Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS)
“TAPS brings everybody together. Industry can offer their solutions in a more controlled environment, which is easier for them. Producers are exposed to new technology, so instead of a 30-minute highlight, they actually get to use it, make decisions and see how it plays out.”
Testing Ag Performance Solutions is an interactive farm management competition where innovation takes center stage. It's a real-world farming contest where competitors will put their skills and cutting edge technology to work in competition for top prizes and the distinction of being the "most profitable," "most input-use efficient," and "highest grain yield" operators.
Building on the success of TAPS at UNL, CSU, and OSU, K-State is now launching KSU-TAPS under the leadership of Director of Sustainable Irrigation, Daran Rudnick. We are bringing TAPS, a series of immersive, real-world farm management competitions, to the Western Kansas Research-Extension Centers (WKREC) at Colby and Garden City. These competitions will bring together scientists, extension professionals, producers, industry leaders, agriculture students, government regulators and agency personnel to become a highly engaged network focused on evolving profitability and input-use efficiency, especially irrigation and water-use efficiency, through practical testing. Join us as we cultivate a collaborative ecosystem dedicated to pushing the boundaries of agricultural crop profitability in a limited water environment.
An irrigation technology network
The latest updates and news on TAPS in Kansas
Participate in the KSU-TAPS Corn Sprinkler Farm Management Contest
TAPS competitors (individual or team) may be challenged to select seed varieties, seeding rate and crop insurance, and make irrigation and nitrogen management and marketing decisions throughout the growing season depending on the TAPS competition. Their decisions will be implemented in the same field on three random test plots under a precision irrigation system. Competition fields are located at the Western Kansas Research-Extension Centers at Colby in 2024 and will be coming to Garden City in 2025.
K-State irrigation engineer bringing water competition to Kansas
“TAPS brings everybody together. Producers are exposed to new technology, so instead of a 30-minute highlight, they actually get to use it, make decisions and see how it plays out.”
Building Irrigation Networks for Kansas
At the core of TAPS is the goal to build a robust irrigation network that serves as a collaborative hub for growers, industry, specialists, agronomists, government entities, and more. Our research team works with key partners to cultivate a shared space for agronomy knowledge exchange and innovation in sustainable irrigation practices.
By organizing interactive, real-life farm management competitions, TAPS propels advancements in profitability and input-use efficiency and establishes a thriving community. Together with our partners, including the Department of Agronomy, the Western Kansas Research-Extension Centers, and the Kansas Center for Agricultural Resources and the Environment, natural resources districts, non-profit organizations, industry leaders, and financial institutions, we are dedicated to building a resilient and interconnected network that lays the foundation for a sustainable future in irrigation.
