Abstract: A method for dividing a field into zones with similar crop attributes and developing a mission plan for steering the harvester to selectively harvest crops based on one or more of the attributes. The attributes include protein level, starch level, oil level, sugar content, moisture level, digestible nutrient level, or any other crop characteristic of interest. The method can be applied to selectively harvest and/or segregate according to attribute any crop, including grains such as wheat, corn, or beans, fruits such as grapes, and forage crops. Directed crop sampling provides absolute value and variance information for segregated batches of harvested crop.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method for acquiring elevation data for an area. The method includes using a GPS receiver to map ground elevations while driving back and forth over an area and periodically recording position, elevation, and time. Then, at least one track is made across the parallel tracks so that the cross track intersects the parallel tracks. The data obtained is processed and elevation data from the cross track is used to adjust elevation data for the parallel tracks, compensating for elevation drift in measurements recorded by the GPS receiver. The adjusted data for the entire area is processed using the method of the present invention to obtain an elevation map for the area.