Managing for Profit

Gypsum contributes to soil health

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According to the Gypsoil website, gypsum is a soft mineral that often appears in nature in crystalized formations and masses called selenite. It can be used in blackboard chalk, many forms of plaster and as fertilizer. Steve Musser is director of pelletized products for Gypsoil, and says the company has roots in Indiana.

“Ron Chamberlain was our founder, and he was a consulting agronomist in central Indiana in 2002.  So many of his farmer-customers had fields that needed some help, in terms of soil structure.  They had high magnesium levels, crusting, compaction and ponding.  He knew gypsum could help alleviate much of that.  Folks have been using gypsum to do that since the 1700’s.”

For several years, Gypsoil has grew rapidly and in 2009 Beneficial Reuse Management purchased the company. Musser tells Brownfield Gypsoil is now operating in 22 states and in many ways mirrors lime applications in fields.

“It’s bulk, powdered gypsum.  It is very fine, and it is used for two reasons: One, as a soil amendment.  It increases water efficiency and soil tilth, it helps with soil biology.  And a very exciting thing we’ve learned in recent years through research with Ohio State University and others, is that it dramatically reduces runoff.”

Musser says Gypsoil cuts runoff by about 60 percent and is considered a sulfur source.

“It is 16 percent sulfur.  It’s 20 percent calcium and 16 percent sulfur and so many of our fields across the Midwest are now sulfur deficient.  Gypsoil is the most efficient and effective sulfur form on the market today.”

The latest development at Gypsoil is a pelletized product.

“Gypsoil, in its powder form needs to be spread with a lime spreader.  The fertilizer dealers that service farmers were looking for something that could be blended with the other dry fertilizers.  We’ve been working on developing a pellet that can be blended with potash, DAP, urea; whatever they’re putting on in the field.  They told us they needed a couple of things: a pellet that was very hard and didn’t break down to dust, and they wanted something that stored and augered very well.”

The finished product has a crush strength that exceeds that of potash Musser says, and extremely low dust. A plant in Winona, Minnesota will begin producing Gypsoil Blendable later this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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