by Krystle Rhoades, TAPS Program Manager
Lincoln, Neb. —The Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS) program will offer not just one, but two summer field events in the month of June. The field days seek to engage TAPS participants, partners, as well as the public, in educational and interactive events.
In a change from past years, the TAPS Sorghum Competition has moved to the Stumpf International Wheat Center in Grant. Therefore, the first field day, scheduled for Tuesday, June 13, will be focused on sorghum and held in the afternoon, following the wheat tour stop that morning. Participants are invited to join the wheat tour (https://preec.unl.edu/unl-2023-wheat-tours), followed by lunch, and then, finally, the TAPS Sorghum Afternoon. The event will include a tour of TAPS sorghum plots, a round-table discussion on the industry, as well as a presentation on the data collected the last five years of the TAPS Sorghum Competition. If you would like to attend the June 13th event, please register to attend by completing the online registration (go.unl.edu/6wh8). This event is free and open to the public, though we do ask that everyone register by June 6th for planning purposes.
The 2022 TAPS Field Day will happen the following day on Wednesday, June 14, starting at 9 a.m., CDT, at the West Central Research, Extension, & Education Center (WCREEC) in North Platte.
For the third year, attendees will participate in Agronomic Olympics with new and unique events, while other planned activities include sensor company demonstrations, a guest speaker, provided lunch, and then an optional social activity to follow in the afternoon. The Olympics event bolsters experiential learning, as attendees compete in exercises of skill specific to TAPS management decisions, such as marketing, seed selection, and nitrogen and irrigation management. The top scoring participants will be awarded with prizes.
Ag technology companies, including the partnering soil moisture sensor companies, will be in attendance to showcase their products and answer any questions.
Lunch will be provided for all attendees, followed by the social activity, which this year will be a cornhole tournament. The social afternoon will begin at 2 p.m. CDT at Pal’s Brewing Co, just west of WCREEC. Prizes will be awarded to the top teams at the end of the tournament. A $10 entry fee per person is required, which may be paid on the day of the event, via cash or check.
If you would like to attend the June 14 event in North Platte, please register to attend by completing the online registration (go.unl.edu/teqr). The field day event is open to the public and free to attend, though registration is requested by June 7 for planning purposes.