2025 CSU-TAPS
The 2025 field was planted on May 2! Good rain the next week gave the field a good start.
An aerial view of the 2025 CSU-TAPS competition field at CSU’s ARDEC South research farm in Fort Collins, CO (photo by CSU Agricultural Water Quality Program)
CSU-TAPS participants made their corn variety & seeding rate decisions by April 11. Their crop insurance and soil moisture sensor selections were due April 21.
Participants could begin making marketing decisions on March 28.
Team costs and returns are included in a comprehensive farm budget tool, available to each team, with values scaled to represent a crop grown on a 1,000-acre operation.
Results from competition field soil sampling in April allowed the CSU-TAPS crew to map soil management zones, and assign three random plots to each team. See the field layout at the ARDEC South research farm, below.
All team management decisions are implemented by CSU staff on their plots in the competition field.
Soil moisture sensor installation throughout the field was completed by May 23.
Irrigation began in June. Early on, teams could irrigate 1x/week, up to 1 in., in increments of 0.05”. In July, options changed to 2x/week, up to 1 in., or 1x/week up to 1.5 in. Starting in September, teams went back to irrigating once per week, with irrigation ending by the end of the month.
By the first week in July, the corn had reached V8 growth stage. On July 25, CSU-TAPS hosted a Field Day, welcoming folks to enjoy lunch, visits to field stations and plots, and competition updates. By August 25, the corn had reached the R3 growth stage.
Teams made nitrogen (N) decisions through the summer. The final N application was August 27.
The CSU-TAPS Field Day was July 25 at the ARDEC South CSU-TAPS field site. Thank you to all who came!
The last day of irrigation was September 29, and by the end of October, all sensors were removed from the field. The crew conducted biomass sampling on October 28 and 29. And harvest day was November 13!
Competitors made marketing decisions through November 28. After harvest, the CSU-TAPS team began data analysis to determine winners, which were finalized after marketing was done.
The celebratory 2025 CSU-TAPS Banquet was held January 10, 2026, where the competition participants were celebrated, the official report was released, and winners were announced.
2025 CSU TAPS Year in Review —Click on images for captions.
Photos by Omer Izrael, Amy Kremen, Wub Yilma, Christine Hamilton, and CSU Agricultural Water Quality Program (AWQP)
Top row, left to right: competition field at ARDEC; plot seed bags; planting; soil moisture sensor; Omer Izrael and Wub Yilma; ARDEC linear move sprinkler;
Middle row, left to right: Tim Martin at field day; competitor team field visit; fertigation; plot sampling photo; late summer field; harvest planning image;
Bottom row, left to right: plot sampling photo; soil moisture sensors; Omer Izrael at biomass sampling; Wub Yilma and AWQP soil sampling; fall field; USDA ARS harvester on harvest day.
Image Credits: Omer Izrael, Amy Kremen, Christine Hamilton, and CSU Agricultural Water Quality Program (AWQP)