Davidson Prize winners announced

The prestigious Davidson Prize for agricultural engineering was presented to three groundbreaking innovations at Commodity Classic 2025, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) announced. The presentation took place on opening day of the event, held March 2-4 in Denver, Colo.

PTx Trimble's OutRun was one of the Davidson Prize winners. (Source: PTx Trimble)

This year’s winners were:

• Bondioli & Pavesi’s E.D.I. (Electronic Data Interchange) Driveshaft, a technology designed to improve power transmission efficiency while providing real-time monitoring and diagnostics.
• PTx Trimble’s OutRun, an autonomous retrofit grain cart solution that works with existing tractors and helps farms with the increasing problem of labor shortages by running a grain cart or auger wagon without a driver.
• CNH Industrial’s IntelliSense Bale Automation & Large Square Baler Automation, which automates key baling functions, ensuring consistent bale quality, reducing operator workload and optimizing productivity.

Doug Otto, president-elect of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), said the winners “exemplify the future of agricultural engineering.” He went on to state: “Each of these technologies demonstrates a commitment to solving real-world challenges for farmers and advancing the industry in meaningful ways.”

Curt Blades, senior vice president, Industry Sectors & Product Leadership at AEM, said, “The Davidson Prize recognizes innovations that have a lasting impact on the way we grow and harvest food. This year’s winners are leading the way in automation, precision agriculture and power transmission, helping farmers operate more efficiently and sustainably.”

Named after J.B. Davidson, the father of modern agricultural engineering, the Davidson Prize is a collaboration between ASABE and AEM to recognize outstanding achievements in agricultural engineering. A maximum of three prizes are awarded each year, selected from the 10 top-scoring AE50 winners, presented annually at the Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference. From those honorees, the Davidson Prize winners are selected as the best of the best — representing breakthrough technology that is helping shape the future of agriculture.