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Using gypsum to improve soil quality is a popular topic for farm and agricultural inflencer audiences. Please contact our communications consultant Karen Bernick at 1-866-GYPSOIL (497-7645) if you have questions, need story ideas, photos or want to set up interviews with a GYPSOIL team member. GYPSOIL also participates in many national trade shows and meetings including Ag Media Summit, Commodity Classic, National No Tillage Conference and Farm Progress show to name a few.

High resolution photos for current news release available here.

Recorded and Powerpoint presentations from the 2014 Midwest Soil Improvement Symposium can be found on the Symposium page. 

Highlights from the 2014 press conference at Ohio Farm Science Review.

A collection of general press releases can be found below:

Southern Illinois power cooperative partners with GYPSOIL to distribute gypsum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MARION, IL, (AgPR), February 25, 2011 - Southern Illinois Power Cooperative (SIPC) has signed an agreement with the GYPSOIL^TM Division of Beneficial Reuse Management LLC (BRM) to market gypsum (calcium sulfate) produced at SIPC’s coal-fired utility plant, here. The product is marketed as GYPSOIL^TM brand gypsum.

GYPSOIL^TM is used by Midwestern agricultural producers to loosen tight clay soils. Over time, applying GYPSOIL^TM neutralizes the metals and chemical salts that bind to clay particles and cause poor soil structure.

“The result is a softer, more manageable soil profile,” says Ron Chamberlain, director of gypsum programs for GYPSOIL^TM/BRM. “This means there is less crusting and sealing at the soil surface, and less ponding and runoff after a rain, as well as less soil erosion.”

Deep into the soil profile, GYPSOIL^TM creates an environment that is conducive to soil organisms, including microbes as well as earthworms. These soil organisms break down organic matter and nutrients in the soil faster and better, making nutrients more available to plants, explains Chamberlain. “This helps make crops healthier and more vigorous,” he says.

Gypsum produced at SIPC is calcium sulfate dihydrate, CaSO4 . 2H2O, a byproduct of the state-of-the-art, air emission reduction system used at the plant to remove sulfur dioxide (SO2) from flue gases.

Serving growers
“Our cooperative has a long history of fulfilling power requirements for rural communities and agricultural producers,” says Leonard Hopkins, environmental and fuels manager for SIPC. “By supplying Midwestern crop producers with gypsum, we are able to offer an important input to improve their soils and enhance their production systems.”

“Our goal is to partner with progressive organizations like SIPC to help agricultural producers gain access to sustainable resources to meet their production needs,” says GYPSOIL’s Chamberlain.

About GYPSOIL^TM
GYPSOIL^TM is a division and tradename of Beneficial Reuse Management LLC. Its mission is to make a positive impact in our customers’ soil while conserving natural resources and protecting the environment.

About SIPC
Southern Illinois Power Cooperative is a generation and transmission cooperative providing wholesale electric power to seven member distribution cooperatives and two municipals in Illinois. Annual revenues are $150 million and assets are approaching $800 million. SIPC owns and operates its own power supply, which consists primarily of coal-fired power plants and simple cycle combustion turbines for peaking, all of which are located near our headquarters in Marion, Illinois. SIPC also provides hydroelectric power under a purchased power agreement.

Applying Gypsoil^TM brand gypsum helps soften tight clay soils by neutralizing the metals and chemical salts that bind to clay particles and cause poor soil structure.    Photo supplied by GYPSOIL/BRM, 2011.