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Media inquiries

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:

CWLP Partners with GYPSOIL to Distribute Agricultural Gypsum

Chicago, IL, May 22, 2013 –City Water Light & Power (CWLP), Springfield, IL, has
signed an exclusive agreement with the GYPSOIL™ Division of Beneficial Reuse
Management LLC (BRM) to market gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate) to agricultural
producers. The material is produced at the Dallman Power Station, CWLP’s coal-fired
power plant in Springfield, and is marketed as GYPSOIL brand gypsum.

Agricultural producers apply GYPSOIL to cropland to improve soil structure and add
valuable soil nutrients, including calcium and sulfur. Gypsum’s positive effect on soil
structure has been proven in multiple research trials to increase rainwater infiltration,
mitigate aluminum toxicity and reduce topsoil and nutrient losses.

Applying GYPSOIL neutralizes the metals and chemical salts that bind to clay particles
and cause poor soil structure. “GYPSOIL creates a softer, more manageable soil profile
over time,” says Ron Chamberlain, chief agronomist and director of gypsum programs
for GYPSOIL/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.”

GYPSOIL also 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.

As federal regulations require power plants burning coal to meet stricter regulations
there’s less sulfur deposited on farm fields. Soil sulfur deficiencies for crop production
are not uncommon. In fact, 82% of soil samples in one Midwestern state in a recent
research study tested low for sulfur.¹

Environmental impact
Interestingly, gypsum or sulfate dihydrate, CaSO₄ Ÿ• 2H₂O, is a co-product of the state-of-
the-art, air emission reduction systems used at certain coal-fired utilities, such as the
Dallman Power Station, to remove sulfur dioxide (SO₂) from flue gases. Synthetic
gypsum is highly pure and virtually the same chemical compound as mined gypsum,
which has been used for centuries to improve soil quality.

“Gypsum offers many benefits to agriculture and crop producers have responded very
positively,” says Jeff Hillebrenner, CWLP’s Fuel and Byproducts Supervisor. “By
making co-product gypsum available to the agricultural industry, we are able to lower
the cost of producing energy for our customers,” says Hillebrenner.

Beyond cost-savings, Hillebrenner says there are also environmental benefits. “Anytime
you can find a beneficial reuse for a by-product versus landfilling it, you are making a
positive, sustainable impact to the environment,” added Hillebrenner.

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

For more information, visit www.gypsoil.com.

¹ The Fertliity of North American Soils, 2010, Bulletin Summary, International Plant Nutrition Institute,
March 2011.

About GYPSOIL
GYPSOIL is a division and tradename of Beneficial Reuse Management, LLC. Its mission is to
help crop growers improve their soils and increase productivity while conserving natural
resources and protecting the environment. GYPSOIL brand gypsum is now available through
distributors in 17 States in the Midwest, Plains and South. GYPSOIL manages gypsum
distribution and marketing programs for a wide range of supply partners including utilities and
manufacturing companies, diverting valuable co-products from landfill disposal to productive use
as agricultural inputs. For more information www.gypsoil.com.

About City Water, Light and Power
City Water Light & Power (CWLP) is a municipal electric and water utility that serves the City of
Springfield, Illinois. CWLP’s Dallman Power Station consists of four coal-fired units capable of
generating up to 580 MW of electricity. All four units are equipped with wet scrubbers that
remove the sulfur dioxide from the boiler gas and convert it into a high quality gypsum. CWLP
has been providing gypsum to the agricultural industry for over 15 years.

GYPSOIL is a trade name of the GYPSOIL Division of Beneficial Reuse Management LLC, 212
W. Superior Street ● Chicago, IL 60654 ● 1-866-GYPSOIL (497-7645) ● www.gypsoil.com ●
Follow us on Twitter @gypsoil ● Like us at Facebook.com/pages/gypsoil.

Applying Gypsoil™ 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, 2013.