With a growing list of technology companies partnering with the Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS) program, the 2020 Kick-Off is planned with a focus on the innovative technology and services that can be tested in a no-risk environment in the TAPS program.

The 2020 TAPS Kick-Off will happen Friday, February 28^th, starting at 3:00 P.M. CST, at the University of Nebraska’s West Central Research, Extension and Education Center (WCREEC) located in North Platte, Nebraska.

Participants in the TAPS competitions have access to a wide variety of new and emerging technology to better inform their production and marketing decisions as they compete for being the most profitable, efficient and highest yielding farm. The 2020 farm management contests facilitated in North Platte will include sprinkler irrigated corn and sorghum, as well as a subsurface drip-irrigated (SDI) corn competition.

“The technology provided to the contestants ranges from in-field and edge-of-field instrumentation, to imagery products, to sophisticated crop management models and beyond,” mentioned Daran Rudnick, TAPS team member and irrigation management specialist at UNL.

The various technology companies will present information about their products during a technology showcase to familiarize participants and others with how and why their products are used to get an advantage in both the contests and on the farmer’s own operations.

New this year, TAPS participants will be selecting which in-field soil moisture sensor they will use throughout the season. This new development in the competition is intended to connect participants to the sensor companies and simulate real-life farming. “The hope is that competitors will take this as an opportunity to try new and different technologies,” Rudnick commented.

There will be a dinner meal and then the event will conclude with the TAPS Kick-Off meeting signaling the start of a brand new TAPS competition season. Typically, this is when competitors become acquainted with the interactive website, acquire their login credentials, learn to view and access their farm pages and learn more about each of the farm decisions they will be making.

The TAPS team invites anyone interested in learning more about innovative technology, or the TAPS contest, to attend the event. A list of companies and products that will be presented will be made available as the plans are finalized.

If you would like to attend the February 28^th event, RSVP by sending an email to krystle.rhoades@unl.edu by February 20^th.