CSU-TAPS 2025 Farming Competition Kicks Off March 28!
Farmers try ag tech and precision strategies risk-free with this innovative farming competition.
An aerial view of the 2024 CSU-TAPS farming competition field at CSU’s ARDEC facility. Drone image by CSU Agricultural Water Quality Program
Colorado State University’s third annual Testing Ag Performance Solutions (CSU-TAPS) farm management competition will begin with a spring kickoff event for participants. The event will be March 28, 2025 at CSU’s Agricultural Research Development and Education Center’s (ARDEC) CoBank conference facility in Fort Collins, Colorado.
The TAPS innovative format invites participants to test their management skill using precision farming strategies and tools.
“It’s a super-good opportunity for me to learn,” said Zach Thode of Livermore, Colorado, producer and two-time CSU-TAPS competitor and winner. “There are a lot of technology options that TAPS allows us to evaluate and utilize in decision-making criteria, that not all of us implement at home.”
The seed grain corn competition is hosted on one field where teams compete side-by-side, and participants submit management decisions remotely, through an online portal. The competition is free. Anyone with a computer or phone with Internet access can participate.
CSU-TAPS teams make six farm management decisions—corn hybrid, seeding rate, and crop insurance selections, and ongoing nitrogen, irrigation, and crop marketing decisions throughout the growing season. Teams pick from two irrigation tracks in which to compete: full irrigation and limited irrigation.
To help with making decisions, teams have access to actual field conditions through remote and direct data such as drone and satellite imagery, weather station information, soil moisture sensors, scouting photos, soil analysis testing and more. CSU staff implement each team’s decisions in the field hosted at CSU ARDEC.
“The learning part for me is more the [crop] marketing, breaking down discomfort in using marketing strategies on my farm,” said Brian Lengel, a producer and competitor from Burlington, Colorado. “When it comes to trusting soil moisture technology, TAPS is huge. When you’re going to make investments in technology, you certainly are more comfortable making the investment if you’ve tried it out in a simulated environment.”
Lengel won the most profitable and most input-use efficient awards in 2023, and the highest yield award in the new limited irrigation track in 2024. He also competed in an earlier TAPS competition hosted through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Six cash awards are up for grabs in CSU-TAPS, three in each irrigation track, for participants whose management results in being the Most Input Use Efficient, Most Profitable, and Highest Yield. The distinctions are determined after fall harvest.
Competition events include the upcoming March 28 Kickoff, a July 15 Field Day, and the January 10 (2026) Annual Banquet which closes out this growing season length program. The competition also includes educational seminars throughout the season on marketing and technology.
The CSU-TAPS farming competition events include a summer Field Day where participants can visit the field and engage with competition partners in ag tech, ag services, seed providers, etc. (Photo by Omer Izrael)
People can participate as an individual or on a team with teams including at least one member who is an active producer. Limited competition spots for CSU remain, with other TAPS competitions throughout the High Plains also currently recruiting for 2025:
Kansas State University, KSU-TAPS; UNL-TAPS; Oklahoma State University, OSU-TAPS.
Don’t miss out on a chance to learn and compete in TAPS this year! The program is fun, does not take a lot of time, and the farm management insights and connections made could be priceless to your farming operation or ag industry experience.
It’s a great way to field-test strategies in irrigation and nutrient management and marketing without risk. For more information, head to: irrigationinnovationconsortium.org/csu-taps.
The Irrigation Innovation Consortium supports the development, testing and improvement of advanced irrigation management tools and strategies for water manager success. Part of Colorado State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences, IIC projects include a multistate partnership that is supporting expansion of two producer-driven programs across the U.S.: Master Irrigator and Testing Ag Performance Solutions. IIC also operates the CSU-TAPS competition. Learn more at irrigationinnovationconsortium.org.
Story by Christine Hamilton