The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) is adding soybean to the lineup of Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS) farm management competitions for 2024.
TAPS is an innovative program fostering interactive real-life farm management competitions, uniting UNL researchers, extension professionals, producers, industry leaders, and agriculture students in a dynamic network aimed at advancing profitability and input-use efficiency. The inaugural soybean competition will take place at UNL's Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center (ENREEC) near Mead, Nebraska, and will be supported by the Nebraska Soybean Board.
"We are excited to add soybeans to the TAPS farm management competitions we offer in Nebraska,” said Chuck Burr, UNL Extension Educator and TAPS team member. “Previous TAPS participants have indicated that they are adopting new technology and management strategies on their farms, and the soybean industry has made great strides in these areas over the past 15 to 20 years. We are excited to help take that to the next level with the new TAPS competition."
Participants in the soybean competition will make critical farm management decisions, including crop insurance, variety selection, seed treatment, seeding rate, planting date, fungicide, insecticide, micronutrient application, herbicide decisions and marketing. These decisions will be implemented on randomized plots within the field at ENREEC. Due to limitations of the irrigation equipment in 2024, the competition will not include irrigation decisions for participants, but will be fully irrigated at the discretion of the UNL team.
"I see this as a valuable opportunity to integrate new strategies into my soybean operation,” said Blake Johnson, NSB district 8 director and farmer interested in participating in the TAPS soybean program. “TAPS has a proven track record of driving innovation, and this kind of competition is a great way to get involved.”
Participants will be given the opportunity to test a wide range of ag management technologies and utilize a plethora of data throughout the growing season. Similar to other TAPS competitions, the soybean competitors will compete for three awards, which include greatest grain yield, highest input-use efficiency and most profitable.
"We look forward to highlighting information learned by the TAPS soybean competition participants as part of the Soybean Management Field Days, which will be a new aspect to the field days that have been around for 25 years," said Aaron Nygren, UNL Extension Educator and TAPS team member.
The TAPS team is looking for people interested in participating in the inaugural year of the soybean competition. They are also looking for participants from each of the eight Nebraska Soybean Board districts.
If you, or someone you may know, is interested, please contact Krystle Rhoades, TAPS Program Manager at [email protected].
About the Nebraska Soybean Board: The nine-member Nebraska Soybean Board collects and disburses the Nebraska share of funds generated by the one-half of one percent times the net sales price per bushel of soybeans sold. Nebraska soybean checkoff funds are invested in research, education, domestic and foreign markets, including new uses for soybeans and soybean products.
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