The 2023 TAPS Competition participants will soon make their first decisions of the growing season — watch for updates in the coming months as participants choose their seed varieties, manage nitrogen applications and irrigation, and more.

TAPS is expanding its competition in 2023 with a new irrigated popcorn competition, a cover crops option for sprinkler corn, and a new location for the sorghum competition. The expansion also includes a new TAPS competition in Colorado.

A new Nebraska Extension NebGuide clarifies the concept of consumptive use of water with regard to irrigated crop production and provides guidelines for determining the efficiency of new irrigation technology.

According to study from Department of Natural Resources researchers, irrigation pivots stained with rust may indicate the absence of nitrate in the groundwater supplying the pivots. This information can potentially be used to help screen for areas for the potential absence of nitrate and, in an ideal world, could indicate areas at higher- or lower-risk for nitrate contamination before it becomes a problem.

New for 2023, certain county extension offices will host computer kiosks that private applicators can use to complete the program, and extension educators will be hosting Zoom training sessions.