Incredible Minerals Today

 Crazy ant image: University of Florida

A few years ago when we first started working on our DEsect® organic insecticide, I noticed that “crazy ants” were on the list of insects that DEsect would kill. At first, I thought our product manager was playing a joke on me. I’d never heard of crazy ants before, and we did list other kinds of ants in addition to the largest number of insects killed on the label. I did a little research. Crazy ants are a real thing, and they’re terrible.

It's not easy being in the agricultural business these days. Rising costs, declining crop margins, regulatory pressure, water issues and nitrogen runoff problems. All the while trying to reduce your impact on the environment. What's a farmer to do?

By Alexey Makoveev, EP Minerals’ area sales manager for Russia and Julie Brown

Here in Russia, we really like our beer. (And our vodka, but that’s another subject.) But we don’t think much about how beer is made and what makes it better. How do you make the best beer? Is the ingredients? The hops, the malt, the barley? The recipe? The brewer? The fermenting process? Is it in how you store it?

What I can tell you after working with top brewers all over Russia and other countries, is that the key to great beer comes down to one thing: Filtration.

 Nevada STEM teachers finding stickleback fish fossils at EP Minerals' diatomaceous earth mine

Earlier this week, teachers from Northern Nevada took a graduate-level, for-credit course called Earth Systems Matter, at the EP Minerals' Hazen, Nevada diatomaceous earth (DE) mine. This was no ordinary tour, mind you. Not only did the teachers learn about the history and geology of DE (from EP Minerals' Mine & Exploration Manager Skylar Burdette,) they also got to dig for 7-10 million year old stickleback fish fossils! Through the Nevada Mining Association, EP Minerals regularly offers this class to Northern Nevada teachers. It’s critical that teachers go back to their classrooms and teach their students about the importance of mining and minerals in our lives. 

Industrial minerals might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re thinking about how to spend your Fourth of July weekend, but maybe they should be. Consider these top ideas for having fun in the sun with diatomaceous earth, clay, and perlite this weekend:

Earlier this month, EP Minerals opened a new warehouse in Groß-Rohrheim, Germany to better serve our customers. The new 85,000 square foot warehouse, is centrally located to our European customers, providing logistical efficiencies, modern bulking equipment, a “safety stock" of products, and shows EP Minerals' commitment to sustainability.

 Nevada bighorns at the EP Minerals' Clark plant and mine

A herd of Nevada bighorns is doing quite well in an area right outside the EP Minerals’ Clark diatomaceous earth (DE) plant and mine. Just about a year ago, the herd numbered about 20. Today we’ve counted over 70 bighorns living on the cliffs. It’s a testament to how setting up wildlife habitats in the right place leads to a great sustainability story. How did this come about?

It’s past Memorial Day. School’s out in about another week. It’s supposed to hit 93 in a few days. You know what that means? Time to get the swimming pool open!

There’s nothing more inviting on a hot sunny day than a beautiful, crystal clear swimming pool. But how does it get that way?

Finally, the weather's good enough, and we can all start gardening! From Natural Living Ideas, here's a good post on all the different uses for diatomaceous earth in the garden.  Time to get out there and use our green thumbs!

This week is International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW). It’s the world’s largest and most comprehensive education initiative of the compost industry, designed to showcase compost production and demonstrate compost use. The event promotes composting in homes, schools and industries in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and other countries around the world.