Bently Agrowdynamics - Brochure | A Bently Family Company

Reverence for the Past -
Vision for the Future

Introduction

While Bently Agrowdynamics is highly focused on modernization, we have never lost sight of the long agricultural tradition inherited from the many great farming and ranching families that preceded us. From the Dresslers and Springmeyers, to the mighty Dangbergs, the Carson Valley’s pioneer families established a quality of life and community spirit that we are committed to both participate in and protect. Today, this pioneering spirit drives Bently Agrowdynamics to constantly seek new ways of keeping agriculture viable in the Carson Valley. By doing so we not only contribute to a vibrant local economy, but also preserve the high-quality, rural lifestyle that so many have come here to enjoy.

Our meticulous research, planning, and experimentation is propelled by a desire to make the most enlightened use of available land and water resources. Bently Agrowdynamics is developing farming and ranching practices designed to be both sustainable and environmentally friendly. What follows is a description of some of the innovative methods we are using to achieve this goal.

Who We Are

Bently Agrowdynamics is a modern, multifaceted agricultural operation covering 38,000 non-contiguous acres in the Carson Valley. Using advanced farming and ranching techniques, we develop refined, region-specific methodology allowing us to maximize sustainable, environmentally-sound productivity from our high-desert lands, with acreage dedicated to alfalfa, small grains, cattle, and refined compost production. Our program also includes native plant restoration and rangeland improvement. Bently Agrowdynamics is steadfast in its belief that the protection of water and soil resources is the key to long-term prosperity and a high quality of life in the Carson Valley.

Keeping Carson Valley Green

The dramatic lines of the Carson Range to the west, and the austere beauty of the Pine Nut Mountains to its east, Carson Valley presents an idyllic Western-American landscape. Despite this beauty, it is impossible to escape the limits to the soil’s fertility and the scarcity of water in our high-desert home. Paired with increasing demands from area business and residential development, it is more critical than ever that we extract the most from available resources, while always working to sustain and renew them. Consequently, conservation is a central theme at Bently Agrowdynamics. We have worked diligently to eliminate waste and inefficiency, and have gone to great lengths to research and implement innovative approaches to resource use. By always working with respect for the land’s needs and limitations, Carson Valley agriculture will enjoy a future as bright as its past.

Enlightened Use of Resources

The New Mud Lake Reservoir Dam

With a nod toward the future, Bently Agrowdynamics has replaced the century-old earthen dam at Mud Lake Reservoir with a new, concrete-lined dam designed to both minimize water loss and resist natural threats such as earthquakes and floods. Built in 1902 and expanded in 1909 by pioneer rancher William F. Dressler, the original dam posed no immediate danger, but was beginning to show its age in the form of structural degradation and seepage. Now, Mud Lake Reservoir can store up to 5,300 acre-feet of water and dramatically reduces losses from seepage below the dam. This supplemental water source allows Bently Agrowdynamics to irrigate its South Ranch acreage significantly longer than would be allowed under sole reliance on water allocations from the West Fork of the Carson River.

Pipes and Pressure Save Power and Eliminate Evaporative Water Loss

A constituent benefit to the dam project was the installation of a pipeline to replace the irrigation ditch that previously delivered water to the South Ranch. Eliminating conveyance water losses from seepage and evaporation, it also harnesses enough gravity-driven pressure between the dam and the fields (up to 100 psi) that electric pumps to drive irrigation devices are unnecessary. The sprinkler systems require only 50 psi of pressure to operate, so turbine generators may soon be installed to convert surplus pressure to electricity.

Irrigation/Erosion Control

Pivot Irrigation

Historically, many farmers have relied on flood irrigation to keep their pastures green. When water is abundant, this can be an extremely economical way to get it to the field. As commercial and residential growth, not to mention periodic drought, continues to pressure the Carson Valley water supply, farmers are forced to reevaluate their methods. Bently Agrowdynamics now employs an efficient combination of pivot and sprinkler irrigation, systems that dramatically reduce conveyance losses by keeping water in the pipe until it is directly applied to the plants. This approach further extends our irrigation season, yielding four alfalfa cuttings where before we only brought in three.

Sub-Surface Irrigation

Bently Agrowdynamics is looking to the future with a six-acre sub-surface irrigation pilot project. This technology promises to virtually eliminate conveyance losses by employing a network of polyethylene pipes that delivers water directly to the plants’ roots. Though not appropriate for all crops, sub-surface irrigation lends itself extremely well to perennials like alfalfa that do not require replanting after each cutting. It also eliminates much of the need to spray for noxious weeds, which rely heavily on surface water for germination. Direct root access also permits pinpoint fertilization, reducing fertilizer use to a fraction of that used in surface application. Additional benefits include system automation, greater durability, and increased harvesting efficiency by eliminating sprinkler system removal before cutting.

Flood Plain Improvements

For desert environments such as the Carson Valley, the biggest water problem is usually scarcity. However, sometimes we get too much. Severe storms or rapid spring melt-off can overwhelm both natural and man-made drainage channels, leaving homes and businesses vulnerable to damage, and fields open to massive soil loss. Bently Agrowdynamics has made, and continues to make, a number of improvements to help minimize these possibilities. The Mud Lake Reservoir Dam reconstruction is the largest and most obvious of these projects. Above the dam, a completely redesigned diversion channel now routes water away from the reservoir into Indian Creek, which drains safely into the East Fork of the Carson River. The Buckeye Creek flood plain improvement, in final planning stages, will divert floodwater away from homes and business in the Minden area, allowing it to drain safely into Dangberg Reservoir for later use. Buckeye Creek watershed is the principle drainage from the Pine Nuts into the eastern side of the Carson Valley.

Compost/Cattle

Reclaiming Resources to Revitalize the Land

Bently Agrowdynamics produces high quality composts with multiple and specific plant uses. Processing waste materials otherwise bound for landfills, we produce finished soil amendments and premium compost blends, utilizing optimized technology that reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Adding this rich organic matter to the soil significantly improves its structure and quality. Over time, with persistent application, previously marginal grounds are converted into very successful farming plots.

Composting, when properly done, can be described as a kind of bio-alchemy. Waste and scrap materials, once useless, are converted to an extremely valuable resource. Beyond this obvious benefit, a number of additional applications for compost bear mentioning: bioremediation and pollution prevention, disease control for plants and animals, erosion control for landscaping, contaminated soil cleansing, reforestation, wetland restoration, and habitat revitalization.

Agrowdynamics Cattle

Bently Agrowdynamics’ cows yield strong annual calf crops marketed to ranches and feedlots throughout the Western United States. Our 450 Angus cattle are a premium-based herd, preferred for their weight-gain to feed-input and muscle-mass to low back-fat ratios. Additionally, we have nearly 300 crossbred heifers sharing many genetic traits of the Angus breed while being more adaptable to high-desert rangelands. Having over 3,000 acres of irrigated pasture, Bently Agrowdynamics leases grazing area to local ranchers, hosting nearly 400 cow-calf pairs and 800 yearlings. Combined with our own herds, the annual grazing population averages over 2,000 head.

Intensive Grazing Management

Always striving to use our lands more efficiently, Bently Agrowdynamics is investigating a new strategy called Intensive Grazing Management. Traditionally, cattle have been allowed to wander at will on pastures that are hundreds, even thousands , of acres in size. Studies show that cattle have a tendency to stay in one part of a pasture, overgrazing some areas while leaving others relatively untouched. Using Intensive Grazing Management, cattle are rotated into pasture subdivisions as small as 20 acres. Depending on the season and grass conditions, cattle may remain in an area for as little as 48 hours before they are relocated. It has been demonstrated that when properly applied, Intensive Grazing Management significantly increases cattle growth rates, and dramatically improves the health of the pasture.

Crops/Vision

Crops

Bently Agrowdynamics’ 3,500 acres of feed crop production is designed to maximize CO₂ conversion, water efficiency, nutrient levels, and biomass accumulation. Using advanced equipment, innovative irrigation techniques, and our own high-quality compost, we have developed a tightly integrated, extremely efficient agricultural program. Customers for our alfalfa and forage products include feedlots and dairy farms. They benefit from the higher nutrient value in Bently Agrowdynamics’ forage, which results in optimum animal growth and increased milk production. This, in turn, helps our customers meet the increasing demand from their expanding markets.

Environmentally Friendly Practices

Since founding Bently Nevada Corporation in 1961, Don Bently has watched the communities of the Carson Valley grow almost as fast as his company. Like many here, Bently has worried that the rural lifestyle he moved here to enjoy was in danger, acutely aware that the fragile valley environment is under increasing pressure from business and residential growth. With that in mind, Bently has made it a top priority that all his businesses minimize their environmental impact. From scrap paper and metal collection-bins found in every office, to water-efficient bathroom plumbing, all facets of Bently’s operations are examined for waste elimination potential. The same applies to Bently Agrowdynamics. By maximizing water efficiency, minimizing chemical fertilizer application, and using every practical avenue to preserve soil integrity, Don Bently is not only pursuing sound practices for his farm, but also making an important contribution to his community’s long-term quality of life.

Maintaining a Tradition of Innovation in the Carson Valley

To keep things the same in the Carson Valley, we must constantly change. This was true at the turn of the last century when H.F. Dangberg founded Minden, and remains true today. Even in 1906, Dangberg could see things were changing outside the valley, and he knew adjustment was necessary if the area was to continue to be a viable agricultural center. This same visionary spirit led Don Bently to found Bently Agrowdynamics. From his boyhood days on his family farm in Iowa, to his many years in the Carson Valley, agriculture has always been an essential part of his thinking. Like Dangberg before him, Bently’s use of modern agricultural technology bridges Carson Valley ‘s past with the future, helping to preserve yesterday’s quality of life for tomorrow’s generations.

Bently Agrowdynamics - Progressive and sustainable agricultural practices with crop, cattle, and compost production - A Bently Family Company.

Reverence for the Past - Vision for the Future