President’s Message

Dear friends, colleagues, and fellow members of the AOCABFE,

It is a profound honor to serve as the new president of our association. For those I have not met yet, my name is Yin Bao, and I am an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Plant and Soil Sciences and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Delaware. I must begin by thanking Dr. Yeyin Shi for her exceptional leadership this past year. Her vision has inspired me to think deeply about the future of the AOCABFE.

My own journey with this organization began eleven years ago. As a new graduate student attending the ASABE AIM in Montreal, I was invited to an AOC student dinner. That evening, I met several past presidents of AOCABFE such as Drs. Naiqian Zhang, Lingying Zhao, Lie Tang, and Changying Li. I still clearly remember them speaking of the valuable service and leadership experience one could gain through the Student Activity Committee (SAC), which inspired me to join. Over the years, the AOCABFE has been a constant in my career. I have contributed to nearly all aspects of the organization, and in return, I have benefited tremendously from it. It gave me confidence through student awards, provided critical mentorship during my job search, and continues to offer camaraderie and support as a junior faculty member today.

The support I received is the very support I pledge to extend to every member. As president, I will work diligently with our executive board and the SAC to build upon our traditions. We will celebrate the successes of our members through AOCABFE media outlets, strengthen the connections between faculty, professionals, and students with engaging virtual events, and continue to recognize and nurture our brightest students through AOCABFE student competitions.

Our community is rich with talent. Yet, we cannot ignore the headwinds we face: federal funding cuts, a competitive job market, geopolitical tensions, and a shrinking pool of international students. These challenges are especially daunting for our early-career faculty, professionals, postdocs, and graduate students. There are no easy solutions. But like many resilient organizations, our strength lies in our community. We must support one another, look over the horizon, and find creative ways to ensure the AOCABFE remains vital and relevant for years to come.

It is unfortunate that many of us could not attend the past ASABE AIM in Toronto. I want to sincerely express my gratitude to everyone who attended and supported the AOCABFE-sponsored events. I especially want to thank Drs. Qiang Zhang, Ying Chen, and Jikai Zhao, who delivered a thoughtful panel discussion at the China Exchange Forum titled “Navigating Challenges and Paths in Scholarly Exchange and Early Career Development.” This discussion came at a time of high uncertainty for our community, and it served as a reminder that it is high time for us to gather strength and support each other to move forward.

Following the forum, we paid tribute to the late Professor Maohua Wang, who made a tremendous positive impact on China’s modern agriculture and everyone who worked with him. We were deeply moved by the stories shared by family members, friends, colleagues, and students. He was always passionate about advancing with the world and educating the next generation. We will remember him forever as an inspiration.

In the coming year, I will work closely with the board to prioritize operational improvements. We will put additional effort into updating the contact information for our members and friends to ensure our communication remains wide-reaching. Furthermore, we plan to implement online technologies to streamline voting for business meetings and ticketing for our annual banquet. These steps will help modernize our association and keep us better connected.

Lastly, please join me in congratulating all the 2025 AOCABFE student awardees and our distinguished members who received major awards, which you will see listed in this issue.

Thank you for your trust, and I look forward to a productive year ahead.

Sincerely,