Harvest Complete for 2025 CSU-TAPS! What's Next?
The 2025 CSU-TAPS field is harvested beginning the final analysis to determine this year’s farm management competition winners! (Scroll down for more pics!)
The 2025 CSU-TAPS sprinkler irrigated farm management competition field was harvested on November 13, marking the final field-based milestone for this year’s competition challenge.
With yield numbers in hand, grower teams are currently making final crop marketing decisions. Meanwhile, the CSU-TAPS crew has begun data analysis to determine whose precision farming strategies paid off in yield, profitability, and efficiency results.
We send a big “thank you” to the USDA Agricultural Research Service for providing a research grade, two-row plot combine for precision harvesting using a GPS map created by the CSU-TAPS staff. A total of 75 competition plots (representing 25 teams) and 10 research plots were harvested this year. Each competition plot was planted with a competitor-selected hybrid and a reference hybrid, with six rows harvested of each to support analysis.
The CSU-TAPS crew has shared harvest yield data on the TAPS online portal for participants, who have until November 28 to make their final marketing decisions. Every decision in this competition counts and can make or break who wins!
This harvest was a true team effort. Special thanks to:
Omer Izrael, CSU-TAPS program manager
Wub Yilma, CSU-TAPS precision irrigation manager
Brad Floyd & Ross Steward, USDA-ARS biological science technicians
Karl Whitman & Andy Clark of CSU Agricultural Research, Development and Education Center (ARDEC)
Your hard work keeps TAPS running strong!
Winners will be announced at the annual CSU-TAPS Banquet on January 10, 2026. Stay tuned for the big reveal!
Article and photos by Christine Hamilton (Click images for captions.)
