In This Month's Issue:

• From the Executive Director
• Celebrate Student Success at Awards Banquet
• AMAA Programming at AIM Focuses on African Mechanization
• ASABE Engage—A New Online Community for Members and Volunteers
• IDEA Sessions at AIM Strengthen Leadership in Diversity
• Circular Bioeconomy Systems to Host Workshop at AIM
• Registered for AIM? Get Oriented with Our Great New Tool!
• New RISE Initiative Invites Participants
• ITSC Paper Awards Announced
• Highlight Your Academic Program in Special Capstone Issue of Resource
• P-515 Teaching and Learning Resources to Meet Pre-AIM
• Editorial Board Announces Outstanding Editors and Reviewers
• Superior Paper Awards Announced
• May/June Resource Focuses on Innovation, Sustainability
• Refer a Member, Earn Some (ASABE) Bucks!
• Irrigation Textbook Instructor Kit Available
• YPC News and Events
• AABFEIO Upcoming Events
• ANGASABE Events at ASABE
• VisualChallenge12 Invites Photography Submissions
• ASABE Publications Welcomes New Staff Editor
• Soil Erosion Research Symposium to Team with AgroEnviron 2020 in 2023
• Jefferson Science Fellowships: Call for Applications
• Standards Updates
• In Memoriam—James P. Doering, George Abernathy, Philip Kester, Arthur Muehling

From the Executive Director

AIM 2022: See You in Houston!

July 17-20
Marriott Marquis, Houston, Texas

Celebrate Student Success at Awards Banquet

AMAA Programming at AIM Focuses on Ag Mechanization in Africa

Tuesday, July 19, 9:30 am—Noon; 2:30—5:00 pm

You are encouraged be part of a movement poised to impact global food security and African economic development.

The Alliance for Modernizing African Agrifood Systems (AMAA) will be hosting two sessions on Tuesday, July 19, under E-2050, Global Engagement, at the 2022 annual international meeting.  

Join us at 9:30 am as the four AMAA pillar leads present their thoughts on issues such as Technology and Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Business Development, Capacity Building and Workforce Development, and Infrastructure and Policy Framework.  The afternoon session, starting at 2:30 pm, will have interactive breakout activities to set AMAA goals, action plans, and milestones. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

ASABE Engage—A New Online Community for Members and Volunteers

IDEA Sessions at AIM Strengthen Leadership in Diversity

Tuesday, July 19, 2:30—5:00 pm 
ASABE Special Interest Guest Speaker Session
Becoming Inclusive: A Worthy Pursuit in Cultivating Access 
Invited talk open to all conference attendees
Moderator(s): Sue E Nokes, Mark Riley 
Sponsoring Committee: EOPD-416 Continuing Professional Development 

Wednesday, July 20, 10:15–11:45 am 
ASABE Special Interest Guest Speaker Session 
Brainstorming and IDEA Session on Diversity and Inclusion 
Roundtable discussion with Helen Fagan
Moderator(s): Sue Nokes
Sponsoring Committees: EOPD-416 Continuing Professional Development, E-2050 Global Engagement 
 
Helen Fagan is a faculty member and program lead for the InclusiveCommunity Leadership Fellows program at the University of Nebraska. Before her academic career, she created and led the Diversity and Cultural Competence Initiatives at BryanHealth in Lincoln, Nebraska, a program that garnered national recognition for innovation and effectiveness. She integrates her experience as an immigrant from Iran to the United States, as she coaches, writes, trains and inspires global leaders.

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Circular Bioeconomy Systems to Host Workshop at AIM

Tuesday, July 19, 2022
9:00 am—Noon

Circular Bioeconomy Systems is the new name for the initiative previously known as Transforming Food and Agriculture to Circular Systems.  Join us at this year's annual meeting for a half-day workshop focusing on circular bioeconomy systems:

• Learn how to analyze circular bioeconomy systems
• Learn importance of systems thinking and approaches in CBS
• Analyze selected bioeconomy value chains
• Learn how to use LCA in creating more-circular bioeconomy systems
• Share your own ideas

Registered for AIM? Get Oriented with Our Great New Tool!

Registered for the meeting? Want to know what sessions should be a priority based on your interests? We have an app for that!

Check out the new AIM Orientation Tool. This tool is a way to get familiar with the AIM sessions and schedule prior to attending. User Disclaimer: This tool does not replace the AIM Program app that will be released right before the event, but to help you to prepare in the meantime.

New RISE Initiative Invites Participants

Over the last eight months, an ad hoc committee working within E-05, Marketing and External Communications, has developed an enhanced member communication and engagement strategy. The committee has named the initiative ASABE RISE (Reimagining Society Engagement) and believes this structure is important to manage future change. This initiative will enhance all members’ engagement in their Society in numerous ways. The initiative structure is set up to address five modules of improvement: Society core message, member value, member engagement, Society partner engagement, and non-member engagement.
 
Each module will contain multiple, coordinated projects with the intent to build on our Society’s strong base in standards development, meetings, and publications. RISE will be used to support change of our IT and Society processes while coordinating with other initiatives, such as Circular Bioeconomy Systems and the Alliance for Modernizing African Agriculture, as well as future Society partnership initiatives.
 
RISE’s structure is intended to coordinate, prioritize, and guide multiple projects over a multiple-year project landscape. It will give committees a clearer vision of the Society’s growth path in helping our members engage more effectively on their needed subject matter.

To understand this initial RISE structure (modules of change) and some of the new project ideas per module, you can download and review a slide presentation. The process of refining RISE with multiple committees is just beginning.
 
We need and welcome your help. If you wish to participate in RISE, learn more. 

—Maury Salz, RISE Chair

ITSC Paper Awards Announced

• "An Autonomous Ground Robotic System for 3D LiDAR-based Crop Scouting," Javier Rodriguez-Sanchez, Changying Li
• "In-Field Pine Seedling Counting Using End-to-End Deep Learning for Inventory Management," Rafael Bidese Puhl, Yin Bao, Nina Payne, Thomas Stokes, Ryan Nadel, Scott Enebak
• "Rapid and Intelligent Food Safety Inspection Using a Multimode Optical Sensing System," Jianwei Qin, Moon S. Kim, Jeehwa Hong, Hyunjeong Cho, Jo Ann S. Van Kessel, Insuck Baek, Kuanglin Chao, Byoung-Kwan Cho, Qibing Zhu, Min Huang
• "3D Deep Learning-based Segmentation to Reveal the Spatial Distribution of Cotton Bolls," Lizhi Jiang, Changying Li, Longsheng Fu
• "Automated Pruning Decisions in Dormant Canopies Using Instance Segmentation," Daniel Borrenpohl & Manoj Karkee

Highlight Your Program in Special Capstone Issue of Resource

Gain publicity for your academic program in a student-focused special issue of Resource magazine. We're offering advertising packages that include copies for recruitment purposes. This issue is only published every three years. See the previous publication  as an example.

The issue will mail in September 2022 and will illustrate the capstone experiences that integrate and synthesize what students have learned in agricultural and biological engineering programs. In addition to magazine subscribers, this issue is distributed via Engineers Week activities, the FFA Expo, requests for career materials, and other outreach and is used for student recruitment purposes.

If you plan to advertise, please reply to this email by July 15 and return this order form. Please provide the ad copy by July 15. Contact Jill Straub for information, phone 269-932-7004 or straub@asabe.org.
 

P-515 Teaching and Learning Resources Meeting Pre-AIM

ASABE's Teaching and Learning Resources committee, P-515, will be meeting before the annual international meeting via Zoom.

If you would like to attend this pre-AIM meeting, please email publications@asabe.org. The meeting will be held July 13, 3:30 to 5:00 pm Eastern time.

Editorial Board Announces Outstanding Editors and Reviewers

Superior Paper Awards Announced

Every year, hundreds of papers are published in ASABE journals. Members and non-members refer to these journals for technical information, trusting that the information will be of high quality and reliable content. During the 2021 publication year 306 manuscripts were published in the Society’s three journals. From these high-quality papers, five percent were then selected for Superior Paper Awards.

Energy Systems

• Noura Saïed, Mohamed Khelifi, Annick Bertrand, Gaëtan Tremblay, Mohammed Aider, “Ensilability and Nutritive Value of Sweet Sorghum and Sweet Pearl Millet Bagasse as Affected by Different Methods of Carbohydrate Extraction for Eventual Ethanol Production,” Transactions of the ASABE 64(2): 401-411

Ergonomics, Safety, & Health

• Cheryl L. Beseler, Risto H. Rautiainen, “Assessing Nonresponse Bias in Farm Injury Surveillance Data," Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health 27(4): 215-227

• Kenichi Tatsumi, “A Dynamic Model for the Relationship between Rice Growth and Meteorology, Water, Nitrogen, and Canopy Structure,” Transactions of the ASABE 64(5): 1581-1610
• Zhihang Song, Wei Qi, Jian Jin, “MISIRoot: A Robotic, Minimally Invasive, in Situ Imaging System for Plant Root Phenotyping,” Transactions of the ASABE 64(5): 1647-1658
• Kiran Sharma, Suat Irmak, Meetpal S. Kukal, Mehmet C. Vuran, Amit J. Jhala, Xin Qiao, “Evaluation of Soil Moisture Sensing Technologies in Silt Loam and Loamy Sand Soils: Assessment of Performance, Temperature Sensitivity, and Site- and Sensor-Specific Calibration Functions,” Transactions of the ASABE 64(4): 1123-1139

Machinery Systems

• Safal Kshetri, Brian L. Steward, Mehari Z. Tekeste, “Modeling Soil Forces on a Rotary Tine Tool in Artificial Soil,” Transactions of the ASABE 64(5): 1693-1704
• Yutaka Kaizu, Tetsuo Shimada, Yusuke Takahashi, Sho Igarashi, Hiroyuki Yamada, Kenichi Furuhashi, Kenji Imou, “Development of a Small Electric Robot Boat for Mowing Aquatic Weeds,” Transactions of the ASABE 64(3): 1073-1082
• Jackson S. Stansell, Samantha L. Teten, Samuel E. Marx, Joe D. Luck, “Field Performance Evaluation of Pulse-Width Modulation and Pressure-Controlled, Fixed-Orifice Application Systems for Sensor-Based Nitrogen Applications,” Applied Engineering in Agriculture 37(3): 467-480
• Xin Tian, Patrick Stump, Andrea Vacca, Stefano Fiorati, Francesco Pintore, “Power-Saving Solutions for Pre-Compensated Load-Sensing Systems on Mobile Machines,” Transactions of the ASABE 64(5): 1435-1448

Natural Resources & Environmental Systems

• Lindsey M. Hartfiel, Michelle L. Soupir, Kurt A. Rosentrater, “Techno-Economic Analysis of Constant-Flow Woodchip Bioreactors,” Transactions of the ASABE 64(5): 1545-1554
• Gourab K. Saha, Raj Cibin, Herschel A. Elliott, Heather E. Preisendanz, “Development of a Land Suitability Framework for Sustainable Manure Utilization,” Transactions of the ASABE 64(1): 273-285
• Freddie R. Lamm, Paul D. Colaizzi, Ronald B. Sorensen, James P. Bordovsky, Mark Dougherty, Kris Balkcom, Daniele Zaccaria, Khaled M. Bali, Daran R. Rudnick, R. Troy Peters, “A 2020 Vision of Subsurface Drip Irrigation in the U.S.,” Transactions of the ASABE 64(4): 1319-1343

Plant, Animal, and Facility Systems
No Recipients for 2022

Processing Systems

• Zephania R. Odek, Terry J. Siebenmorgen, Griffiths G. Atungulu, “Validating the Glass Transition Hypothesis in Explaining Fissure Formation in Rough Rice Kernels During the Drying Process,” Transactions of the ASABE 64(6): 1763-1770
• Kaushik Luthra, Sammy Sadaka, “Energy and Exergy Efficiencies of Fluidized and Fixed Bed Rice Drying,” Transactions of the ASABE 64(6): 1943-1954
   

May/June Resource Focuses on Innovation, Sustainability 

The May/June issue of Resource has a variety of articles on innovation and sustainability. We take an inside look at the Davidson Prize winners. ASABE Fellow Yuanhui Zhang, PE, looks toward a circular bioeconomy with the Environment-Enhancing Food, Energy, and Water Systems (EE-FEWS) paradigm. The University of Florida’s AgroClimate project is helping producers include climate and weather information in their decision-making to reduce risk and increase yields. ASABE member Brian Strobel, PE, describes the importance of managing water in pig production. And there is a preview of events for the upcoming annual international meeting.

Available in PDF or E-reader online, or browse past issues.

Refer a Member, Earn Some (ASABE) Bucks!

Professional development and networking, access to technical publications and standards, opportunity to participate in transformative initiatives—the list of reasons to join ASABE keeps growing. We know our members are sharing that excitement with others and building the ASABE community. And now, to add incentive to your efforts, we're offering a $20 credit when you refer a new member.

To take advantage of this offer, simply ask your recruit to join online and enter your name as the referral source. Once the membership is processed, you'll receive an email with a $20 ASABE gift certificate that can be used for dues renewals, ASABE Foundation donations, or standards and publication purchases.

There is no limit to the number of referrals you can make in a year. Note, however, that the offer does not apply to student recruits nor to members recruited from low-income countries. 

Contact Jasper Cunningham with questions.

Irrigation Textbook Instructor Kit Available

The Irrigation Systems Management textbook has been completed. The open-access textbook is available for download, along with PowerPoint slides, at https://www.asabe.org/ISM. The textbook is now available as print-on-demand from Amazon. Instructor Kit (lecture notes, in-class problems, lab/homework assignments with keys, quizzes with keys, exams with keys, and course syllabus) can be purchased for $200.

Please email publications@asabe.org to order this download.

YPC News and Events

Annual International Meeting YPC Events
Here's a reminder of some of the events the Young Professionals Community is hosting at the annual meeting. Take advantage of the social, networking, and professional development activities we've planned. 

• Social and Networking: Industry Speed Networking, YPC Bowling Social, Graduate Student Social, Fun Run/Walk
• Learning and Professional Development: Engineering Ethics for Safety Conscious Design (CPD), Computer Vision and Machine Learning for Agricultural and Biological Engineers (CPD), Local Production Agriculture 101 Lunch and Learn, Local Agriculture Tour, Headshots at the Welcome Reception
• Graduate Students: Department Head Meet and Greet, Graduate Student Professional Development Workshop
• Professional Leadership: Guide to Professional Licensure, YPC Business Meeting, AIM Orientation Session

AABFEIO Upcoming Events

ANGASABE Events at AIM

VisualChallenge12 Invites Photography Submissions  

What do you see? We want to see it, too!

Submit your agricultural and biological engineering images by November 1, 2022. Here’s your chance to convey and celebrate the beauty of your work, your research, or your technical community. It's up to you and your camera, so be creative! Submit as many entries as you want.

All entries should be original work, and the image resolution must be 300 dpi or greater. E-mail your entries, as attachments to Resource magazine editor Melissa Miller. Please include a title and brief description for each image and a name for crediting the image, and written assurance that permission has been granted to submit and publish the image, including any subjects whose images may be captured.

The best images will be selected by ASABE staff and published in the January/February 2023 issue of Resource. Good luck! Have fun! We'd love to see what you do!

Check out the winning entries from previous Visual Challenges.

ASABE Publications Welcomes New Staff Editor

We are pleased to announce a new employee in our Publications department, Jeremy Stedman.

Stedman is replacing our longtime technical editor, Glenn Laing, who is retiring. He will be editing the content for Journal of the ASABE and JASH as well as handling copyright permissions questions.

Standards Updates

New Projects

• X648-3.1, Agricultural Field Equipment Braking – Part 3: Requirements for Self-Propelled and Special Self-Propelled Machines
• X648-5.2, Agricultural Field Equipment Braking – Part 5: Requirements for the Interface between Towing Vehicle and Towed Vehicles

• ASABE/ICC 802-2020, Landscape Irrigation Sprinkler and Emitter Standard 

In Memoriam

George Henry Abernathy passed away peacefully at home at the age of 92 on May 7, 2022.

Abernathy was born November 9, 1929, in West Newton, Pa., and grew up on a small cattle ranch north of Roy, N.M. He attended New Mexico A & M—now New Mexico State University—and graduated with a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering in one hand and a commission as a second lieutenant, US Army, in the other. He spent his military duty in Korea ,building roads for the Corps of Engineers. In 1954 he began a master's program in agricultural engineering at University of California, Davis and graduated in 1956. While at Davis, he met Sandra Gail Marshall and they were married in 1955.

The couple moved to Las Cruces in 1957, where Abernathy joined the engineering department at New Mexico A&M. He later earned a PhD in agricultural engineering from Oklahoma State University. During his tenure at New Mexico State University, from 1957 to 1987, he was an assistant professor, professor, and department head of agricultural engineering. He taught farm power and farm machinery courses including water rights, worked on mechanical, diesel, gas, solar, geothermal, and photovoltaic projects, and tested New Mexico farm irrigation pumps for efficiency. Later he worked under USAID, and spent time in Yemen and Egypt working with engineers. He also visited Pakistan cotton gins and brought several of the cotton gin managers to the USA where they visited American cotton gins. In 1969 the family bought a 28-acre farm, which they worked, raising cotton and alfalfa. He was a member of the Electric Car Club and converted a gas-driven car to solar, then built a photovoltaic system to power the car. In the 1980s he built a passive solar house with rock bed and metal roof, and in the 2000's added solar panels to the house. He was the first person in the area to send solar power back to El Paso Electric Company.

Abernathy was preceded in death by his parents and his daughter-in-law, Marni Abernathy. He is survived by his wife Sandra, and their four children.

Memorial donations may be made to The Abernathy Family Endowed Scholarship in the College of Engineering or to the charity of your choice. 

Abernathy was a 66-year member of ASABE.

Full obituary
 

Philip Kester

Philip C. Kester, 88, passed away Tuesday, June 7, 2022, in Silvis, Ill.

Phil was born on May 28, 1934, in Cambridge, Nebr., the son of Cordy and Geraldine (Hilton) Kester. He married Marilyn A. McLane on August 17, 1954, in Cambridge, Nebr. In 1961, Phil graduated from the University of Nebraska with a degree in agricultural engineering, after which the couple moved to East Moline, Ill., where Kester took a job with John Deere Harvester. After his retirement from John Deere, he was asked to be a consultant for two more years, and he later built an agricultural business, RK Products, that he ran for twenty-five years with his family.

Survivors include his wife, Marilyn, sons Karl and Reid, and sister, Susan Jareski. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Joan.

Kester was a 61-year member of ASABE.

Full obituary
 

Arthur Muehling

Arthur J. Muehling 94 of Champaign passed away peacefully on June 23, 2022, after a short illness.

Muehling was born June 3, 1928, in Cissna Park, Ill. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois and a master's degree from the University of Missouri. He also served in the United States Air Force and trained in meteorology at New York University. He was stationed during the Korean War as a weather forecaster in Louisiana, French Morocco and Colorado Springs and was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant in 1956.

Muehling was a professor of agricultural engineering at the University of Illinois for 37 years. During his professional career as an extension advisor, he travelled extensively throughout the state of Illinois, the United States, Canada, and the world. He was known internationally and his knowledge was eagerly sought by private farms, corporations, and governments around the world. Sabbaticals and study leave took him to Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Scandinavia. Due to his travels, he has friends, professional and personal around the world. He cherished those friendships to the end. 

Muehling was a registered professional engineer and was a member of ASABE as well as Alpha Epsilon, Epsilon Sigma Phi, Kiwanis International, the Champaign County Farm Bureau, National Association of Retired Federal Employees, and American Legion, and he is listed in Who’s Who in America. Muehling wrote many magazine articles, journal articles, bulletins, and ASAE papers.

He is survived by his loving wife of almost 66 years, Mary Long Muehling, and sons Thomas and Craig, grandchildren and great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, three sisters, and four brothers.

Muehling was a 71-year member of the Society.

Full obituary