Title: Mower-conditioner machine with sensing of crop yield

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/141,651, entitled “MOWER-CONDITIONER MACHINE FOR SENSING MOISTURE CONTENT OF CROP MATERIAL”, filed Jan. 5, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention pertains to an agricultural harvesting machines, and, more specifically, to a mower-conditioner machine. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Generally speaking, forage (which can also be referred to herein as crop, crop material, forage crop, forage material, or forage crop material) is plant matter that can be harvested and provided to livestock or other animals as fodder, including but not limited to cattle, sheep, goats, and horses, during, for example, the winter or at other times when pasture land has inadequate amounts of vegetation for livestock of other animals. Depending upon the processing of the forage, forage can be formed into hay or silage. Both hay and silage can be made from grass and legumes (or mixtures thereof), and silage can also be made from, for example, corn or wheat. One difference between hay and silage is that hay has a much lower moisture content than silage; for example, hay can have a moisture content of 12%, whereas silage can be chopped or baled at a moisture content of 40-60%, hay thus being much drier. Hay (whether grass hay, legume hay, or a mixture thereof) results from a process that includes planting (though the plant matter is often perennial), growing, cutting, drying, and storing. Depending upon location, grass hay can include, for example, orchard grass, timothy, fescue, brome, Bermuda grass, Kentucky bluegrass, and/or ryegrass, whereas legume hay can include, for example, alfalfa, clover, and/or birdsfoot trefoil. Silage (which can, at least in some circumstances, also be referred to as haylage) can involve causing the crop material to ferment. 
     The harvesting of forage seeks to maximize both the quantity (that is, the yield) and the quality of the hay or silage, the quantity also be referred to as the yield, the quality being the feed value of the hay or silage, such as the level of dry matter, the level of crude protein, and/or the energy provided, for example, in terms of total digestible nutrients (TDN) or the net energy of maintenance (NEM). These factors require balancing relative to one another. Further, depending upon the desired end product with respect to the forage (i.e., hay or silage), a variety of forage processing operations can be involved, and these forage processing operations include haymaking operations and silage-making operations. Haymaking operations, for example, can include cutting (which can be referred to as mowing), conditioning, tedding, raking, merging, chopping, baling, bale retrieval, transport, and/or storage, and silage-making operations can include not only cutting but also chopping, baling, and/or ensiling (or at least some sort of covering). Depending upon location, forage crop can be harvested two, three, four, five, six, or possibly seven times during a single season, each cycle of harvesting during a single season being time dependent, as well as any of the various forage processing operations of each cycle. As is known, timing of any of the forage processing operations can be critical. Not only is timing critical for making high value hay or silage, but so is the processing of the crop material during forage processing operations. A variety of agricultural harvesting machines can be used to perform these operations in aid of maximizing the quantity and quality of hay or silage. 
     One such agricultural harvesting machine is a mower-conditioner machine. Such mower-conditioner machines can be a header attachment to a self-propelled windrower or formed as a pull-type mower-conditioner coupled with, for instance, a tractor. Farmers may operate such mowing devices to cut any sort of crop material (hay crop, wheat, etc.) from a field and subsequently deposit the cut crop into windrows on the field. The windrows may be left on the field to dry out the crop in the sun. Thereafter, farmers may bale the cut crop material with a baler, such as a large square baler or round baler, which straddles the windrows and travels along the windrows to pick up the crop material and form it into bales. More specifically with reference to mowing-conditioning operations, leafy material of alfalfa, for instance, is nutritious and farmers (which can also be referred to interchangeably herein as growers) often seek to preserve this leafy material for the livestock during forage processing operations. The mower-conditioner machine can be used to cut standing crop material and to immediately thereafter condition, for example, a legume plant such as alfalfa by breaking, splitting, bending, crushing, cracking, and/or crimping a stem of the alfalfa plant every three to four inches so as to facilitate the dry down process while preserving the leaves of the alfalfa plant through the conditioner, or a grass plant by removing the wax of the grass at least partially. 
     A typical pull-type mower-conditioner includes a frame, a hitch coupled to the towing vehicle, a cutter bar, a conditioner (which can be referred to as a conditioner assembly), and a swath gate. The mower-conditioner may further include other elements such as a reel to assist crop feeding and an auger or belts to convey crop to a central discharge point. The cutter bar may include of a series of rotary discs, or a sicklebar. The conditioner assembly may include two or more conditioning rolls for conditioning the crop material. The conditioning rolls are located adjacent to one another such that a gap forms therebetween. This gap in between the paired conditioning rolls helps to define the size of the crop mat which passes therethrough. After being conditioned, the stream of crop material engages with the swath gate and is deposited onto the field. Alternatively, rather than having a pair of conditioning rolls, the conditioner can include a single roll that includes flails to remove the waxy substance from grass, as is known. 
     In an effort to maximize the quantity of crop material harvested (that is, the yield), it is known to generate a yield map using a chopper (which can be in the form of a forage harvester, for example) and/or a baler. However, such machines tend to process a much wider area than a mower-conditioner, due to intervening (stated otherwise, secondary) harvesting operations or processes of merging and/or raking, which combine two or more windrows to improve field efficiency, but to the detriment of resolution of field yield monitoring. 
     What is needed in the art is a way to improve the resolution of field yield monitoring. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides an agricultural assembly with a mower-conditioner machine including a yield sensor for determining a crop material yield. 
     The invention in one form is directed to a control system of an agricultural assembly for controllably harvesting a forage crop material, the agricultural assembly including an agricultural work vehicle and a mower-conditioner machine coupled with the agricultural work vehicle, the control system including: a control system operatively coupled with the agricultural work vehicle and the mower-conditioner machine, the control system including: a yield sensor configured for detecting an operative parameter associated with a crop-engaging device of the mower-conditioner machine when the forage crop material engages the crop-engaging device and thereby for outputting an operative parameter signal associated with the operative parameter; a controller operatively coupled with the yield sensor and configured for receiving the operative parameter signal and for determining a forage crop material yield based at least in part on the operative parameter signal. 
     The invention in another form is directed to an agricultural assembly for controllably harvesting a forage crop material, the agricultural assembly including: an agricultural work vehicle; a mower-conditioner machine coupled with the agricultural work vehicle, the mower-conditioner machine including a crop-engaging device configured for engaging with the forage crop material; a control system operatively coupled with the agricultural work vehicle and the mower-conditioner machine, the control system including: a yield sensor configured for detecting an operative parameter associated with the crop-engaging device when the forage crop material engages the crop-engaging device and thereby for outputting an operative parameter signal associated with the operative parameter; a controller operatively coupled with the yield sensor and configured for receiving the operative parameter signal and for determining a forage crop material yield based at least in part on the operative parameter signal. 
     The invention in yet another form is directed to a method of controllably harvesting a forage crop material, the method including the steps of: providing an agricultural assembly including an agricultural work vehicle, a mower-conditioner machine, and a control system, the mower-conditioner machine being coupled with the agricultural work vehicle and including a crop-engaging device configured for engaging with the forage crop material, the control system being operatively coupled with the agricultural work vehicle and the mower-conditioner machine; detecting, by a yield sensor of the control system, an operative parameter associated with the crop-engaging device when the forage crop material engages the crop-engaging device and thereby outputting an operative parameter signal associated with the operative parameter; receiving, by a controller of the control system and which is operatively coupled with the yield sensor, the operative parameter signal; and determining, by the controller, a forage crop material yield based at least in part on the operative parameter signal. 
     An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a way to more accurately monitor crop yield during forage processing operations. 
     Another advantage is that it provides a way to make improved agronomic decisions, with respect to, for example, fertilizing rate, using different types or varieties of crop on a particular field or zone or section of a field, when to perform the next forage processing operation, and/or adjusting a rate of travel across a field during a forage processing operation. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For the purpose of illustration, there are shown in the drawings certain embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements, dimensions, and instruments shown. Like numerals indicate like elements throughout the drawings. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a side view of an exemplary embodiment of an agricultural assembly, the assembly including a work vehicle and a pull-type mower-conditioner machine, in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of a swath gate of the mower-conditioner machine of  FIG. 1 , the swath gate having a moisture sensor attached thereto; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of another exemplary embodiment of an agricultural assembly, the assembly including a work vehicle and a pull-type mower-conditioner machine with one or more moisture sensors located at the crop conditioner, in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of another exemplary embodiment of an agricultural assembly, the assembly including a work vehicle and a mower-conditioner machine in the form of an attachment head (which can also be referred to as a header), in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a flowchart of a method for conducting an agricultural procedure in a field; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a side view of another exemplary embodiment of an agricultural assembly, the assembly including a work vehicle and a pull-type mower-conditioner machine, in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a perspective view of a swath gate of the mower-conditioner machine of  FIG. 6 , with portions broken away, the swath gate having a force/load sensor attached thereto; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a schematic, side view of the swath gate and conditioner rolls of the mower-conditioner machine of  FIG. 6 , with portions broken away; 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a side view of another exemplary embodiment of an agricultural assembly, the assembly including a work vehicle and a mower-conditioner machine in the form of an attachment head, in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a flow diagram showing a method of controllably harvesting a forage crop material, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The terms “forward”, “rearward”, “left” and “right”, when used in connection with the agricultural assembly and/or components thereof are usually determined with reference to the direction of forward operative travel, but they should not be construed as limiting. The terms “longitudinal” and “transverse” are determined with reference to the fore-and-aft direction of the work vehicle and are equally not to be construed as limiting. The terms “downstream” and “upstream” are determined with reference to the intended direction of crop material flow during operation, with “downstream” being analogous to “rearward” and “upstream” being analogous to “forward.” As used herein, the term mower-conditioner machine may include a pull-type mower-conditioner or a self-propelled mower-conditioner, including a rotary disc attachment head for a work vehicle. Further, though hay is sometimes referenced herein as the type of forage crop material, this is provided only by way of example and not limitation. Further, as indicated above, forage processing operations include haymaking operations and silage-making operations. 
     Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to  FIGS. 1-2 , there is shown an exemplary embodiment of an agricultural assembly  100  which includes a work vehicle  110  (which can be referred to as an agricultural work vehicle) and a pull-type mower-conditioner machine  120 . The work vehicle  110  may pull the mower-conditioner machine  120  in a forward direction of travel for mowing and conditioning the crop material in the field. 
     The work vehicle  110 , which is shown schematically, may be in the form of any desired vehicle, such as a tractor or self-propelled windrower. The work vehicle  110  may include a chassis, wheels and/or tracks, a prime mover, a steering assembly, and a cab for housing an operator. The work vehicle  110  may also include a controller  112 , with a memory  114 , and one or more sensor(s)  116  for sensing various operating parameters of the work vehicle  110 . For example, the work vehicle  110  may include a positioning or location sensor  116  for sensing and providing location data. The location sensor  116  may be in the form of a global positioning system (GPS) sensor or the like which tracks the position of the work vehicle  110  in the field. The work vehicle  110  may also include a speed sensor, inclinometer, etc. 
     The mower-conditioner machine  120  may be connected to and towed by the work vehicle  110 . The mower-conditioner machine  120  may generally include a frame  122  with a tongue  124  connected to the vehicle  110 , wheels  126 , a transversely disposed cutter bar  128 , a crop conditioner  130 , and a discharge assembly  132 . The discharge assembly  132  includes a swath gate  134  pivotally connected to the frame  122  and a pair of side shields  136  (which can be referred to as windrow shields) pivotally connected to the frame  122 . 
     The mower-conditioner machine  120  may also include a controller  140 , with a memory  142 , and one or more sensor(s)  144 ,  146 ,  148  for sensing various operating parameters of the mower-conditioner machine  120  and/or characteristics of the crop material. For instance, the mower-conditioner machine  120  may include one or more location sensors  144 , crop characteristic sensors  146 , and moisture sensors  148 . It should be appreciated that the mower-conditioner machine  120  may not include a separate controller  140 ; therein, the various sensors sensor(s)  144 ,  146 ,  148  may be operably coupled to the vehicle controller  112  which may control the functionality of the mower-conditioner machine  120 . 
     As the mower-conditioner  120  is towed through the field, the standing crop is cut by the cutter bar  128  and transported downstream to the crop conditioner  130 . The cutter bar  128  may be located at the front of the frame  122 . The cutter bar  128  may be in the form of any desired cutter bar  128 , such as a rotary disc cutter bar with multiple cutting disc heads. The crop conditioner  130  may condition or otherwise crush, crack, or crimp the crop material to decrease the drying time of the crop material on the field. The crop conditioner  130  generally includes at least two conditioning rolls  138  (an upper roll and a lower roll) rotatably connected to the frame  122  and spaced apart from one another by a gap which allows the crop material to pass therethrough. The severed and conditioned crop material is then ejected rearwardly toward the discharge assembly  132 . 
     The swath gate  134  generally influences the height or upper bound of the stream of crop material. The swath gate  134  may be automatically and/or manually adjusted relative to the frame. The side shields  136 , which may also be adjustable relative to the frame  122 , generally influence the width of the stream of crop material. If the mower-conditioner machine  120  is configured to create swaths, the ejected stream of crop material may contact and be directed by the swath gate  134 . If the mower-conditioner machine  120  is configured to create windrows, the ejected stream of crop material may contact and be directed by the swath gate  134  and the shields  136 . Relative to other harvesting procedures, mowing procedures may work the field in smaller sections or widths in a given pass through the field. Mower crop cutting widths are generally on the order of 3 to 4.5 meters, or 10 to 15 feet. 
     The controller  140  can be operably connected to the vehicle controller  112  via an ISOBUS communication interface. The controller  140  can be configured to receive location data from one or more location sensors  116  and/or  144 , receive moisture content data from one or more moisture sensors  148 , and receive crop information from user inputted data and/or from one or more crop characteristic sensors  146  which may sense crop characteristics, including the type of crop in the field and the maturity level of the crop; sensors  146  can sense information concerning the quality of the crop, such quality being associated with the feed quality and/or nutritional quality. The controller  140  can also be configured to generate a moisture content map  154  based at least partially on the sensed moisture content data and the location data. The controller  140  can also be configured to estimate a drying time  156  of the crop material based at least partially on the moisture content map  154 . However, if the mower-conditioner machine  120  is not equipped with the controller  140 , the vehicle controller  112  may perform the aforementioned functionality. 
     The vehicle controller  112  and/or the controller  140  can also be operatively coupled to a data center  150  by way of a network  152  of the assembly  100 . For instance, the controller  140  can be operably connected to the network  152  by way of the vehicle controller  112  or the controller  140  may be directly connected to the network  152 , separately from the vehicle controller  112 . The data center  150  may also be configured to receive, process, and record data concerning with the system  100 . The data center  150  may be in the form of any desired remote or offsite data center which may receive, process, and/or store any data concerning the operation of the assembly  100 , the crop material, the field itself, and/or various other conditions, such as the real-time weather conditions. The network  152  may be any suitable network, including a wireless network having one or more processors or nodes. Additionally, the network  152  may broadly represent any combination of one or more data communication networks including local area networks, wide area networks, neural networks, etc., using a wired or wireless connection. 
     It should be appreciated that the vehicle controller  112 , the controller  140 , and/or the data center  150  may solely or collectively generate the moisture content map  154  and/or conduct drying time  156  processing for processing the signals, e.g. location data, moisture content data, etc., from the sensors  116 ,  144 ,  146 ,  148  and estimating a drying time for one or more sections or zones of the field. The moisture content map  154  may be generated for the entire field or portions thereof such that the map may be created and updated in real-time as the mower-conditioner machine  120  is operating in the field. In more detail, the controller  140 , vehicle controller  112 , and/or the data center  150  may determine the moisture content of the crop material via a lookup table upon receiving the moisture data from the sensor(s)  148 , overlay the determined moisture content with location data, and subsequently create the moisture content map  154 . The moisture content map  154  and/or any other desired information, such as the crop type and/or weather conditions, may be used to estimate a drying time  156  of the crop material. The estimated drying time  156  may be sectionalized by specific passes and/or zones of similarly grouped crop material, such as dry or moist groupings of crop material. Furthermore, the controller(s)  140 ,  112 , and/or data center  150  may generate an optimized procedure based on the estimated drying time. For instance, one or more specific areas of the field may require more or less dry-down time, which can then be used to more precisely plan an optimum baling or chopping strategy in a particular field to provide optimum dry-down time for each section of a field. For example, if the crop material mowed in the northwest quadrant of a field has much higher moisture content at the time of mowing than the other three quadrants, then the operator can bale or chop the northwest quadrant last, thus allowing it more dry-down time than the other sections of the field rather than entering the field and beginning operation wherever it is most convenient to start operation. As can be appreciated, the data center may or may not store the moisture content map  154  and/or the estimated drying time  156 . 
     The location sensor  144  may be connected to the frame  122 . The location sensor  144  may be in the form of any desired sensor for sensing the location of the mower-conditioner machine  120  (such as a GPS). The crop characteristic sensor  146  can be connected to the frame  122  at any desired location. The crop characteristic sensor  146  may be in the form of any desired sensor for sensing one or more characteristics of the crop, such as an optical sensor, e.g. camera, or a wave-ranging sensor, e.g. LIDAR sensor, or a near infra-red (NIR) sensor. The crop characteristic sensor  146  may sense the type of crop material being harvested. It is noted that the mower-conditioner machine  120  may not include a location sensor  144  or a crop characteristic sensor  146 . 
     Each moisture sensor  148  may be connected to a respective crop-engaging member. As shown in  FIGS. 1-2 , the moisture sensor(s)  148  is connected to the crop-engaging surface, i.e., underside, of the swath gate  134 . Each moisture sensor  148  may be embedded within the swath gate  134  so that each sensor  148  is flush with the crop-engaging surface of the swath gate  134 . Each moisture sensor  148  may be in the form of one or more electrodes for sensing a voltage drop between the electrodes or between one electrode and the ground, e.g. a component of the swath gate  134  and/or frame  122  which is grounded, and/or a wave-ranging sensor, e.g. a LIDAR sensor or infrared sensor. It should be appreciated that one or more moisture sensors  148  may also be connected to one or both of the side shields  136 . For instance, a moisture sensor  148  may be connected to the inner, crop-engaging surface of one of the shields  136 . However, only the swath gate  134  may have moisture sensors  148  connected thereto. 
     Additionally, the one or more moisture sensors  148  may be fitted within a mount  160 , such as an electrically insulated mount  160 , that connects the moisture sensor(s)  148  to the swath gate  134  ( FIG. 2 ). In more detail, the swath gate  134  may have a through-hole or recessed portion in which the mount is seated. The mount  160  may include a plastic material. 
     In the embodiment wherein the one or more moisture sensors  148  include the electrode(s), a current may pass between the electrodes and/or ground and through the crop material as the stream of crop material passes over the electrode(s) in the swath gate  134 . Hence, the voltage difference or drop which results from the current flow through the crop material will ultimately determine the moisture content of the crop material. Upon receiving the moisture data from the moisture sensor(s)  148 , the controller  140 , the vehicle controller  112 , and/or data center  150  may determine the moisture content of the crop material by employing a lookup table or algorithm that correlates the moisture data to a particular moisture content of the crop material. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , there is shown another embodiment of an agricultural assembly  300 , which may be substantially similar to the agricultural assembly  100  except that the moisture sensor(s)  348  is(are) located on one or both of the crop conditioning rolls  338  instead of or in addition to the swath gate  334 . For instance, one moisture sensor  348  may be coupled to one conditioning roll  338 . In one embodiment, a current may be provided to the conditioning roll  338  and the other conditioning roll  338  may be grounded such that a voltage drop measured between the conditioning rolls  338  may be used to determine the moisture content of the crop material. It should be appreciated that the swath gate  334  may not include any moisture sensors  348 . It should also be appreciated that the mower-conditioner machine  320  may include two or more moistures sensors  348  located on swath gate  334  and the conditioning rolls  338 . The controller  340  may function similarly to the controller  140 , as discussed above, to generate the moisture content map  154 . Like elements have been identified with like reference characters, except for the  300  series designation. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , there is shown another embodiment of an agricultural assembly  400  which includes a work vehicle  410  (which can be referred to as an agricultural work vehicle) and a mower-conditioner machine  420 . As shown, the work vehicle  410  is a self-propelled windrower  410  and the mower-conditioner machine  420  is an attachment head  420  that is removably connected to the windrower  410 . 
     Similarly to the work vehicle  110 , the work vehicle  410  may include a chassis  411 , wheels and/or tracks  413 , a prime mover, a steering assembly, a cab  415 , a controller  412 , with a memory  414 , and one or more sensor(s)  416 , such as a location sensor  416 , for sensing various operating parameters of the work vehicle  410 . The vehicle controller  412  may operate substantially similar to the vehicle controller  112 , as discussed above. 
     The mower-conditioner machine  420  may be removably connected to and pushed by the work vehicle  410 . The mower-conditioner  420  may include a frame  422  that is removably connected to the chassis  411  of the work vehicle  410 , a transversely disposed cutter bar  428 , a crop conditioner  430  with conditioning rolls  438 , and a discharge assembly  432 . The discharge assembly  432  includes a swath gate  434  which may be pivotally connected to the frame  422  and a pair of side shields  436  which may be pivotally connected to the frame  422 . 
     The mower-conditioner machine  420  may also include a controller  440 , with a memory  442 , and one or more sensor(s)  446 ,  448  for sensing various operating parameters of the mower-conditioner machine  420  and/or characteristics of the crop material. The controller  440  can be operably connected to the vehicle controller  412 . The mower-conditioner machine  420  may include one or more crop characteristic sensors  446  and/or moisture sensors  448 . The controller  440  and sensors  444 ,  446 ,  448  may be substantially similar to the controller  140  and sensors  144 ,  146 ,  148 , as discussed above. It should be appreciated that the mower-conditioner machine  420  may not include a controller  440  or location sensor  444 ; therein, the various sensors sensor(s)  446 ,  448  may be operably coupled to the vehicle controller  412  which may control the functionality of the mower-conditioner machine  420 . The agricultural assembly  400  may also include a data center  450  and a network  452  which may be similar to the data center  150  and network  152 , as discussed above. 
     In general, controllers  112 ,  312 ,  412 ,  140 ,  340 ,  440 , and any controllers associated with data center  150 ,  350 ,  450  (referenced as DC-C, for data center controller, which can control any of the operations mentioned herein with respect to data center  150 ,  350 ,  450 ) may each correspond to any suitable processor-based device(s), such as a computing device or any combination of computing devices. Each controller  112 ,  312 ,  412 ,  140 ,  340 ,  440 , DC-C may generally include one or more processor(s) and associated memory (including, but not limited to,  114 ,  314 ,  414 ,  142 ,  342 ,  442 ) configured to perform a variety of computer-implemented functions (e.g., performing the methods, steps, algorithms, calculations and the like disclosed herein). Thus, each controller  112 ,  312 ,  412 ,  140 ,  340 ,  440 , DC-C may include a respective processor therein, as well as associated memory, data, and instructions, each forming at least part of the respective controller  112 ,  312 ,  412 ,  140 ,  340 ,  440 , DC-C. As used herein, the term “processor” refers not only to integrated circuits referred to in the art as being included in a computer, but also refers to a controller, a microcontroller, a microcomputer, a programmable logic controller (PLC), an application specific integrated circuit, and other programmable circuits. Additionally, the respective memory may generally include memory element(s) including, but not limited to, computer readable medium (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), computer readable non-volatile medium (e.g., a flash memory), a floppy disk, a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM), a magneto-optical disk (MOD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), and/or other suitable memory elements. Such memory may generally be configured to store information accessible to the processor(s), including data that can be retrieved, manipulated, created, and/or stored by the processor(s) and the instructions that can be executed by the processor(s). In some embodiments, data may be stored in one or more databases. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , there is shown a flowchart of a method  500  for conducting an agricultural procedure. By way of example only, the method  500  is described herein with reference to the agricultural assembly  100 . However, the agricultural assembly  100 ,  300 , and/or  400  may be used to carry out the method  500 . The method  500  may include mowing a crop material in the field by a mower-conditioner machine  120  (at block  502 ). At least one moisture sensor  148  may sense a moisture content of the crop material (at block  504 ). A location sensor  116  and/or  144  may sense a location of the mower-conditioner machine (at block  506 ). The vehicle controller  112 , the controller  140 , and/or the data center  150  may individually or collectively receive the moisture and location data and subsequently generate the moisture content map  154  based at least partially on the moisture content of the crop material and the location of the mower-conditioner machine (at block  508 ). Furthermore, the vehicle controller  112 , the controller  140 , and/or the data center  150  may individually or collectively estimate a drying time of the crop material based at least partially on the moisture content map (at block  507 ). Thereafter, the vehicle controller  112 , the controller  140 , and/or the data center  150  may output the moisture content map  154  and/or the estimated drying time  156  to the operator (at block  509 ). 
     It is to be understood that one or more of the steps of the method  500  may be individually or collectively performed by the vehicle controller  112 ,  312 ,  412 , the controller  140 ,  340 ,  440 , and/or the data center  150 ,  350 ,  450  of the agricultural assembly  100 ,  300 ,  400  upon loading and executing software code or instructions which are tangibly stored on a tangible computer readable medium, such as on a magnetic medium, e.g., a computer hard drive, an optical medium, e.g., an optical disc, solid-state memory, e.g., flash memory, or other storage media known in the art. Thus, any of the functionality performed by the controller(s) described herein, such as the method  500 , is implemented in software code or instructions which are tangibly stored on a tangible computer readable medium. The controller(s) loads the software code or instructions via a direct interface with the computer readable medium or via a wired and/or wireless network. Upon loading and executing such software code or instructions by the controller(s), the controller(s) may perform any of the functionality of the controller(s) described herein, including any steps of the method  500  described herein. 
     What follows in  FIGS. 6-10  is a focus on providing a way to detect and use crop yield in conjunction with a mower-conditioner machine. It will be appreciated that any of the elements described and shown above with respect to  FIGS. 1-5  can be included, even if not shown, in any of the  FIGS. 6-10 . For instance, the mower-conditioner machine(s) in  FIGS. 6-10  can also include moisture sensing capabilities, which can be used as described and shown above with respect to  FIGS. 1-5 , and furthermore can be used in conjunction with the yield data of  FIGS. 6-10  to provide more specific yield information. Further, in the embodiments of the present invention that follows, the reference numbers of elements that are substantially similar to what is described and shown with respect to  FIGS. 1-5  are raised by a factor of  100 , and thus can omit a detailed description thereof.] 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , there is shown another embodiment of the present invention, namely, an agricultural assembly  600  for controllably harvesting a forage crop material, such as a hay crop material. Agricultural assembly  600  which includes a work vehicle  610  (which can be referred to as an agricultural work vehicle, an agricultural vehicle, a work vehicle, or a vehicle) and a mower-conditioner machine  620  coupled with work vehicle  610 . Agricultural assembly  600  is substantially similar to agricultural assembly  100 , with reference numbers of substantially similar elements being raised by a factor of  100 . Work vehicle  610  is schematically shown and can be, for example, a tractor configured to pull mower-conditioner machine  620 , which is a pull-type mower-conditioner. 
     Work vehicle  610  may include a chassis, wheels and/or tracks, a prime mover, a steering assembly, and a cab for housing an operator. Work vehicle  610  may also include a controller  612 , with a memory  614 , and one or more sensor(s)  616  for sensing various operating parameters of the work vehicle  610 . Controller  612  can further include a processor(s)  617 , data  618  stored in memory  614 , and instructions  619 . Work vehicle  610  may include a positioning or location sensor  616  for sensing and providing location data, which may be formed as a GPS sensor or the like which tracks the position of work vehicle  610  in the field. Work vehicle  610  may also include a speed sensor, inclinometer, etc. That is, work vehicle  610  can include a known way to detect, determine, store, and use a ground speed of work vehicle  610 ; for instance, the ground speed of work vehicle  610  can be determined by and stored in controller  612  based upon data provided by ground speed sensor(s) (not shown). Work vehicle may also include user controls for controlling a speed of a power take-off shaft (PTO) speed for providing drive power to mower-conditioner  620 , this PTO speed being associated with the revolutions per minute (RPM) of an engine of work vehicle  610 , which can have specific settings (for example, 540 RPM, 1,000 RPM) and/or can be associated with a throttle position controlled by the user of work vehicle  610 . 
     Mower-conditioner machine  620  may be connected to and towed by the work vehicle  610 . Mower-conditioner machine  620  may generally include a frame  622  with a tongue  624  connected to the vehicle  610 , wheels  626 , a transversely disposed cutter bar  628 , a crop conditioner  630 , and a discharge assembly  632 . Conditioner  630  includes conditioning rolls  638  (rather than conditioning rolls  638 , conditioner  630  can include a single roll formed as a roll with flails, as is known). One or both conditioning rolls  638  can be driven by the PTO shaft so as to impart a motive force to the crop material rearward. The roll speed of one or both conditioning rolls  638  (which is associated with the speed of the PTO shaft, which itself is associated with the speed of an output shaft (such as a crankshaft) of the engine of the work vehicle  610 ) can be determined by way of known structures; this roll speed can be determined and stored in controller  612  and/or controller  640  (below). The discharge assembly  632  includes a crop-engaging device  634 , which can be formed as a swath gate  634  pivotally connected to frame  622  and a pair of side shields  636  (which can be referred to as windrow shields) pivotally connected to frame  622 . Swath gate  634  is configured for engaging with the crop material when the crop material exits the conditioning rolls  638  and is still airborne. That is, the crop material exits conditioning rolls  638  at a certain velocity imparted to the crop material by the conditioning rolls  638 , flies through the air, and strikes an underside surface (which can also be referred to as a crop-engaging surface) of swath gate  634 , and possibly strikes a windrow shield  636 , before being deposited onto the ground. 
     Mower-conditioner machine  620  may also include a controller  640 , with a memory  642 , and one or more sensor(s)  644 ,  648 ,  649 , and  647  for sensing various operating parameters of the mower-conditioner machine  620  and/or characteristics of the crop material. For instance, the mower-conditioner machine  620  may include one or more location sensors  644 , moisture sensors  648 , yield sensors  649 , and position sensors  647 . Sensors  644  and  648  are substantially similar to corresponding sensors discussed above (and thus will not be described again in detail here), and sensors  649  and  647  are discussed further below. It should be appreciated that the mower-conditioner machine  620  may not include a separate controller  640 ; therein, the various sensors sensor(s)  644 ,  648 ,  649 ,  647  may be operably coupled to the vehicle controller  612  which may control the functionality of mower-conditioner machine  620 . Controller  640  can further include a processor(s)  641 , data  643  stored in memory  642 , and instructions  645 . 
     Agricultural assembly  600  includes not only agricultural work vehicle  610  and mower-conditioner machine  620  but also a control system  670  operatively coupled with agricultural vehicle  610  and mower-conditioner machine  620 . Control system  670  includes controller  612 , controller  640 , sensors  616 ,  647 ,  648 ,  649  (sensors  146 ,  446 , and their functionality in conjunction with any corresponding controller  640 , controller  612 , and/or a controller of data center  650  and with other sensors, can be included in the embodiments of  FIGS. 6-10  as well but are not shown or discussed in conjunction with these figures), data center  650 , and network  652 , and controller  640  and/or controller  612  can be operatively coupled with sensors  616 ,  647 ,  648 ,  649 , data center  650 , and network  652 . Though the following discusses controller  640 , it can be appreciated that controller  612  can substitute for or be in addition to controller  640 . 
     Yield sensor  649  can be any suitable sensor configured for detecting the yield (that is, the quantity) of crop material exiting conditioner  630 . Thus, yield sensor  649  is configured for detecting an operative parameter associated with crop-engaging device  634  when the forage crop material engages crop-engaging device  634  and thereby for outputting (to controller  612  and/or controller  640 ) an operative parameter signal associated with the operative parameter. Yield sensor  649  can be, for example, a force sensor or a load cell device, and the operative parameter which yield sensor  649  senses, detects, or otherwise measures can be a force (stated otherwise, a load) that acts upon or is otherwise experienced by swath gate  634 . Yield sensor  649  and its interaction with swath gate  634  is discussed more below. 
     Position sensor  647  (which can also be referred to as a crop-engaging device position sensor) can be any suitable sensor configured for detecting the position, such as an angular position, of or associated with swath gate  634 . For example, position sensor  647  can be an angular position sensor attached to or otherwise coupled with frame  622  or any other suitable structure so as to be able to detect an angular position of swath gate  634  or a tube  771  to which swath gate  634  is attached, the tube being attached to or coupled with frame  622  and forming a pivot about which swath gate  634  can pivot relative to frame  622 . Thus, position sensor  647  is configured for detecting a position of crop-engaging device  634  and thereby for outputting a position signal associated with the position of the crop-engaging device  634 . 
     Thus, controller  640  is configured for: (a) receiving a signal from moisture sensor  648 ; (b) receiving the operative parameter signal (that is a signal associated with force) from yield sensor  649 ; and (c) determining a forage crop material yield based at least in part on the operative parameter signal (from yield sensor  649 ). Regarding (a), this is discussed above. Regarding (b), the operative parameter signal is outputted by yield sensor  649  and thus corresponds to the force sensed by yield sensor  649 . Regarding (c), based upon look-up tables and/or an algorithm, controller  640  can calculate or otherwise determine the forage crop material yield at any given point on the field that is harvested. This forage crop material yield can be outputted to controller  612  and/or data center  650  (below) and can be displayed on a display screen for a user to view or otherwise use. To determine the forage crop material yield, controller  640  can also factor in moisture data from moisture sensor  648 . For instance, when considering forage crop material yield, farmers (or other end users) are often concerned with the dry matter of the forage crop material. When the forage crop material is cut and conditioned by mower-conditioner  620 , the forage crop material may have a substantial moisture content and thus a relatively smaller dry matter content. To determine the dry matter content of the forage crop material cut and conditioned by mower-conditioner  620 , controller  640  can subtract the moisture content from moisture sensor  648  from the forage crop material yield from yield sensor  649 . Further, controller  640  is configured for generating a yield map  655  based at least in part on the forage crop material yield. Such a map  655  can show the yield data (whether yield data prior to subtracting the moisture content, or the dry matter content) at each point, area, zone, section, or field of interest to the user. When a value other than a point is of interest, average yield for the particular area, zone, section, or field can be calculated by controller  640 , for example. 
     Further, controller  640  can be operably connected to the vehicle controller  612  via an ISOBUS communication interface. As indicated, controller  640  can be configured to receive location data from one or more location sensors  616  and/or  644 , receive moisture content data from one or more moisture sensors  648 , and receive yield data from one or more yield sensors  649 . Controller  640  can also be configured to generate a moisture content map  154  based at least partially on the sensed moisture content data and the location data, and can be configured to generate yield map  655  based at least partially on the sensed yield data, the location data, as well as the moisture content data from moisture sensor  648 . Controller  640  can also be configured to estimate a drying time  656  of the crop material based at least partially on the moisture content map  154  and/or the yield map  655 . However, if mower-conditioner machine  620  is not equipped with controller  640 , vehicle controller  612  may perform the aforementioned functionality. Agricultural assembly  600  may also include data center  650  and network  652  which may be similar to the data center  150  and network  152 , as discussed above (and thus will not be discussed in as much detail as above). Briefly, vehicle controller  612  and/or the controller  640  can also be operatively coupled to data center  650  by way of network  652  of the assembly  600 . For instance, controller  640  can be operably connected to the network  652  by way of the vehicle controller  612 , or controller  640  may be directly connected to network  652 , separately from vehicle controller  612 . Data center  650  may also be configured to receive, process, and record data concerning the system  600 . Data center  650  can include one or more controllers controlling its operations (such as those operations referenced herein, such as with respect to  154 ,  655 ,  656 ), each controller including a processor, memory, data, and instructions (not shown). 
     It should be appreciated that controller  640 , vehicle controller  612 , and/or data center  650  may solely or collectively generate the moisture content map  154 , yield map  655 , and/or conduct drying time  656  processing by processing the signals, e.g. location data, moisture content data, yield data, etc., from the sensors  616 ,  644 ,  647 ,  648 ,  649  and estimating a drying time for one or more points, areas, sections, zones of the field, or fields. Generation of the moisture content map  154  is described above. Yield map  655  may be generated, as indicated, for the entire field or portions thereof such that the map  655  may be created and updated in real-time as mower-conditioner machine  620  is operating in the field. 
     In more detail, controller  640 , vehicle controller  612 , and/or data center  650  may determine the forage crop material yield of the forage crop material via a lookup table upon receiving the yield data from sensor(s)  649  (and, optionally, sensors  648 , as indicated), overlay the determined yield determinations with location data, and subsequently create yield map  655 . Yield map  655  and/or any other desired information, such as moisture data, the crop type, and/or weather conditions, may be used to estimate a drying time  656  of the crop material. The estimated drying time  656  may be sectionalized by specific passes and/or zones of similarly grouped crop material, such as dry or moist groupings of crop material. Furthermore, controller(s)  640 ,  612 , and/or data center  650  may generate an optimized procedure based on the estimated drying time. For instance, one or more specific areas of the field may require more or less dry-down time, which can then be used to more precisely plan an optimum subsequent forage processing operation strategy, such as tedding, raking, merging, baling, or chopping, in a particular field to provide optimum dry-down time for each area, zone, or section of a field. For example, if the crop material mowed in the northwest quadrant of a field has much lower yield in terms of dry matter content at the time of mowing than the other three quadrants, then the operator can perform the next forage processing operation the northwest quadrant last, thus allowing it more dry-down time relative to the other sections of the field rather than entering the field and beginning operation wherever it is most convenient to start operation. As can be appreciated, the data center  650  may or may not store the yield map  655  ( 655  can collectively refer to yield data and map), moisture content map  154  ( 154  can collectively refer to moisture content data and map), and/or the estimated drying time  656 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , there is shown mower-conditioner machine  620 , with portions broken away, from the rear. More specifically, shown are frame  622 , a pivot tube  771  pivotably mounted to frame  622 , swath gate  634 , mounting bracket  772  including a plurality of mounting holes, and sensor  649 . Sensor  649  is formed here as a load cell device  649  integrated as a mounting strut spanning the distance between a topside surface of swath gate  634  and mounting bracket  772 . The connection between sensor  649  and swath gate  634  is pivotable, as is the connection between sensor  649  and mounting bracket  772 . The latter connection can be manually adjusted by selectively repositioning the connection in a respective pair of mounting holes in mounting bracket  772 , depending upon the trajectory that the user wishes the crop material to take when exiting, for example, conditioning rolls  638 . Though only one sensor  649  is shown in  FIG. 7 , it can be appreciated that a plurality of sensors  649  can be employed at various positions along the topside surface of swath gate  634 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , there is shown a side view of swath gate  634 , conditioning rolls  638  (alternatively, a single roll with flails could be provided instead), yield sensor  649  (each of which is shown schematically), and a stream  873  of crop material (such as hay crop material, which can also be referred to as a crop mat at this stage) exiting from between conditioning rolls  638  and striking against the underside surface of swath gate  634  (not shown is the crop material falling away after striking swath gate  634 ). In conjunction with  FIG. 8 , what is described is how to calculate the mass of the crop material striking swath gate  634 , and thus the crop yield. Further, what is shown in  FIG. 8  can be considered a single frame of reference moving horizontally to the right of the page and at the same speed. Conditioning rolls  638  rotate in opposite directions and with substantially similar angular velocity, the lower conditioning roll shown to have a radius  874  and to rotate counter-clockwise with an angular velocity  875 . The stream  873  of crop material exits from between conditioning rolls  638  at a velocity  876  of the crop (signified by the arrow  876  on stream  873 ) and at an angle  877  with the horizontal (which can be deemed to be the ground) or a horizontal surface of mower-conditioner  620 . Velocity  876  and angle  877  can be deemed constant, with velocity being calculated from angular velocity  875  and radius  874  (linear velocity=radius*angular velocity). Swath gate  634  rotates about a pivot axis  888  in order to set the angular setting of swath gate  634  by way of pivot tube  771  and mounting bracket  772 . With the angular setting of swath gate  634  in  FIG. 8 , swath gate  634  is at an angle  891  from the horizontal (which can be sensed by sensor  647 ), and stream  873  of crop material strikes swath gate  634  at a radial distance  889  from pivot axis  888 ; (radial distance  889  can be calculated from angles  877  and  891 ). Yield sensor  649  is positioned a radial distance  890  from pivot axis  888 . Assumed is that stream  873  strikes swath gate  634  at velocity  876  and at angle  877  to the horizontal and that swath gate  634  is essentially a rigid surface that does not deflect and can be used to measure load imparted by the crop material. Further, angle  892  can be calculated using angles  877  and  891 . 
     In general, the equation “force=mass*acceleration” can be used to determine the mass of forage crop material and thus the yield. More specifically, this can be adapted so as to use the impact force of the crop material on swath gate  634  over a period of time to calculate the mass of the crop material, as follows: f ave =(m*v)/t, wherein m=(f ave *t)/v, wherein f ave  is the average crop force, m=mass of crop material, v=velocity of crop material, and t=elapsed time. According to one way of working with this latter equation, f ave  can more specifically correspond to a perpendicular force  893  (f ave-p-st ) of stream  873 , and v can more specifically correspond to a vertical velocity component v vert    896  of velocity  876 . which can be calculated using the perpendicular force  894  measured by sensor  649  and a force balancing about pivot axis  888  (in particular, pivot tube  771 ). That is, the moment  895  (torque) about axis  888  caused by stream  873  striking swath gate  634  is equal to both the moment about axis  888  caused by force  893  and the moment about axis  888  caused by force  894  (moment=force*distance), wherein force  893 =(force  894 *distance  890 )/(distance  889 ). Further, v vert    896 =velocity  876 *sine (angle  897 ), wherein angle  897  can be calculated given angles  877 ,  891 ,  892 . 
     Further, a correction factor can be employed as well, to render the mass calculation even more precise. In this vein, then the equation for mass can become: m=c*(f ave *t)/v, wherein c is a crop constant based on the physical characteristics of the mowed crop material. This, optionally, can include (though not necessarily so) the moisture content of the crop material that is measured by moisture sensor  648  (that is, the dry matter content of the yield can be calculated knowing the moisture content). Further, the mass of the crop material over a period of time (for example, at a frequency of 1 Hz) along with GPS location (i.e., from sensors  616  and/or  644 ) to provide the yield map  655 . Further, a correction factor for machine set up (i.e., mower-conditioner machine  620 ) can be used as well, which can reflect roll pressure and/or roll gap (with reference to conditioning rolls  638 ); for, the crop material may contact the swath gate  634  differently for different roll pressures, for example. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 9 , there is shown an alternative embodiment of the agricultural assembly according to the present invention, namely, an agricultural assembly  900  for controllably harvesting the crop material, such as hay crop material. Agricultural assembly  900  which includes a work vehicle  910  (which can be referred to as an agricultural work vehicle, an agricultural vehicle, a work vehicle, or a vehicle) and a mower-conditioner machine  920  coupled with work vehicle  910 . Agricultural assembly  900  is substantially similar to agricultural assembly  600 , with reference numbers of substantially similar elements being raised by a factor of 100. Agricultural assembly  900  is also substantially similar to agricultural assembly  400  in that work vehicle  910  is a self-propelled windrower, and mower-conditioner machine  920  is an attachment head  920  that is removably connected to windrower  910 . 
     Similarly to the work vehicle  610 , work vehicle  910  may include a chassis  911 , wheels and/or tracks  913 , a prime mover, a steering assembly, a cab  915 , a controller  912 , with a memory  914 , and one or more sensor(s)  916 , such as a location sensor  916 , for sensing various operating parameters of the work vehicle  910 , such as the location of work vehicle  910 . The vehicle controller  912  may operate substantially similar to the vehicle controller  612 , as discussed above. 
     Mower-conditioner machine  920  may be removably connected to and pushed by the work vehicle  910 . Mower-conditioner  920  may include a frame  922  that is removably connected to the chassis  911  of work vehicle  910 , a transversely disposed cutter bar  928 , a crop conditioner  930  with conditioning rolls  938 , and a discharge assembly  932 . Discharge assembly  932  includes a swath gate  934  which may be pivotally connected to frame  922  and a pair of side shields  936  which may be pivotally connected to frame  922 . 
     Mower-conditioner machine  920  may also include a controller  940 , with a memory  942 , and one or more sensor(s)  944 ,  948 ,  949 ,  947  for sensing various operating parameters of the mower-conditioner machine  920  and/or characteristics of the crop material. Controller  940  can be operably connected to vehicle controller  912 . Mower-conditioner machine  920  may include one or more crop location sensors  944 , moisture sensors  948 , yield sensors  949 , and/or position sensors  947 . Controller  940  and sensors  944 ,  948 ,  949 ,  947  may be substantially similar to controller  640  and sensors  644 ,  648 ,  649 ,  647 , as discussed above. It should be appreciated that mower-conditioner machine  920  may not include a controller  940  or location sensor  944 ; thus, the various sensors sensor(s)  948 ,  949 ,  947  may be operably coupled to vehicle controller  912  which may control the functionality of mower-conditioner machine  920 . The agricultural assembly  900  may also include a data center  950  and a network  952  which may be substantially similar to data center  650  and network  652 , as discussed above, and thus may receive, process, and/or store moisture content data and map  154 , yield data and map  955 , and estimated drying time  956 . Further, agricultural assembly  900  further includes control system  970 , which includes controller  912 , controller  940 , sensors  916 ,  947 ,  948 ,  949 , data center  950 , and network  952 , and controller  940  and/or controller  912  can be operatively coupled with sensors  916 ,  946 ,  947 ,  948 ,  949 , data center  950 , and network  952  (sensors  146 ,  446 , and their functionality in conjunction with any corresponding controller  940 , controller  912 , and/or a controller of data center  950  and with other sensors, can be included in the embodiments of  FIGS. 6-10  as well but are not shown or discussed in conjunction with these figures). Further, controller  912  can include processor  917 , memory  914 , data  918 , and instructions  919 ; controller  940  can include processor  941 , memory  942 , data  943 , and instructions  945 ; and data center  950  can include one or more controllers controlling its operations (such as those operations referenced herein, such as with respect to  154 ,  955 ,  956 ), each controller including a processor, memory, data, and instructions (not shown). 
     Further, in general, controllers  612 ,  640 ,  912 ,  940 , and any controllers associated with data center  650 ,  950  (referenced as DC-C 2 , for the respective data center controller, which can control any of the operations mentioned herein with respect to data center  650 ,  950 ) may each correspond to any suitable processor-based device(s), such as a computing device or any combination of computing devices. Each controller  612 ,  640 ,  912 ,  940 , DC-C 2  may generally include one or more processor(s)  617 ,  641 ,  917 ,  941  and associated memory  614 ,  642 ,  914 ,  942  configured to perform a variety of computer-implemented functions (e.g., performing the methods, steps, algorithms, calculations and the like disclosed herein). Thus, each controller  612 ,  640 ,  912 ,  940 , DC-C 2  may include a respective processor  617 ,  641 ,  917 ,  941  therein, as well as associated memory  614 ,  642 ,  914 ,  942 , data  618 ,  643 ,  918 ,  943 , and instructions  619 ,  645 ,  919 ,  945 , each forming at least part of the respective controller  612 ,  640 ,  912 ,  940 , DC-C 2 . As used herein, the term “processor” refers not only to integrated circuits referred to in the art as being included in a computer, but also refers to a controller, a microcontroller, a microcomputer, a programmable logic controller (PLC), an application specific integrated circuit, and other programmable circuits. Additionally, the respective memory  614 ,  642 ,  914 ,  942  may generally include memory element(s) including, but not limited to, computer readable medium (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), computer readable non-volatile medium (e.g., a flash memory), a floppy disk, a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM), a magneto-optical disk (MOD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), and/or other suitable memory elements. Such memory  614 ,  642 ,  914 ,  942  may generally be configured to store information accessible to the processor(s)  617 ,  641 ,  917 ,  941 , including data  618 ,  643 ,  918 ,  943  that can be retrieved, manipulated, created, and/or stored by the processor(s)  617 ,  641 ,  917 ,  941  and the instructions  619 ,  645 ,  919 ,  945  that can be executed by the processor(s)  617 ,  641 ,  917 ,  941 . In some embodiments, data  618 ,  643 ,  918 ,  943  may be stored in one or more databases. 
     In use, agricultural assembly  600 ,  900  can be used to perform a mowing-conditioning operation with respect to a crop material, such as hay crop material. As agricultural assembly  600 ,  900  traverses the ground, mower-conditioner machine  620 ,  920  cuts the crop material. Upon being severed from the ground, the crop material flows from cutter bar  628 ,  928  to conditioning rolls  638 ,  938  (or to a single rotating roll if flails are used); the crop material passes between conditioning rolls  638  and proceeds airborne to strike the underside surface of swath gate  634 ,  934 , which has been set at a certain desired angle from the horizontal, and then proceeds to fall to the ground. Location sensors  616 ,  916  and/or  644 ,  944  provide the location of vehicle  610 ,  910  and/or mower-conditioner machine  620 ,  920  to a respective controller  612 ,  912 ,  640 ,  940  (a lateral offset being considered by a respective controller  612 ,  640 , as necessary, when a pull-type mower-conditioner  610  is employed). Moisture sensors  648 ,  948  can provide moisture content data to a respective controller  612 ,  912 ,  640 ,  940  so as to determine a moisture content of the crop material. Yield sensors  649 ,  949  provide yield data to a respective controller  612 ,  912 ,  640 ,  940  so as to determine a crop yield of the crop material; this crop yield can be, more specifically, a dry matter yield of the crop material, which is a function of the moisture content, as discussed above. Position sensors  647 ,  947  detect the position of swath gate  634 ,  934  and provide this information to controller  612 ,  912 ,  640 ,  940  in order to determine the crop material yield. A respective controller  612 ,  912 ,  640 ,  940  can generate a moisture content map  154 , a yield map  655 ,  955 , and estimate drying time  656 ,  956 . All of this information can be received, processed, and/or stored in data center  650 ,  950 , by way of network  652 ,  952 . Further, a controller of data center  650 ,  950  can perform any of the controller functions described herein with respect to controllers  612 ,  912 ,  640 ,  940 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 10 , there is shown a flow diagram of a method  1000  of controllably harvesting a forage crop material. Method  1000  includes the steps of: providing  1001  an agricultural assembly  600 ,  900  including an agricultural work vehicle  610 ,  910 , a mower-conditioner machine  620 ,  920 , and a control system  670 ,  970 , the mower-conditioner machine  620 ,  920  being coupled with the agricultural work vehicle  610 ,  910  and including a crop-engaging device  634 ,  934  configured for engaging with the forage crop material, the control system  670 ,  970  being operatively coupled with the agricultural work vehicle  610 ,  910  and the mower-conditioner machine  620 ,  920 ; detecting  1002 , by a yield sensor  649 ,  949  of the control system  670 ,  970 , an operative parameter associated with the crop-engaging device  634 ,  934  when the forage crop material engages the crop-engaging device  634 ,  934  and thereby outputting an operative parameter signal associated with the operative parameter; receiving  1003 , by a controller  612 ,  640 ,  912 ,  940  of the control system and which is operatively coupled with the yield sensor  649 ,  949 , the operative parameter signal; and determining  1004 , by the controller  612 ,  640 ,  912 ,  940 , a forage crop material yield based at least in part on the operative parameter signal. Further, the crop-engaging device  634 ,  934  can be a swath gate  634 ,  934  of the mower-conditioner machine  620 ,  920 . Further, the yield sensor  649 ,  949  can be a load cell device  649 ,  949 , and the operative parameter can be a load (force) experienced by the crop-engaging device  634 ,  934 . Further, the control system  670 ,  970  can further include a crop-engaging device position sensor  647 ,  947 , the method  1000  further including the steps of: detecting, by the crop-engaging device position sensor  647 ,  947 , a position of the crop-engaging device  634 ,  934  and thereby outputting a position signal associated with the position of the crop-engaging device  634 ,  934 ; and receiving, by the controller  612 ,  640 ,  912 ,  940  which is operatively coupled with the crop-engaging device position sensor  649 ,  949 , the position signal; and determining, by the controller  612 ,  640 ,  912 ,  940 , the forage crop material yield based at least in part on the position signal. Further, the method  1000  can further include the step of generating  1005 , by the controller  612 ,  640 ,  912 ,  940 , a yield map based at least in part on the forage crop material yield. 
     It is to be understood that the steps of method  1000  are performed by controller  612 ,  640 ,  912 ,  940 , DC-C 2  upon loading and executing software code or instructions which are tangibly stored on a tangible computer readable medium, such as on a magnetic medium, e.g., a computer hard drive, an optical medium, e.g., an optical disc, solid-state memory, e.g., flash memory, or other storage media known in the art. Thus, any of the functionality performed by controller  612 ,  640 ,  912 ,  940 , DC-C 2  described herein, such as the method  1000 , is implemented in software code or instructions which are tangibly stored on a tangible computer readable medium. The controller  612 ,  640 ,  912 ,  940 , DC-C 2  loads the software code or instructions via a direct interface with the computer readable medium or via a wired and/or wireless network. Upon loading and executing such software code or instructions by controller  612 ,  640 ,  912 ,  940 , DC-C 2 , controller  612 ,  640 ,  912 ,  940 , DC-C 2  may perform any of the functionality of controller  612 ,  640 ,  912 ,  940 , DC-C 2  described herein, including any steps of the method  1000 . 
     The term “software code” or “code” used herein refers to any instructions or set of instructions that influence the operation of a computer or controller. They may exist in a computer-executable form, such as machine code, which is the set of instructions and data directly executed by a computer&#39;s central processing unit or by a controller, a human-understandable form, such as source code, which may be compiled in order to be executed by a computer&#39;s central processing unit or by a controller, or an intermediate form, such as object code, which is produced by a compiler. As used herein, the term “software code” or “code” also includes any human-understandable computer instructions or set of instructions, e.g., a script, that may be executed on the fly with the aid of an interpreter executed by a computer&#39;s central processing unit or by a controller. 
     These and other advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing specification. Accordingly, it is to be recognized by those skilled in the art that changes or modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the broad inventive concepts of the invention. It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is intended to include all changes and modifications that are within the scope and spirit of the invention.