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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:

Agricultural Gypsum Leader GYPSOIL Offers Tips for Fall Applications

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/9/prweb11162153.htm

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) September 26, 2013

Ben Franklin established the benefits of gypsum on his farms more than 200 years ago. Yet agricultural gypsum application proves an unfamiliar concept for many growers.

Gypsum is a soil amendment and nutrient source. Among its attributes, gypsum improves soil structure which increases water infiltration and reduces ponding, expands the root zone, and decreases erosion and nutrient loss. Gypsum also adds vital nutrients, including sulfate sulfur and calcium.

But the expense and availability of mined gypsum limited its use to high-value specialty crops like peanuts and potatoes, until recently.

Today, GYPSOIL™ brand gypsum offers low-cost, high-quality synthetic gypsum that is an alternative to the higher priced mined gypsum. As a result, more growers and applicators want to learn how to apply agricultural gypsum as they prepare for post-harvest fieldwork.

“Gypsum is quite different from most other bulk materials that you may have had experience with,” says Ron Chamberlain, GYPSOIL’s chief agronomist and founder. “Gypsum is very fine and requires some learning on how to handle it. But once you figure it out, it’s really not difficult.”

GYPSOIL brand gypsum is calcium sulfate dihydrate (CaSO4 2H2O) and it typically contains 13-16 percent sulfur and 17-20 percent calcium. It is produced during the removal of sulfur from the flue gases of coal-fired utilities, and from fermenting corn for food products. GYPSOIL resembles a powder that feels damp to the touch, similar to slightly moistened flour or biscuit baking mix.

Informed applicators avoid common mistakes, Chamberlain says. For example, applicators too often scoop ground debris while loading gypsum, which causes the material to plug and bridge in the spreader. Careful loading eliminates the problem, Chamberlain says. Proper equipment selection and set up is also important to ensure trouble-free application.

Applicator Travis Ulmer touts success with applying gypsum. He operates a custom application business and distributes GYPSOIL from New Haven, Ind.

“I’ve had real good luck with the product,” Ulmer says. “It spreads easy for me. I have two pretty good machines that handle it really well.”

Here are tips for effective application of GYPSOIL brand gypsum:

1.    Choose the right fertilizer, lime or litter spreader.
2.    Modify spreaders with painted boxes, interior shields or partitions for gypsum application.
3.    Make adjustments near the spreader gate to improve the distribution pattern.
4.    Adjust the door height based on the application rate and the spreader’s ground speed.
5.    Store gypsum undercover if possible.
6.    Load carefully.
7.    Allow for small adjustments in equipment and practices when you begin.
8.    Apply gypsum any time that it is appropriate to be in the field without damaging the soil or the crop.
9.    Apply gypsum in any tillage system.
10.    Use soil tests to determine gypsum rates.
11. After several applications, growers may benefit from variable-rate application.

Download a new fact sheet authored by Chamberlain and sponsored by the United Soybean Board called, “Tips for Storing, Loading and Applying Gypsum.” A video with gypsum application tips is also available at our website.

GYPSOIL is a division and trade name 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.

GYPSOIL™ is a trade name of the GYPSOIL Division of Beneficial Reuse Management LLC.
1-866-GYPSOIL (497-7645) http://www.gypsoil.com
As of July 31, 2013: 372 West Ontario Street, Suite 501, Chicago, IL 60654
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Communication support provided to GYPSOIL by Karen Bernick Marketing Communications, karen@karenbernick.com, 563-320-2625.