On January 25, 2025, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS) program celebrated its eighth successful year with an awards banquet that recognized the top achievers in farm management competitions across the state.
Created in 2017 by University of Nebraska educators and specialists, the TAPS program connects producers with industry professionals. It offers a platform to test and showcase cutting-edge farm management strategies and technologies, while fostering collaboration among farmers, university experts, and industry leaders.
The event was a night of interaction and celebration of the 2024 competitions, which included four competitions across the state:
- Sprinkler and Continuous Corn in North Platte, Neb., at the West Central Research, Extension, and Education Center.
- Sorghum near Grant, Neb., at the Henry J. Stumpf International Wheat Center.
- Soybean competition near Mead, Neb., at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension, and Education Center.
Participants made individual input decisions for their plots, which were located alongside those of their competitors in the same field. These decisions differed for each competition, such as crop insurance, hybrid/variety and seeding rate, nitrogen timing and amount, irrigation timing and amount, insecticide, fungicide, cover crop termination, herbicide and micronutrient applications and, lastly, marketing of their crop.
Each competition featured unique award categories, including Greatest Grain Yield, Highest Input Use Efficiency, and Most Profitable for corn and sorghum. The soybean competition recognized the Greatest Grain Yield, Lowest Cost of Production, and Most Profitable. Each award came with a cash prize of up to $2,000, plus a plaque, an oversized check, and personalized TAPS apparel.
The seventh annual sorghum contest was impacted by a hail and wind event in early August, which significantly affected the competition results. There were 12 teams that competed. The team of Brandon Rimpley (Orleans, Neb.) and Ron Robison (Alma, Neb.) earned the top honor for profitability. Tyler Bose (Arcadia, Neb.) achieved the highest efficiency award and Luke Olson (McCook, Neb.) won the greatest grain yield accolade.
The program’s newest crop to the lineup, soybeans, had 18 teams compete. Brian Stehno (Stratton, Neb.) won the greatest yield distinction in the inaugural year of the competition. The lowest cost of production and most profitable awards were won by the group made up of Philip Swantek (Kearney, Neb.), Roger Farr (Wellfleet, Neb.), Shawn McDonald (Gothenburg, Neb.) and Chad Lammers (York, Neb.).
Thirteen teams competed in the first year of the continuous corn competition. The award winners in this competition included: Tri Basin Water Watchers for the Greatest Grain Yield, Jamey Balthazor (Scottsbluff, Neb.) and Dan Fitts (Gering, Neb.) won the award for Most Profitable, and the Rattlesnake Boys took home the Highest Input Use Efficiency accolade. The Tri Basin Water Watchers (Holdrege, Neb.) consisted of Pat Nott, Chris Ecklun, Michael Dibbern, Rick Reinsch, Darrin Swanson, Curtis Scheele. The Rattlesnake Boys (Wood River, Neb.) consisted of Kevin & Amy Harsch, Jay Johnson, and Jeremy Gewecke.
The eighth year of the sprinkler corn competition had 38 teams participate. The Greatest Grain Yield and Most Profitable awards were won by Shawn Sullivan (Wallace, Neb.) The Tri Basin Water Watchers earned the Highest Input Use Efficiency honor.
The last recognition presented was the Outstanding TAPS Advocate, which honors an organization, person, or business that goes above and beyond in supporting the UNL-TAPS program. This year, the recipient was the Nebraska Corn Board. Since the inception of the TAPS program, Nebraska Corn Board has not only provided financial support but has also been instrumental in advancing the program’s mission.
The full 2024 TAPS Competition Report can be found online at taps.unl.edu.
TAPS would like to express its gratitude to the generous sponsors, dedicated supporters, and passionate participants whose contributions have been instrumental in driving the continued success and growth of the program.
Anticipation is already growing for the 2025 TAPS competitions, as plans are underway for another exciting year of innovation and collaboration. If you're ready to get involved or learn more about this innovative program, don’t hesitate to reach out to the UNL-TAPS team at taps@unl.edu.