Brining Farms Recognized for Conservation Efforts 

Roger Brining talks about farming like a college professor would talk about physics with meticulous attention to details and a dedication to science. But for Brining, it all boils down to passion – his passion for the land and the preservation of it. He and his wife Erika manage Brining Farms LLC, recipients of the 2008 Barton County Bankers’ Awards for water conservation.

“One of our duties is to take care of God’s earth,” says Brining. “We need to leave it better than we found it.”

Brining recently installed two 150-kilowatt wind turbines which power an irrigation well and his farmstead out buildings. Harnessing the wind, however, is not what earned him the honor. He also recently converted the lion’s share of his range, crop and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land to no-till. “I’m very committed to no-till,” he says. But this too is only part of the picture.

Instead, he received the award for the drip irrigation systems that lie beneath three of his fields. “I’ve been aware of drip irrigation for years,” he says, adding that he learned about it at a no-till conference and also at the 3i Show. In this method of watering, a sturdy yet flexible tube is buried in patterns which criss-cross a field. Water is pumped through them and seeps through specially-designed openings into the soil.

“It’s all part of stewardship,” he said. “It uses less water, less power, and requires less fertilizer and other chemicals. It also takes less maintenance, thus reducing labor expenses.”

Brining also serves on the Kansas Ag Resources Association Board and is active in the First Assembly of God Church. Roger lives with his wife, Erika, and two of their three children in the same house he grew up in, which lies one mile west of Great Bend. For more information about Brining Farms’ operation and conservation efforts, contact Roger Brining at 620-792-7750.