From the Executive Director
 Occasionally, I look at past issues of Inside ASABE to remind myself of what was important at various times. I wrote my March 2020 column at the start of the pandemic: “Almost overnight, COVID-19 has changed our lives in previously unimaginable ways and left us all wondering when we will ever get back to normal.” For weeks, and then months, and then for nearly two years we all kept asking that question: When will things get back to normal? Now, at last, I think we’re getting close. In fact, I think we’re very close.
About a week ago, I traveled to Washington, D.C., to help commemorate National Ag Day. Ag Day’s purpose is to increase public awareness of agriculture’s vital role in our society, and numerous events have been held since Ag Day was established in 1973. New this year was the Celebration of Modern Agriculture, which was coordinated by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). More than 30 equipment manufacturers, suppliers, and trade associations exhibited on the National Mall, just across the street from the USDA.
The event attracted legislators, policy makers, numerous ag interests, as well as curious tourists who were mostly in town to enjoy the cherry blossoms. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack did a nice job addressing the crowd and gave us a hopeful message about the future of American agriculture. Most of all, it was strange and wonderful to see people milling around in a public space, talking, laughing, and enjoying themselves. I was amazed by how normal it was.
We may not be completely done with the pandemic, but we are very close.
Darrin J. Drollinger
Executive Director
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Ballot Results Are In!
Congratulations to the newly elected officers of the Society.
Voted to the Society Board are President-elect Dana O. Porter and Trustees Bethany A. Brittenham, Oladiran O. Fasina, and Travis S. Tsunemori.
Joining the Nominating committee are Douglas R. Otto, Amy M. Schmidt, David N. Lanning, Ajay Kumar, Janie M. Moore, Gretchen A. Mosher, and Nadia C. Sabeh. (Also joining the 2022-2023 Board as a trustee is Jan Adamowski, president-elect of CSBE-SCGAB.)
Terms of office begin after the close of the 2022 AIM. The ballot item that would have allowed voting privileges for students did not pass.
A very hearty thanks to all voters and candidates alike for contributing to a successful election. Your involvement affirms the importance of the work of ASABE and of Society volunteers as worthwhile.
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Davidson Prizes Go to AGCO, VeriGrain, Deere
 ASABE and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) presented the fifth-annual Davidson Prize to the top three innovative products, selected from the AE50 honorees on Thursday, March 10, at Commodity Classic in New Orleans, La.
The 2022 winners are:
The Davidson Prize was designed to celebrate breakthrough innovations in areas of agricultural, food, and biological systems engineering and 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 AE50 honorees, announced at the Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference in February in Louisville, Ky.
Full announcement
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Fellows Nominations Close April 15
 “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 2023.
For nominating instructions and eligibility requirements, please visit https://asabe.org/Fellows
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AIM 2022: Presenters Register by May 2
 July 17-20
Marriott Marquis, Houston, Texas
Ready to plan your AIM schedule? The AIM website and registration site have been updated with details for CPDs, socials, tours, and more. Early Bird rates end after May 2. Attendees who will also be presenting an abstract in one of our 115+ technical sessions will want to ensure to be registered by this date to confirm their presentation.
Visit www.asabemeetings.org for all of the details on registration rates to hotel information, technical session listings, and other events happening at 22 AIM.
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New Additions to the Technical Library
Open Access or Introductions to Collections
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Irrigation Textbook Ready for Print, Download
The new open-access textbook, Irrigation Systems Management, is now available as print-on-demand from Amazon or free PDF. Instructor Kit (lecture notes, in-class problems, lab/homework assignments with keys, quizzes with keys, exams with keys, and course syllabus): available for purchase in April 2022.
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Students! Win Big with Your Brilliant Startup Idea
 You know that business idea you've been kicking around? The one that just needs a little more of your time and thought? Well, now is the time for that time and thought. But don't wait too long or you'll miss out!
Just two weeks remain to register and submit materials for round 1 of our inaugural Bioprocess Startup Competition. The contest invites student teams to develop a new product or process that utilizes a unique biological resource associated with the State of Texas.
Student teams will pitch their ideas to a group of industry representatives serving as judges in a simulated “shark tank” format at the ASABE Annual International Meeting (AIM). More information is available here.
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YPC News and Events
Webinar Series: Pathways to Global Collaborations
April 11, 11:30 am (eastern)
Join us for a panel discussion with Yang Zhao, Luis Rodriquez, Kumar Mallikarjunan, and Seung-Chul Yoon. Discussion topics will be successes and challenges in international collaboration, ABE networking and professional development, and future opportunities.
Register
FE/PE Kickoff Webinar
April 13, 1:00 pm (eastern)
Join YPC and ASABE's Professional Engineers Institute in a kickoff session for those preparing for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) and Professional Engineering (PE) exams. We will walk through some study techniques for the computer-based test and ASABE exam preparation resources. This is an opportunity to talk to past test takers and network with ASABE professional engineers and engineers in training. ASABE members that participate in this webinar and register to take either the FE or PE exam will be sent a participation gift.
Register
Annual International Meeting YPC Events
YPC's AIM planning task force has put together this great lineup of events. Make sure to register for the meeting before May 2 to snag early bird rates!
- 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 Student: Department Head Meet and Greet, Graduate Student Professional Development Workshop
- Professional Leadership: Guide to Professional Licensure, YPC Business Meeting, AIM Orientation Session
YPC Prepares to Celebrate 20 Years
YPC was formed at AIM in 2003 and we're preparing to celebrate our 20-year anniversary. We are working to gather memorabilia, memories, testimonials, and people willing to help plan campaigns and promotion throughout the next year. The goal is to kick off a year-long campaign at AIM this year culminating in a celebration at AIM 2023. If you have been involved with YPC and would like to provide information, pictures, or be involved in the planning, please fill out the online form.
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Special Collection CFP: Agricultural Conservation Practice Effectiveness II
Part two of this collection will expand on the number of agricultural conservation practices (ACPs) covered by part one. These articles will provide a comprehensive review and evaluation of the performance and cost effectiveness of ACPs on nutrient and sediment reduction. Articles will be published in the 2023 issues of Journal of the ASABE.
See the Call for Papers and part one of this special collection.
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Journal Article Tips
Avoid immediate rejection or delays by making sure that:
- In the reference list, the author names are in the right format (last name, initials)
- The reference list is accurate using DOI, where possible (copy references into free check references utility)
- The English is clear, correct, and consistent (for translation assistance, see English-Language Editing)
- Download the latest journal manuscript template (journal specific instructions) and check the latest Guide for Authors for best results.
- Highlights are required which provide an overview of your findings (see our web page for authors for more details Example)
- Citations in the text match the references list at the end of the manuscript
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Special Collection: Artificial Intelligence Due June 1
See the Call for Papers flyer for more details and contact information. This collection will be published in the Journal of the ASABE. This special collection is dedicated to showcasing the work of researchers and extension specialists, industry leaders, policy makers, and other pertinent stakeholders that are engaged in the application of AI to systems in agricultural production and the food chain and contributing to solutions for 2050 agricultural and food challenges.
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ITSC Community Awards Deadline April 20
The Information Technology, Sensors & Control Systems (ITSC) technical community is pleased to announce the ITSC Meeting Paper award for the 2022 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 asabemeetings.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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Submitting a Journal Article? Follow These Cover-Letter Guidelines
Cover letters may be included as a separate file when a journal manuscript is submitted to ScholarOne. These letters may state which special collection will include their manuscript, whether the manuscript is invited, details about supplemental files, and conflicts of interest. For further details, visit our website.
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Literature-Review Service Offered
Save time and cite relevant articles from the Society's journals. To receive a free list of relevant articles, use this Google form. There is no obligation to incorporate suggested citations into your article.
Questions? Please contact Garey Fox, ASABE's editor in chief. We look forward to helping you publish your research.
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ASABE Journals Indexed for Optimal Exposure
Our journals are indexed for search engines by various discovery services. We also send our journal metadata to CrossRef and register a DOI number for each completed article, which makes the articles easy to find and cite. In addition to the indexers, others obtain our metadata directly from CrossRef, further expanding the exposure your article receives.
Note that indexers take various amounts of time to index after our content is made available to them. In some cases, an indexer may be two months behind, others index very quickly. We do not control their schedule.
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Quad City Section Recognizes Outstanding Achievements
 Travis (Rusty) Unterzuber and Anne Carstensen (in photo, left and center) were recently honored by the Quad City section as 2022 Member of the Year and Young Member of the Year, respectively. In addition, the HDF team from the John Deere Global Harvesting Product Development Center was the recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Engineering Achievement award for development of the John Deere HDF hinged-frame flexible cutterbar draper.
A 43-year ASABE member, Unterzuber joined John Deere in 1977, working at the Ottumwa Works, in Corporate Standards, and in Government Products. In 1989 he joined a startup company followed by serving as vice president of engineering for Badger Northland. From 1994 to 2000, he worked as a consultant, director of engineering for Angus-Palm Industries, and as an engineering manager for Neapco. He rejoined Deere in 2000 and retired in 2015. He has been active in ASABE's Quad City and Wisconsin sections, has served on the ASABE board of trustees, and has contributed heavily to the AETC planning and AE50 evaluation committees.
An ASABE member since 2019, Carstensen joined John Deere in 2016 and is currently a product design verification and validation engineer conducting field and lab testing of grain harvesting systems. She is also the owner/operator of her own farm. While earning her BS in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University, she did internships with Altec and Kinze.
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Energy Conference Accepting Abstracts
October 24-26, 2022
San Jose, Costa Rica
The call for abstracts remains open for the third conference in the ASABE Global Initiative Series, Sustainable Energy for a Sustainable Future. Submit now through April 15 to share your research and views about our global energy concerns. The submission portal and program details can be found at the conference website.
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Standards Updates
Press Releases
- Press Release March 14, 2022, ASABE to Develop Standard on Mapping Yield and Associated Data (Press Release)
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In Memoriam—Billy Barfield
 Billy Joe Barfield passed away February 5, in San Antonio, Texas, at the age of 83.
Born and reared on a small farm in Logansport, La., Barfield graduated from Texas A&M with a PhD in agricultural engineering. He served as a professor in the agricultural engineering department at the University of Kentucky, where he also was director of the Water Resource Institute. He went on to become head of the biosystems and agricultural engineering department and Regents Professor at Oklahoma State University, where he was instrumental in implementing the name change from agricultural engineering. Upon retirement, Barfield worked as a consultant on wide-ranging projects throughout the United States and around the world.
Barfield was internationally recognized as a research scientist and teacher, and some of his books and publications are still referenced and used today by engineers. One of the many projects to which Barfield is credited is the New Product Development Center; an outreach or extension effort to tie together the resources of OSU to assist small manufacturers and businesses in Oklahoma. This project, as well as others that he co-founded, are still having a positive impact on the economic development of Oklahoma today.
Barfield served as a commissioned officer in the Air Force in Germany, the US Air Force Reserve, and then in both the Texas and Kentucky Air National Guard. He achieved the rank of major before retiring in 1983.
ASABE honored Barfield with the Young Researcher, Hancor Soil and Water Engineering, and John Deere Gold Medal awards.
Barfield was a 51-year member of the Society.
Full obituary
In Memoriam—Francis M. Brinkmeyer
 Francis M. (Brink) Brinkmeyer, 102, of Rock Island, Ill., passed away Monday, March 14, 2022.
Brinkmeyer was born at the Brinkmeyer homestead in the Hubbard/Radcliff, Iowa, area on August 14, 1919, to Emil and Ida (Lehmeier) Brinkmeyer. He was the third of five boys growing up on the farm with no running water or electricity. Riding to school on a pony each day, he attended a one-room schoolhouse and often recounted the great education and fun he had at school and on the farm.
Shortly after graduating from Iowa State College with a BS in agricultural engineering, in 1942, he enlisted in the US Navy to serve his country in WWII. After his military service, he worked as a product design engineer at Deere & Company for 36 years, retiring in 1982. Collaborating with others, Brink is credited with four patents during his time at Deere and was most proud of the work related to the JD570 Motor Grader. He and his wife also owned and operated the Kwik-Kleen Laundromat in Rock Island for over 23 years.
Brinkmeyer had a lifelong passion for aviation that began at age 7, when Charles Lindbergh made the first nonstop transatlantic flight in 1927. Learning to fly through the Civilian Pilot Training Program, he first soloed in June of 1942. This training gave him a start when he trained as a US Navy pilot in Corpus Christi NAS in the fall of 1942. He received his Navy wings in August 1943 and was assigned to the Navy’s Special Task Air Group, testing the first combat drones using radio control and TV monitors. In November 1944 he joined VJ-13, a Navy utility squadron as a patrol plane commander, ferrying personnel, towing targets, and patrolling throughout the South Pacific. He retired as a lieutenant commander from the USNR in 1965.
Brinkmeyer was an ASABE member for 72 years.
Full obituary
In Memoriam—Jim Young
 ASABE Fellow James H. (Jim) Young passed away February 22, 2022.
Young was born on March 19, 1941, on his family's farm in Christian County, Kentucky. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in agricultural engineering from the University of Kentucky. He received a National Science Foundation Fellowship to study at Oklahoma State University, earning his PhD in 1966.
Young had an industrious career that spanned over 40 years at NC State. In addition to teaching, Young was an advisor to both undergraduate and graduate students, co-authored numerous publications and a textbook, and chaired the Departmental Curriculum Committee for 16 years. He was widely recognized and received numerous awards for his contributions including the Alpha Epsilon Outstanding Alumnus of UK Agricultural Engineering Department in 1985 and induction into the UK Engineering Hall of Distinction in 2005.
He joined the faculty of North Carolina State University in 1966 and served the university for more than 40 years, teaching many courses in engineering and technology, serving as the major advisor for four Master’s and 12 Ph.D. candidates, and rising through the academic ranks to professor in 1976. From May 2000 until his retirement in 2007, he served as the chair of the agricultural engineering department, leading it to new heights of success and simultaneously overseeing the development of a new biomedical engineering department. He was internationally respected as an innovative researcher on heat and moisture transfer, co-authoring more than 150 publications and the textbook Principles of Process Engineering.
Young received numerous awards and honors for his work, including ASABE's Massey-Ferguson Gold Medal. In 2005, the University of Kentucky inducted him into its Hall of Distinction. He served on the Society's board of directors and, for more than a decade, on the professional engineering licensure committee, overseeing the writing of the PE exam for agricultural engineering.
He is survived by his wife, Lou, and two children.
Elected a Fellow in 1988, Young was an ASABE member for 60 years.
Read more:
Departmental Tribute
Full Obituary
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