In This Month's Issue:

 

From the Executive Director


Americans look forward to the 4th of July holiday, which will make for a long three-day weekend this year. Many celebrate with family gatherings, cookouts, and traditional fireworks displays. It’s also when summer shifts into high gear and what better way to relax than with some stimulating summer reading! I have suggestions, and while these may not be typical beach reads, they are exciting developments for the ABE profession.
 
My first suggestion is to pick up the electronic version of the July/August issue of Resource magazine on “Digital Water.” Digital water is using the power of big data, automation, and artificial intelligence to build more resilient, secure, and economically viable water systems.  Resource guest editors and ASABE members Debabrata Sahoo and Sushant Mehan have done an outstanding job identifying researchers and engineers who share the technologies and innovations that they are applying to digital water.
 
Next, I would read the summer 2022 issue of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) publication The Bridge on “Smart Agriculture.”  ASABE Fellows and NAE members Norm Scott and Paul Singh served as guest editors and collected a tremendous “who’s who” of authors (many are ASABE members) to address the science and engineering needed to transform food and agricultural systems for the future.
 
If you have reading time left, browse the ASABE journal special collections and note the latest collection on Circular Food and Agricultural Systems.

Wishing you a safe, relaxing and rejuvenating holiday weekend.   
 
Darrin J. Drollinger
Executive Director


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AIM 2022: See You in Houston!



July 17-20
Marriott Marquis, Houston, Texas


It's almost time—the 2022 ASABE Annual International Meeting begins July 17! Online registration has closed, but you can still register for AIM in person. Find your way to the AIM registration desk on the second level of the Marriott Marquis beginning Saturday, July 16. While there, be sure to register your organization's job openings in the Career Fair, scheduled July 18 from 9:30 am to noon. All attendees are eligible to connect with potential employers and arrange an interview time on Monday morning. We can't wait to see you there! #ASABE22

Visit www.asabemeetings.org for programming details.

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Celebrate Student Success at Awards Banquet


Please join us to honor our student competitors at the annual ASABE Student Awards Breakfast on July 20 at the Marriott Marquis during the annual international meeting. This event begins at 7:30 a.m. and includes breakfast. Tickets are $10 for students and $30 for all others and will be available at the registration desk during the meeting.

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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!


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ASABE Engage—A New Online Community for Members and Volunteers


Coming this summer: ASABE Engage, a new online platform and dedicated workspace for members and volunteers to network, communicate, and grow. ASABE Engage will replace the Forums system and keep you connected to colleagues, committees, communities, and other groups within the Society and provide the workspace for standards work. Watch for details in August as ASABE Engage is implemented in phases.

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IDEA Sessions at AIM Strengthen Leadership in Diversity


Join us at the annual international meeting for two special sessions with leadership, diversity, and inclusion scholar Helen Fagan. The first session will be a presentation by Fagan, and the second a roundtable discussion. Both will elevate your awareness and understanding of diversity issues and boost your leadership skills.

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

CBS Logo
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
There is no charge for the workshop, but registration is strongly encouraged to facilitate workshop planning. Follow these links to learn more and register: 

Program
Register

Questions? Please contact Joe Sagues

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

 

AIM Orientation ToolRegistered 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.

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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


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New Additions to the Technical Library


Open Access, Public Access, and Introductions to Collections
 
 
Journal of the ASABE 65(3)
Table of Contents
or visit the Journal home page

Crop Improvement for Circular Bioeconomy Systems
Numerical Study of the Hydraulic Effects of Modifying the Outlet Pipe and Diffuser Plate in Pressurized Sand Filters with Wand-Type Underdrains
Environmental Impact Assessment of Tractor Guidance Systems Based on Pasture Management Scenarios
Performance Evaluation of a Commercially Available Desiccant-Based Seed Drying System

Applied Engineering in Agriculture 38(3)
Table of Contents
or visit the Journal home page

Cotton Genotype Differences in Seed Coat Fragments Related to Seed Fragility and Fiber-Seed Attachment Force
Improved Cost Estimates for Agricultural Conservation Practices
Perspective: Benchmarking Opportunities Can Contribute to Circular Food Systems in Controlled Environment Agriculture
Predicting Single-Kernel Moisture and Protein Content of Mushroom Popcorn Using NIR Spectroscopy: Tool for Determining Their Effect on Popping Performance

 

ITSC Paper Awards Announced


The Information Technology, Sensors, and Controls Technical Community Meeting Paper Award competition was established in 1999 to encourage high-quality conference papers. Judges select the top ITSC papers from those to be presented at the annual international meeting. For the 2022 AIM, the following papers and their authors were selected and honored for recognition, and we extend our congratulations.
  • "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

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Become a
Certified ASABE Reviewer
at AIM 2022


 

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.
 

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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.


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Editorial Board Announces Outstanding Editors and Reviewers



Outstanding Reviewers
The high quality of ASABE'S peer-­reviewed journals could not be maintained without reviewers willing to spend hours evaluating author manuscripts and making suggestions for improvements. The reviewer recognition program, developed by the Journal Editorial Board, honors up to 21 outstanding reviewers each year. For the 2021 publication year, more than 800 reviewers participated in the review process. During the year, associate editors ranked reviewer timeliness and review quality. Each technical community then selects an allotted number of reviewers based on the number of manuscripts reviewed.

2022 Winners
Lope Tabil
Gretchen Mosher
Uddhav Bhattarai
Rakesh Ranjan
Kelly Thorp
Chongyuan Zhang
Aleksander Lisowski
Jude Liu
Yaqoob Majeed
Simerjeet Virk
He Xing
Dennis Flanagan
Daren Harmel
Long He
Debabrata Sahoo
Guoming Li
Brett Ramirez
Yang Zhao
Samuel McNeill
Sammy Sadaka

Outstanding Associate Editors
The P-511 Journal Editorial Board honors outstanding associate editors each year. Community Editors of individual technical communities first submitted nominees based on workload, timeliness, and review quality over the previous three years from more than 180 associate editors. The nominations were reviewed for adherence to best practices and using the editor’s justifications for each nominee in order to make the final selection of the award recipients.

2022 Winners
Lin Wei
Serap Gorucu
Lav Khot
Sindhuja Sankaran
Mark Siemens
Lilong Chai
Ali Demirci
Daren Harmel
Kelly Thorp

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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

Information Technology, Sensors, and Control Systems
  • 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
     
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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.


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— Nominations Open —

PAFS Community Editor
Plant, Animal, and Facility Systems


 

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.

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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.


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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
We hope to see you in Houston!

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AABFEIO Upcoming Events


The Association of Agricultural, Biological, and Food Engineers of Indian Origin announces its business meeting, followed by a gala dinner, to take place at the annual meeting. See the AIM program for full details.

July 18, 2022

AABFEIO business meeting
5:30—6:30 pm

Dinner Gala
Nirvana Restaurant
14545 Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77079
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
 Member: $30, Student Member: $20, Non-Member: $35, Spouse and child: $35, Child under 2 years: Free. Dinner tickets can be bought (cash only) during or just after the business meeting. Conveyance to the dinner location is on you. Carpool is highly recommended.                
 
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ANGASABE Events at AIM


Join the African Network Group of ASABE for the following events at the annual meeting. See the AIM program for full details.

Monday, July 18

Tri-Community 
Symposium
1:30—3:00 pm
Jointly hosted by the ANGASABE, AABFEIO, and AOCABFE communities 
Post-Pandemics Lesson Learned, Opportunities and Challenges in Developing Economies. Experts in agrifood production have been lined up to speak.

Technical Tour to Hope Farms 
5:00—8:00 pm
This will be an interesting organic urban farm setting to see. Cost: $30. Transportation will be provided to and from the venue.

Tuesday, July 19
ANGASABE Annual Business Meeting
5:30—7:00 pm

 
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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.


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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.


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January 8-13, 2023, Punta Borinquen Resort, Puerto Rico



We are pleased to announce that the Soil Erosion Research symposium is teaming with the AgroEnviron 2020 in 2023 symposium.

This combined event will be held at the Punta Borinquen Resort, with presentations from both groups available for all in attendance. It is sure to be a successful and interesting week in Puerto Rico, join us! Registration will be announced soon!

\


Jefferson Science Fellowships: Call for Applications
 
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is pleased to announce a call for applications for the 2023 Jefferson Science Fellowships (JSF). Established by the Secretary of State in 2003, these fellowships engage the American academic science, technology, engineering, and medical communities in U.S. foreign policy and international development.

Fellowships are open to tenured, or similarly ranked, faculty from U.S. institutions of higher learning, who are U.S. citizens. After successfully obtaining a security clearance, Fellows will spend one year on assignment at the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Agency for International Development, serving as advisers on issues of foreign policy and international development.

Applications will be accepted from August 1 through October 18, 2022

Learn more and apply

The JSFs are administered by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and supported by the U.S. Department of State and USAID.
 

 

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


James P. Doering

James Peter Doering 88, died April 28, 2022, in Lexington, Ky.

Doering was born January 11, 1934, in Geneseo, Ill., He married Louise J. King, Moline, on October 7, 1961, in Moline. She preceded him in death on March 27, 2017.

Doering earned bachelor of science degrees in agricultural and mechanical engineering, and obtained a master's degree in agricultural engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was a registered professional engineer and a member of Phi Kappa Theta fraternity

Doering was employed by and retired from John Deere Harvester Works, John Deere Foundry, and was awarded three patents while there. He was with the R.I. Arsenal until his second retirement in 1996. He was active in several professional societies. As a member of ASABE, he served as chair of the Quad City section. He also served as committeeman for the Society of Automotive Engineers and was a member of the American Foundrymen’s Society.

Survivors include his son, Bob, daughter, Kay, four grandchildren, and a sister, Pat. He was preceded in death by his parents, his son, Bill, as well as a brother-in-law and sister-in-law.

Doering was a 61-year member of ASABE

Full obituary
 

George Abernathy

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


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Dolores Landeck - Editor