Dear California Weeders
I just received this from Mark Siemens U of Arizona. Robovator the automated weeder has been recognized by ASABE. This technology has room to run and many fewer constraints than do herbicides. There are over a dozen robovators in operation in Arizona and California so this technology is having an impact. I hope that more of you will join in working on this technology because there is much more to do!
Steve Fennimore
Inaugural Davidson Prize Honors Three Engineering Innovations
ASABE and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) presented the inaugural Davidson Prize to three outstanding innovative products. The awards were presented Tuesday, February 27, at Commodity Classic, in Anaheim, California.
Like the AE50 Awards, from which the winners are selected, the Davidson Prize was designed to celebrate breakthrough innovations in areas of agricultural, food, and biological systems engineering. Davidson Prize winners are thus the cream of the year's marketplace innovations.
The three winners were:
- Robovator Mechanical Weeding Machine
- John Deere S700 Combine
- Trident 5550 liquid/dry combination applicator from Case IH
A video illustrates the three products.
On hand to present and congratulate the winners were President-Elect Maury Salz, Trustee Doug Otto, and ASABE Executive Director Darrin Drollinger (photo right). “We partnered with AEM to create a new award to further celebrate innovation in agriculture,” said Drollinger. “The products featured represent the diversity of agricultural engineering, as well as the variety of companies that continue to bring advanced technology and exciting improvements to the marketplace. J.B. Davidson would be amazed at how advanced farm equipment has become.”
“We're excited about the advancement of engineering and the positive impacts it has on farmers' ability to work more efficiently,” said Curt Blades, senior vice president of Ag Services for AEM. “These three products deliver on solutions where there were needs, demonstrating how improved technology can save time and resources on the farm.
The Davidson Prize 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.