Alfalfa is a popular forage crop grown across the world. To grow better alfalfa, farmers must manage soil conditions and nutrition well. EcoGEM® gypsum can help. It improves soil structure and provides calcium and sulfur. Alfalfa is well-adapted to the intermountain west’s climate and soils. In the drier, sunnier conditions,...
The Calcium Cycle in Agriculture
Inspired by his previous work explaining The Calcium Cycle, we partnered again with Dr. Davidson to create an infographic explaining the calcium cycle in agriculture. Since calcium plays a critical role as a crop nutrient and as a soil amendment, farmers who understand the natural cycle can better manage the calcium in their soils. (Click...
Getting the most from your gypsum application
Correcting poor soil structure conditions with an application of gypsum can have a significant impact on soil tilth and crop yields. However, many producers overlook this practice because they are not aware of the benefits to soil structure as well as a readily available source of calcium and sulfur. One...
The multiple benefits of gypsum in agriculture
If considering a purchase of calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum), it is important to understand the many varied benefits and when they take effect in agriculture. As both a soil amendment and a crop nutrient source, gypsum will remediate sodic soils, help manage saline irrigation waters, provide calcium and sulfur as crop...
Phosphorus retention in crops and how calcium can play a role
It’s a dichotomy – the impact of calcium on phosphorus retention and availability. Fields that receive large amounts of manure or litter contain large amounts of phosphorus. Phosphorus that isn't taken up by plants remains in the subsoil and is displaced by runoff. If it isn’t tied up by soil...
Gypsum and how it corrects aluminum toxicity in the subsoil
How does calcium remediate pH problems associated with an acid subsoil? Soils can be acid or alkaline. Acid soils occur where there has been a lot of rainfall over the centuries. Acid soils are highly weathered, and many minerals and bases have been leached. Alkaline soils develop in arid areas...
Gypsum & Limestone: two great soil amendments with key differences
Gypsum is calcium sulfate, and lime is calcium carbonate. Both are soil amendments, and both provide calcium. Only gypsum provides a source of sulfur. Gypsum is actively marketed as a soil amendment. Gypsum can be mined. Mined gypsum is a relatively pure and clean product depending on how many other...
Gypsum (calcium sulfate): how it can make degraded soils productive again
Soils in the world degrade generally from human induced activity like logging, mining, drilling (for oil or natural gas), accidental spills or farming. However, nature can also degrade soils with changes in landscape and water levels. Once soils are degraded, they are no longer productive. They cannot support natural vegetation...
Understanding the Calcium Cycle
Most minerals important to biological life follow a natural cycle that tracks how they enter the soil and their fate once there. Understanding these cycles is important because it helps you manage the mineral and influence the way it interacts with other factors on the farm. Let's take a look...
How Can I Tell If Gypsum Is Working?
I have been interested in gypsum for nearly a decade now and we have applied it on our family farm in Nebraska – following a 3 year cycle with 1 ton applications every third year. I had heard all the stories how it improves soil structure, particularly in tight clay...