Apparatus, systems and methods for automated navigation of agricultural equipment

An agricultural guidance and navigation system comprising a processor configured to:

• (a) receive leading vehicle path data from a leading vehicle comprising a leading vehicle swath and series of locations;
• (b) generate one or more guidance paths for use by an automatic steering system of a following vehicle, the guidance path being generated by applying an offset to the leading vehicle path data, the offset determined using a difference between the leading vehicle swath and a following vehicle swath;
• and
• (c) output the one or more guidance paths and command the automatic steering system to automatically steer the following vehicle along the one or more guidance paths.

A method for generating a guidance path for a following vehicle comprising:

• recording a path of a leading vehicle, the leading vehicle having a first swath;
• determining an offset distance based on a difference of the first swath and a second swath of the following vehicle;
• generating guidance paths for the following vehicle using the offset and the path of the leading vehicle;
• loading the guidance paths into an automatic steering system of the following vehicle;
• and
• automatically steering the following vehicle along the guidance paths.