Economic study

New insights into the economic returns of gypsum applications

Most farmers who applied gypsum as a soil amendment found that returns substantially exceeded the cost of the input, according to the Economic Impact of Gypsum study (Economic Study) just released.  Improved yields, sulfur availability and long-term improvements in soil productivity topped the extensive list of benefits for gypsum users. In addition, the study revealed many other promising contributions gypsum offers to today’s farming operations, from improved drainage and rooting depth to nutrient retention and reduced erosion. 

In addition, the research points out that the economic returns and other benefits increased over time.  Nearly 30 percent of longer-term users applied gypsum to all of their farm acreage in 2012 or 2013.  On average, long-germ growers applied gypsum to 45.7 percent of their cropland compared to newer users who applied it to 33.8 percent.  

The objectives of the Economic Study were:

The study was conducted by Marvin T. Batte, PhD and D. Lynn Forster, PhD. Both are agricultural economists who recently retired from The Ohio State University. The study was sponsored by the GYPSOIL Division of Beneficial Reuse Management, in cooperation with No-Till Farmer magazine. Obtain bulletin with summary of findings from the Economic Impact study. 

Download a pdf of the 2015 Journal of JASFMRA article "Old is New Again: The Economics of Agricultural Gyspum Use" or view it in our research library.

Learn more about the nutrients and soil amendment power of GYPSOIL by visiting other sections of this site.