2025 CSU-TAPS is Planted!
Perfect Colorado spring weather on May 2 made for a great day to plant the CSU-TAPS competition field.
The 2025 CSU-TAPS competition field was planted on May 2, on a perfect Colorado spring day. This image shows the planted plots to the west (at the image top), with the remaining field to be planted to the east. Photo courtesy of CSU Agricultural Water Quality Program.
It takes a village to plant a Testing Ag Performance Solutions program field!
On Friday, May 2, 2025, a crew of 14 people helped—staff from CSU-TAPS; Agricultural Research, Development, and Educational Center (ARDEC) South and North; and the CSU Agricultural Water Quality Program (AWQP).
Planting a TAPS field is labor intensive, with each 70-by-60-foot plot planted one at a time. For each plot, the crew loaded the planter with the hybrid selected by a specific competition team. After seeding 12 rows (using the team’s selected seeding rate) for the length of the 70-foot plot, the crew rushed in to vacuum out remaining seed and reload the next plot’s hybrid.
Teams chose 15 different hybrids, 12 from our partner seed menu and three provided by participants. The Comparative Relative Maturity (CRM) among the hybrids ranged from 92 to 104 days, with the seeding rates chosen by teams ranging between 20,000 and 35,000 plants per acre.
The planting crew had cool, sunny weather without a lot of wind, making it a beautiful day to plant corn in Colorado. Starting early, by day’s end the crew had 75 competition plots planted (3 for each of 25 teams). After that, the planter made another pass over the field to plant twelve rows of a reference (control) hybrid in each plot.
CSU-TAPS 2025 is taking place at ARDEC South on a field area of about 10 acres.
The TAPS side-by-side plot design lends power for research and data insights for all involved (competitors, partners, and researchers) in comparing team farm management decisions, along with final success with hybrid performance, in yield, profitability, and efficiency.
An additional 10 plots were planted to support research on Nitrogen and water use efficiency and technology implementation.
Thanks to all involved!
We want to thank our 2025 CSU-TAPS seed partners—Beck’s, Channel, Pioneer, and DEKALB —for providing seed.
And we extend great appreciation to our USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service partners. Through a multistate contribution agreement which is supporting TAPS programs in Colorado and other High Plains states, NRCS funding supported part of the cost of a new generation CASE planter, used for the first time on May 2 at the CSU-TAPS field.
CSU-TAPS wouldn’t be possible without help from CSU colleagues at ARDEC and AWQP. ARDEC hosts the field, runs the planter, and operates the linear irrigation pivot. AWQP volunteers for field work, and we sure appreciate their drone photos and videos.
USDA says 40% of US corn crop was planted as of Sunday May 4. With good rain since the 2025 CSU-TAPS competition is off to a GREAT start!
CSU-TAPS is part of a multistate network of TAPS programs across the U.S. and beyond. The multi-state network is co-led by CSU’s Irrigation Innovation Consortium and KSU, with major support from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). State-based matching support includes funding from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Colorado Corn Council, and Northern Water.
Article by Christine Hamilton, photos by Amy Kremen, CSU Ag Water Quality Program, and Christine Hamilton
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