TAPS Network

10/02/2026

TAPS innovation is headed to the stage at K-State.

Members of the K-State TAPS team will present an Irrigation Dashboard during the Innovation Spotlight portion of K-State’s Technology Innovation Showcase on Oct. 27.

The project is exploring how irrigation-use data and crop water needs can be brought together to support better in-season management decisions.

If you’re interested in ag technology, irrigation or producer-focused innovation, come see what the team has been working on.

Learn more and register: https://www.k-state.edu/digital-ag-advanced-analytics/events/technology-innovation-showcase-2026.html

09/16/2026

What a week in Kansas!

Thank you to everyone who joined us in Colby for the National TAPS Fly-In & Field Experience. Contestants from across the country came together for three days of tours, conversations, new connections and plenty of friendly competition.

We loved getting the chance to experience Kansas agriculture together, learn from one another and strengthen the community that continues to grow around TAPS.

Thank you to K-State TAPS, our tour hosts, partners, speakers and every participant who made the trip. We’re grateful you were part of it!

09/11/2026

08/01/2026

07/15/2026

TAPS connected with an international audience this week at the 17th International Conference on Precision Agriculture in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

During a session examining digital and precision agriculture around the world, Dr. Simarjeet Virk of Auburn University presented on behalf of Dr. Brenda Ortiz and highlighted TAPS as an example of an education and Extension program that brings producers, researchers and industry together to test technologies and conservation practices in real-world conditions.

It was exciting to see the TAPS model included in a global conversation about advancing precision agriculture and supporting producer adoption.

06/17/2026

Every growing season brings new challenges, but TAPS gives farmers a low-risk place to test how they might respond.

A new Farm Progress Field Check visits the UNL TAPS plots, where dry conditions, irrigation decisions and rising nitrogen costs are already shaping the season. With 139 teams participating, the program offers a unique opportunity to observe what organizers call “139 growing seasons in one year.”

Participants can put hybrids, plant populations, nitrogen and irrigation strategies, crop protection products, precision technologies and marketing decisions to the test under realistic field conditions.

Read the full article:

Field Check: Researchers at the TAPS plots in North Platte, Neb., are concerned with moisture early in the season, just like much of Nebraska.

05/08/2026

Another season is underway for UNL-TAPS. 🌱

This week, the UNL TAPS team completed planting for the Sprinkler Corn Competition in North Platte and the Sprinkler Corn and Soybean Competitions in Mead, Nebraska.

Now the work begins: producer-driven decisions, in-season management, field data collection, and applied research focused on irrigation, nitrogen management, profitability, and sustainability.

A big thank you to Victor, the UNL-TAPS team, and the research visiting scholars helping make these competitions possible each season. TAPS continues to be powered by collaboration between producers, researchers, students, and industry partners working together to improve agricultural decision-making.

📸 Photos shared by Victor, UNL Ph.D. student and TAPS research manager.

season is underway for UNL-TAPS. 🌱

05/01/2026

Big thanks to Axis Seed | Red Barn Enterprises | Matt Long, for stepping up in a big way for the 2026 TAPS National Competition.

From providing seed to delivering a fully loaded Field Ready Bucket (snacks, wipes, gloves, paper towels—everything you didn’t know you needed at planting), they’re helping set the standard for what partnership looks like in TAPS.

Proud to have them with us—and even more excited to showcase that partnership on the national stage. 🌽💪

03/17/2026

Today is Kansas Water Day, a statewide observance recognizing the importance of water resources that support agriculture, communities, and ecosystems.

Across the High Plains and beyond, water management is one of the most important decisions producers make each season.

Through the Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS) program, farmers work with researchers and industry partners to test irrigation strategies, compare management decisions, and evaluate real production outcomes.

By combining farmer experience with field data, TAPS helps producers better understand how to manage water resources efficiently while maintaining productivity.