Election Results Announced
 Congratulations to the newly elected officers of the Society.
Voted to the Society Board are President-Elect Amy L. Kaleita and Trustees Brian Huenink, Tiffany Messer, and Mark Riley. Joining the Nominating Committee are Elizabeth Hawkins, Edwin Brokesh, Sreekala Bajwa, Margaret Gitau, Marybeth Lima, Kevin Moore, and Rick Stowell. Terms of office begin at the close of the 2026 AIM in Indianapolis.
A very hearty thanks to all voters and candidates alike for contributing to a successful election and affirming the importance of the work of ASABE and of Society volunteers.
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Davidson Prize Awarded to Three Top Innovations
 ASABE and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers presented the Davidson Prize to two top innovative agricultural technologies.
This year's Davidson Prizes were awarded to:
- Grain Weevil, Grain Weevil Corporation
- Outrun | Tillage, PTx Trimble
The announcement was made at the 2026 Commodity Classic, held last month in San Antonio.
The Davidson Prize was designed to celebrate breakthrough innovations in areas of agricultural, food, and biological systems engineering. It is named for J.B. Davidson, the father of modern agricultural engineering. It gives a nod to the storied past of agricultural engineering and pays homage to those engineers, like J.B. Davidson, who aspire to find a better way.
Winners were selected from the 2026 AE50 honorees, announced at the Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference last month.
More about the 2026 winners
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Making Our Case to a National Audience
 This March, ASABE appeared in a USA Today special edition focused on the U.S. Department of Agriculture — putting our profession in front of policymakers, agency leaders, and decision-makers at exactly the right moment.
Our full-page ad, headlined "Engineers Who Feed, Fuel, and Protect the World," made the case that agricultural and biological engineers are already solving the challenges that matter most: food security, clean water, renewable energy, and resilient global supply chains.
The USDA-themed special edition reaches an audience with direct influence over research funding, agricultural policy, and workforce priorities—and positions ASABE members as the experts central to that conversation. It also introduces our profession to a broader public audience who may not yet know that the systems behind their food, water, and energy were designed by engineers like ours.
The ASABE ad appears on page 23 of the edition.
If you know someone who should be part of our community—a colleague, a student, or a policy professional who works alongside our members—point them to asabe.org.
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Mark Your Calendar!
ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL MEETING
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ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL MEETING
July 12 – 15, 2026
Indianapolis
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Registration for 26 AIM continues through May 12 at the early bird rates!
Watch later this spring for forthcoming details on the technical sessions, socials, and committee meetings. The AIM website and registration portal will be updated with the schedules and events as they are confirmed.
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Add CPDs and tours to your registration before the posted deadline to avoid cancellation for low participation.
Bringing your child to AIM? Sign up for childcare while you attend sessions! KiddieCorp is back and will be available Monday through Wednesday during the technical session programming. Space is limited. Watch for the registration link to be posted in March!
Traveling from overseas? Prepare now! Visa requests can take six months or more. |
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Keep Us in the Loop
Don't miss the resources, news, and opportunities your membership delivers. If you've moved inboxes, let us know. Update your email address so everything reaches you.
Update Your Record
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Get Noticed: Advertise in Our Guide to Consultants
Advertise in our Guide to Consultants, published as a supplement to the May/June issue of Resource magazine. Engineering consultants can provide invaluable assistance with complex issues and this Guide is a great way to get the word out about your expertise.
Deadline is March 31 to submit the order form to Jill Straub.
“A simple Google search of ‘How do I hire an ag engineer?’ quickly leads to ASABE’s Guide to Consultants, which is available to the public. We have taken advantage of this and gotten one to two leads each year. Let’s continue to grow this resource so it’s an even greater sought-after resource!”
—ASABE member Gayle Baker, PE, Maurer-Stutz
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COMING UP
Member Events
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Final Call for Fellows Nominations
“A Fellow shall be an engineer of unusual professional distinction, with outstanding and extraordinary qualifications and experience in, or related to, the field of agricultural, food or biological engineering.”
Do you know of someone worthy of this prestigious honor? If so, and if the individual has been a member of ASABE for at least 20 years and has actively practiced in, or related to the profession of engineering, the teaching of engineering, or the teaching of an engineering related curriculum for at least 20 years, consider nominating for Fellow of ASABE for 2027.
Nominations for the 2027 Class of Fellows are due April 15.
Visit our Fellows webpage for nominating instructions and eligibility requirements.
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ITSC Paper Awards – Deadline April 20
The Information Technology, Sensors & Control Systems (ITSC) technical community is pleased to announce the ITSC Meeting Paper Award for the 2026 ASABE Annual International Meeting. To be considered for the award, by April 20, papers must:
- Be submitted to ASABE via the standard conference paper submission process detailed at asabeaim.org
- Be associated with an abstract that has been approved for presentation (any format) during an ITSC-sponsored or -cosponsored session at that year's AIM
- Use the most current annual meeting paper template
Successful submission is ultimately the responsibility of the contact author. For questions, email AIMpapers@asabe.org.
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Student Scholarships, Competition Deadlines
Springtime is deadline time!
We are just weeks away from the cutoff dates for several of our competitive awards, so don't delay in signing up. For complete details and entry forms, please visit our student awards and competition webpage.
April 15
- Bioprocess Startup
- Fountain Wars
May 15
- AGCO National Student Design Competition, KK Barnes Student Paper Competition, Gunlogson Design Open Competition
June 1
Student Honor Awards - Entries Due April 20
Each student engineering branch and student mechanization branch may elect one student branch member to receive the Student Honor Award. This award recognizes scholarship, activity in student branch affairs, extracurricular and national student activities and the importance of maintaining the good will and respect of associates. Score sheet and winning student names must be received at ASABE headquarters by April 20.
Apply Now
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Help Shape the Future of the FE Exam
NCEES is seeking licensed engineers and engineering faculty to participate in a knowledge content review for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam. The results of the survey will be used to update exam content, a process that occurs every six to eight years.
A cross-section of licensed engineers and engineering faculty is required, including those working in industry, consulting, the public sector, and academia, so provide your input and share with other licensed engineers.
The survey can be completed in approximately 25 minutes and will remain open until April 6.
Complete the survey
For more information, contact NCEES Exam Development Engineer Cheryl Warren, PhD, PE.
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In Memoriam
Leon Sanderson
 Leon Sanderson passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 93.
Born in Ypsilanti, Michigan on April 30, 1932, Sanderson was one of five siblings. Growing up in central Michigan, he attended Michigan State University, where he earned both BS and MS in agricultural engineering.
Sanderson spent 40 years with John Deere, mostly at the Des Moines Works, designing cotton pickers, and when asked what his job was, he’d reply with a grin, “a cotton-pickin’ engineer.” His work took him to cotton fields around the world, from the southern United States to Australia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Spain, and Mexico. He held at least nine patents.
He and his wife, Lucy, took international trips with The Friendship Force and welcomed travelers into their home, building connections across cultures. In addition to annual family camping trips across the US, his journeys took him to China, Germany, Canada, Russia, England, Scotland, New Zealand, and Panama.
Discovering bicycling as a hobby in his 40’s, he rode more RAGBRAIs (annual 500-mile bike ride across Iowa) than could be counted. He also founded the Des Moines Mayor’s Annual Ride. To mark his 80th birthday, he completed an 80-mile ride, and by the end of his cycling days he had logged more than 200,000 miles on his last bike.
Sanderson was a 70-year member of the Society.
Full obituary
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