Program Perspectives from Omer Izrael, CSU-TAPS Program Manager
Omer Izrael is the CSU-TAPS Program Manager. (photo by Christine Hamilton)
Omer Izrael joined the Irrigation Innovation Consortium (IIC) as the Colorado State University-Testing Ag Performance Solutions (CSU-TAPS) program manager in spring 2024. Building on the success of CSU-TAPS’s first field competition in 2023, Omer has enjoyed the challenge of coordinating the TAPS program, with an eye on what to improve and add for 2025.
TAPS is a unique farming competition that offers teams a chance to try farm management strategies and tools, aiming to use the least inputs in achieving the most successful harvest outcome. Teams have a choice of seed varieties and seeding rates, and make irrigation, fertilizer, crop insurance, and marketing decisions throughout the growing season. Their decisions are supported by ag tech data stream: soil moisture sensors, drone imagery, weather data, and soil and plant sampling analysis.
The competition unites the ag industry—farmers, ag tech industry, seed providers, commodity groups, federal and state agencies, and more—in co-learning about precision agriculture. TAPS programs currently operate in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Alabama, and soon, Texas. The competitions are free and open to anyone with Internet access.
A native of Israel, Omer brings to CSU-TAPS experience in desalination and water treatment from his master’s work at Ben-Gurion University’s Sde Boker Campus, as well as a background in Israel’s agri-tech industry, working for Prospera Technology in field monitoring.
He is passionate about plant and soil science research. And he’s a believer in fusing scientific research with ag tech “big data” to put precision agriculture to work for producers, which is a significant part of what TAPS is all about.
As CSU-TAPS approaches 2024 harvest time, it’s a good time to check in with Omer to get his reflections on his first year with the program.
How did you end up in Colorado and at work for the IIC and CSU-TAPS?
“I moved to Fort Collins because my wife is from Fort Collins, and she wanted to be closer to her parents. We met at the desert campus [Sde Boker]. She was doing her master’s degree there, too. CSU was on my radar as a potential place to work. I wanted to work for a university and be a part of agricultural research.”
How do you explain TAPS to people?
“It’s a farming competition that allows farmers to experiment with new ideas and technologies [from ag tech companies] through the growing season. They can try new concepts and tools without the risk of financial loss. [Participating in the contest] requires a little of their time, but they can get a lot from it.
“It also has a research element. We are data gatherers; we collect a lot of data. And we want to put it to use to help agriculture.”
In addition to producers, who else participates in TAPS competitions?
“We have some teams this year that come from government agencies, like [Natural Resource Conservation Service] NRCS, from the local office close to where the CSU-TAPS field is located. We have another team this year from Morgan Community College [in Fort Morgan, Colorado]—ag educators, who want to gain farming experience. They are interested in what they can learn that might translate to their classrooms.
“We also have researchers on teams, like from the CSU Ag Water Quality Program. They want to test CSU’s [nutrient] recommendations. They basically manage their farm according to CSU’s recommendations for water or nitrogen. At the end of the competition, they’ll see how they did compared to other teams.”
What are you looking forward to most, nearing the end of this second competition?
“I’m looking forward to looking at the data to compare the different plots and see the yields from both years. [For example,] it will be interesting to compare the irrigation amount and timing, with soil nitrogen and variety of corn hybrid, and then draw conclusions for next year.
“This year we had very little rain. Last year they started irrigating in mid-July, a month later than we did this year, [because there was more rain]. It will be interesting to compare the two.
“We also offered a ‘limited irrigation’ track [managing with restricted water] new this year. Teams choosing that could irrigate up to 11.3 inches only. We came up with that amount working with partners such as Jon Altenhofen [of Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District] and Joel Schneekloth [CSU Extension regional water resource specialist].”
What have you come to appreciate most about the TAPS competition format?
“The potential connection between the producers, industry and academia. I am hoping to try to bridge the gap between those aspects of agriculture – to help industry work with researchers and serve producers.”
What has been the most surprising thing about TAPS you’ve found since you started?
“I think the enthusiasm of all the companies and the partners who participate in it. From seed dealers to the tech providers, everyone is excited about it and happy to contribute—you ask for information or assistance, and you get it.”
Where do you hope to see CSU-TAPS go in the future?
“I would like it to be something that happens every year, with a very clear plan on how to do it. Of course, I would like to have more and more farmers participate.
“I hope that it would become part of a wider educational platform. Farmers could participate in a number of courses and workshops, and the TAPS program would be where they could implement everything they’d learned—where they can try things out and see what happens.
“I would like to incorporate more crops and more fields, and for it to grow as a base for scientific research. For example, for it to be where researchers can try ideas in a TAPS field and use that work as a proof of a concept for further research.
“I’m looking forward to providing more information back to program partners, as well—insights related to using their ag tech tools in the program.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how the TAPS project will develop across [additional] states. CSU is just one, and once we start to collect data from all the other states and combine it, it will be interesting [to see what we learn].”