About the Society
The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers actively supports the creation of more innovative, sustainable, and efficient systems for a world in which all have the food, water, energy, fiber, and safe environment needed to thrive.
Founded in 1907 and headquartered in St. Joseph, Michigan, ASABE is a volunteer-led organization, governed by an elected Board of Trustees, that comprises members in more than 100 countries.
A leader in workforce development, ASABE supports academic programming in engineering and technology, program accreditation, student development, engineering professional licensure, and continuing professional development.
ASABE Members
ASABE members work in all sectors of agriculture, food, and biological systems. Their training, unique among engineering disciplines, provides them with a systems understanding of the impact of their work.
Employers include manufacturers, consultancies, academia, and public service.
Most ASABE members list machinery or natural resources engineering as their primary technical areas of expertise. Other areas include processing systems, facilities systems, and information and control systems.
Almost half of members are under the age of 34, and nearly one in five members is a woman.
Activities of the Society
ASABE hosts a variety of meetings, conferences, and events, both local and global, to support the profession and facilitate the exchange of technical information. The 2024 ASABE Annual International Meeting will be held July 28–August 1 in Anaheim, California.
As a leading publisher of textbooks and journals, the Society throughout its history has helped accelerate research and technology innovation. ASABE currently published four journals:
- Journal of the ASABE
- Applied Engineering in Agriculture
- Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health
- Journal of Natural Resources and Agricultural Ecosystems
The Society is also a standards-developing organization, accredited by both the American National Standards Institute and the Standards Council of Canada. ASABE maintains more than 200 standards. The Society also serves as administrator for the US technical advisory groups for a number of ISO committees.
Among its thriving awards and recognition programs, the Society sponsors the annual AE50 awards, honoring the year's best innovations introduced to the marketplace. From the AE50 winners, three top innovations are selected for the Davidson Prize, co-presented with the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.
ASABE student design competitions prepare emerging talent for the workplace by providing practical, team-based design challenges that hone technical, communication, and leadership skills. The International 1/4-Scale Student Design Competition, Fountain Wars, ASABE Robotics Competition, and the ASABE Bioprocessing-Startup Competition each year bring the best out of ASABE student members.