The Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS) program will begin its sixth year with a Learn, Launch, Interact Event. The evening will include touring Ward Laboratories, launching the upcoming farm management competitions, and engaging with technology partners, as well as other participants and facilitators.

The 2022 Learn, Launch, Interact Event will be Tuesday, March 15, starting at 5 p.m. CST, in Kearney, Nebraska.

The event will begin at Ward Laboratories where attendees will tour the state-of-the-art lab facility that handles analysis of thousands of samples, including but not limited to soil, water and plant samples (such as the TAPS samples) each year. Dr. Ray Ward will also discuss the use of lab analysis as a tool during times of high input costs.

Following the tour of Ward Labs, a dinner meal will be served, and the event will conclude with the TAPS Launch, signaling the start of a brand-new TAPS competition season. This portion of the event will be held at the Buffalo County Extension Office in the Antelope Room.

As with previous years, this event is when competitors are acquainted with the interactive website, acquire their competition credentials, learn to view and access their farm pages, and learn more about each of the farm decisions they will be making, as well as any new rule changes.

The 2022 TAPS program is set to include sprinkler corn, subsurface drip irrigated corn and sorghum competitions facilitated at the West Central Research, Extension & Education Center (WCREEC) in North Platte, Nebraska.

People in attendance will also have the opportunity to interact with representatives from a number of companies. A wide variety of new and emerging technology is offered to TAPS competitors to better inform production and marketing decisions, as they compete for most profitable, efficient and highest yielding farm.

Teams will begin making their competition decisions shortly after the event by selecting their irrigation tool, crop insurance, hybrid and seeding rate. Throughout the growing season, participants will manage nitrogen and irrigation on their plots, while also marketing their grain through the end of November.

The TAPS team invites anyone interested in learning more about the TAPS program to attend the event.

If you would like to attend the March 15 event, please register to attend by completing the online registration. The event is completely free and open to the public, though we do ask that everyone wanting to attend register by Tuesday, March 8 for planning purposes.