Photo by Frank Lopez | Tyler Bennett is CEO of Bennett Water Systems.

Gar Bennett, a Central Valley agricultural services provider formed from a 2020 merger, has split into two separate companies after nearly six years in business.

Bennett Water Systems, a Selma-based irrigation and pump services company, and Gar Tootelian, a Reedley crop care and nutritional advisor, separated effective July 31 to pursue different business strategies. Bennett Water Systems, a 97-year-old company, merged with Gar, an agricultural chemical firm with a 77-year history, on Jan. 1, 2020.

Tyler Bennett, CEO of Bennett Water Systems, said the initial vision behind the merger was to cross-sell irrigation and pump services with Gar’s pesticides and fertilizers.

“We had a very cordial separation,” Bennett said. “It was two families that just wanted to go back to their core businesses and saw the future a little bit differently.”

Gar Tootelian leaders could not be reached for comment.

Bennett Water Systems has about 25 employees at its Selma facility, which covers about 15,000 square feet.

Bennett said the leadership of both companies determined they could better serve customers separately and focus on different strategies.

Bennett Water Systems provides services for irrigation and pumps, which have been a staple for the nearly century-old company. It also supplies fertilizer and chemical services in California and Hawaii, as well as services that will help consumers lower their energy costs with well pump rehab services, wind machines and more.

Despite the separation, Bennett said that an aim for the company is to continue solving problems for farmers in nutrition, water and energy.

Helping farmers with their issues in the field requires a simple task: listening.

“We sit down and we listen,” Bennett said. “We listen to the customers and we ask a lot of questions about the problems they are having on their farms. We look at their input costs and input efficiencies and we look to see if we can solve their problems.”

Merger undone

The merger of the two companies was first announced on Nov. 14, 2019. The family-owned businesses covered different spectrums of the ag industry. The joined company had Bennett and Greg Musson with Gar Tootelian as co-CEOs.

“The merger of Bennett Water Systems with GAR raises the bar and brings together two locally owned, family businesses with outstanding reputations for integrity and trust with complimentary cultural values, products and services. Together, our opportunities are endless,” states a press release from GAR, citing comments the company’s CEO, Greg Musson, made to his staff at the time.

The companies are also both women owned.

“We are excited about the opportunity to be a leader in growing solutions for Valley growers. Our combined activities make growing easier, with an expanded offering of services and experts in the field,” said Bennett at the time.

They said the merger allowed them to bring together the most technologically qualified team of experts to maximize crop yields with less water.

Tech and boots

Bennett highlights the use of technology coupled with “dirty boots on the ground.”

Other agricultural technology companies, especially ones out of Silicon Valley, Bennett said, neglect the work in the fields that is required to make the technology work right.

Bennett said they believe in using the latest technology and strive to be innovative, but only when it’s paired with a service program that keeps “boots on the ground.”

He said that most growers are open to the services that Bennett offers, and judging by growth in demand, they have tapped into a real need.

“We got something that is pretty hot,” Bennett said. “We ask farmers ‘what does success look like one year or two years out.’ If we could solve it for them, we do, but if we can’t, we tell them—we can’t solve everything.”

Bennett stressed that the brand is about integrity and honesty and creativity.

He said the company will remain on the cutting-edge of artificial intelligence and is already focused on utilizing predictive modeling to prepare for the future, such as for plant health.

Talent show

As with any other industry, finding local, qualified talent on the “cutting-edge of technology” is a challenge, Bennett said, despite the proximity to the Bay Area.

Bennett said the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed a “global reach for talent,” attracting remote workers, but the company might adapt by utilizing third-party companies for the hiring.

“We don’t even know what to ask them,” Bennett said about tech hires. “They know so much more about what other companies are doing around the world. In Selma, we are not the leading-edge company in AI, so we want to have the experts to help figure out how to make our business more efficient in everything we do.”

Bennett said that every move from the company is aimed at adding value to farmers and customers.

“If farmers aren’t making money, we aren’t going to make any money,” Bennett said.

He noted that the falling prices of commodities, such as for almonds and wine grapes, creates a tough market.

Expanding from irrigation into fertilizer and energy has allowed the company to grow, which is something that farms will always need, Bennett said.

Despite the company’s separation from Gar, Bennett said the companies didn’t take their business visions as far as they wished.

“We did something. We tried it. We had a lot of fun and now let’s go our separate ways. There is no negativity or animosity,” Bennett said.