The Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation (AEF) has been honored with a Davidson Prize by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) for its Tractor Implement Management (TIM) system. This award was bestowed upon the top three innovative products selected from this year’s AE50 award winners to celebrate breakthrough innovations in the areas of agricultural, food and biological systems engineering.

“For the first time in the agricultural industry, this system enables secure, industry-leading communication between tractors and implements from different manufacturers,” said Ryan Milligan, Head of North American Marketing and Communication, AEF. “This is significant because this solution forms the basis for future-oriented developments in the entire field of agricultural engineering. And for the farmer, it means a big savings of both time and money.“

TIM, a cross-product and cross-manufacturer ISOBUS solution where the implement controls certain tractor functions and optimizes the working process, sends information to the tractor via standardized and secure communication which leads to an optimization of the overall system. The field operation becomes technically simpler and easier as TIM takes over tiring and repetitive tasks. 

“We’re excited about the advancement of ag engineering and the positive impacts it continues to have on farmers’ ability to work more efficiently,” said Curt Blades, senior vice president of Agriculture for AEM. “The three products deliver on solutions that truly represent the spirit of J.B. Davidson and the innovative legacy of agriculture.” 

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. Winners were selected from the AE50 honorees, announced at the Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference earlier this year in Louisville.

“In the fall of 2017, ASABE and AEM came together to create a new award to further celebrate innovation in agriculture and bring additional recognition to those who embody the spirit of J.B. Davidson,” said Darrin Drollinger, executive director at ASABE. “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.”

The award was presented in San Antonio, Texas during the Commodity Classic.