Harvesting path planning systems and methods

A computer-based system for improving harvest production performance, the system comprising a processor for processing instructions and data, and memory for storing the instructions and the data, the system further comprising:

• a crop transport logistics module that identifies crop transport availability for a harvesting operation performed by at least one harvester in a field, wherein the crop transport availability is identified using data representative of the availability of one or more crop transport vehicles to offload harvested crop from the harvester during the harvesting operation;
• a harvester operation mapping module that identifies a harvesting path for the harvester during the operation to provide a predicted crop harvesting rate that complements the identified crop transport availability, the harvesting path for the harvester identified using a productivity index for at least a portion of a field, wherein the productivity index is representative of a predicted harvest rate for the crop in a location in the field;
• and
• a harvester control module that guides the harvester to an area of the field that will provide the improved harvest production performance.

A system for improving harvest production performance, the system comprising:

• an agricultural harvester configured to harvest a crop in a field during a harvesting operation;
• a controller comprising a processor for processing instructions and data, and memory for storing the instructions and the data, the controller configured to:
• identify crop transport availability during a harvesting operation, wherein the crop transport availability comprises data representing an out of field transport system characteristic;
• and
• identify a predictive harvesting path for the harvester based at least on the identified crop transport availability and a productivity index for at least a portion of a field in which the harvester is operating;
• and
• a harvester control module that guides the harvester to an area of the field that will provide the improved harvest production performance using the predictive harvesting path for the harvester, the harvester control module comprising one or more of:
• a mapping subsystem that generates a field map to guide the harvester based on the predictive harvesting path;
• and
• a harvester control subsystem that controls the harvester based on the predictive harvesting path;
• wherein the productivity index for the at least the portion of the field is representative of a predicted harvest rate for the crop in a location in the field;
• and
• wherein the predictive harvesting path comprises a location in the field with a lower productivity index when the identified crop transport availability is lower, and the predictive harvesting path comprises a location in the field with a higher productivity index when the identified crop transport availability is higher.