Haber Technologies received the Davidson Prize at the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers during the Virtual Commodity Classic for their DRI-Stack grain-drying and aeration system. The DRI-Stack system dries and manages grains in grain bins using ambient air or heated air in a data-driven, innovative, section-by-section approach. Their design helps cut energy costs by 50% and can bring drying time down to just days.
Haber Technologies started as an idea based on a class research project in Kurt Rosentrater’s senior-level ABE 480 course, and then continued through research completed at the BioCentury Research Farm in 2018 by ABE alums Dillon Hurd and Eric Harweger. Rosentrater is an associate professor in the agricultural and biosystems engineering department. In 2019, they created their company. Hurd, Harweger and Rosentrater (along with other company members Dave Furbush and Brian Porter) launched their DRI-Stack in 2020, and it’s now in grain storage bins across four states in the Midwest.
“What a great example of innovation – using basic physics in a new way to help solve a critical challenge in the agricultural supply chain,” said Rosentrater.
Haber Technologies was one of three top AE50 winners, earning themselves the Davidson Prize; a panel of
engineers selected AE50 winners. AE50 is the top 50 innovative engineering products in agricultural and biosystems engineering.
“ASABE and AEM came together to create a new award to 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 named as 2021 winners of the Davidson Prize continue to represent the diversity of agricultural engineering, as well as the variety of companies that bring advanced technology and exciting improvements to the marketplace.”
Curt Blades, senior vice president of agriculture for AEM, said about the winners of the Davidson Award this year, “These three products deliver on solutions that truly represent the spirit of J.B. Davidson and the innovative legacy of agriculture. I continue to be amazed about the advancement of ag engineering and the positive impacts it continues to have on farmers’ ability to work more efficiently.”