By: Krystle Rhoades, TAPS Program Manager
The room was abuzz with conversation, laughter, and a commonality among attendees focused on their interest in the Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS) Program. The event was the 2022 Awards Banquet for the TAPS program’s sixth year of farm management competitions held at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney, Nebraska, on Saturday, January 14th.
Nearly 130 people came together to interact, socialize, learn more about the TAPS program, and find out who the winners were for the three competitions managed at the West Central Research, Extension and Education Center in North Platte, Nebraska. Those contests included sprinkler irrigated corn, Subsurface Drip Irrigated (SDI) corn, and grain sorghum.
Over a third of the people attending were participants of the competitions, while the others were partners and sponsors of the program, university officials, and various stakeholders. Attendees came from throughout Nebraska, as well as Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri.
One devoted high school ag teacher not only brought her group of students that participated in TAPS, but also her four-day-old baby. Another participant’s 8-year-old son joined him and left with some suggestions for what dad should try next year in the competition to make it into the top three, as well as a beaming smile as he chose a TAPS cap to take home. Many participants left with a better understanding of the competitions and insights on how to be more efficient and profitable.
Daran Rudnick, Irrigation Management Associate Professor and TAPS Team Member, said, “There was a lot of excitement and to be able to watch the networking and socializing among the groups, we know there were good conversations and hopefully good outcomes from them.”
Individual winners were announced for Greatest Grain Yield, Highest Input Use Efficiency, and Most Profitable in each of the three competitions. Winners received a plaque, oversized keepsake check, and a customized TAPS apparel item, along with the monetary award.
Sorghum Competition
In the fifth year of the sorghum competition, 18 teams competed. Tracy Zink of Indianola, Nebraska, earned all three of the top honors.
Tracy ZInk, of Indianola, took home all three sorghum awards for the 2022 competition.
SDI Corn Competition
In the fourth year of the SDI corn competitions, 16 teams competed. The award winners in the SDI competition included:
• Greatest Yield – Lorn Dizmang of Dizmang Ag in Moorefield, Nebraska.
• Highest Input Use Efficiency – Tri-Basin Water Watchers from the Holdrege, Nebraska, area. Pat Nott, Chris Ecklun, Reed Philips, Rick Reinsch, Logan Reed, Darrin Swanson, and Curtis Scheele made up the Tri-Basin Water Watchers team.
• Most Profitable — The Rattlesnake Boys from Wood River, Nebraska. The Rattlesnake Boys team consisted of Kevin and Amy Harsch, Jay Johnson, and Jeremy Gewecke.
SDI Corn Competition Winners - Top Left: Lorn Dizmang, of Moorefield, claimed the Greatest Yield. Top Right: Tri-Basin Water Watchers of Holdrege earned the Highest Input Use Efficiency. Bottom: Rattlesnake Boys of Wood River won the Most Profitable Award.
Sprinkler Corn Competition
In the sixth year of the sprinkler corn competition, 33 teams participated. The award winners included:
• Greatest Yield — Luke Olson of McCook, Nebraska.
• Highest Input Use Efficiency — Shawn Woollen of Wilcox, Nebraska.
• Most Profitable — Perkins Group from Grant, Nebraska. The team was made up of Brent Gloy, Bruce Young, Curt Richmond, Jeremy Hagan, Nick Turner, Pat McGreer, Shawn Turner, Ted Tietjen, and Troy Kemling.
Sprinkler Corn Competition Winners - Top Left: Luke Olson, of McCook, claimed the Greatest Yield. Top Right: Shawn Woollen of Wilcox earned the Highest Input Use Efficiency. Bottom: Perkins Group of Grant won the Most Profitable Award.
The last award of the evening was the Outstanding TAPS Advocate, which honors an organization, person, or business that went above and beyond in supporting the UNL-TAPS program. This year, the award recipient was Amy Kremen of Boulder, Colorado. Kremen has advocated for the TAPS program since its inception by recruiting participants, assisting with funding proposals, promoting partnership, and aiding in starting new TAPS competitions in other states.
Amy Kremen was honored with the Outstanding TAPS Advocate Award.
The evening concluded with door prize drawings that were donated by various partners and sponsors of the TAPS program. A grand prize drawing, including a Blackstone Griddle and TAPS cup, was won by first year TAPS participant Dan Fitts of Scottsbluff, Nebraska.
The 2022 TAPS report discussing all the decisions and results is available online.