Pub. 6 2016 Issue 1

22 AT THE CENTER OF UTAH INDUSTRY A sk the majority of residents in the rural, oil rich town of Vernal what the operations at Simplot Phosphates are and you’ll likely get this response: They blow stuff up. While it’s true blasting operations are routine for this location, moving rock is not all we do. The phosphate deposits currently being mined at Simplot were discovered in the area around 1915. After years of sample testing, acquir ing the appropriate claims and permits, mining operations began in 1958. In the almost 60 years since the first ore was mined several things have changed, including ownership, employees, blasting and mining techniques, and mill technology. However, three pillars have remained unchanged: Respect for Resources, Spirit of Innovation, and Passion For People. SIMPLOT- VERNAL MINE HISTORY The phosphate vein that runs under Simplot’s property is believed to be over 4 million years old. An ancient sea bed layered by centur ies of rocks and sediments have created a mineral rich environment. The Simplot, Vernal Mine’s role is providing the phosphate, which is one of the main ingredients in fertilizer production, representing the “P” in the NPK formula (nitrogen, phosphate and potassium). The millions of tons of phosphate ore that is mined in Vernal yearly is crushed, washed, finely ground and concentrated. The ore is then mixed with water to form a slurry that is shipped to a manufacturing plant via pipeline in Rock Springs, Wyoming where it is converted into fertilizer. The fertilizer is used in other J.R. Simplot farming operations, as well as sold to private farming operations. The Simplot, Vernal Mine is just one location across the world within the J.R. Simplot Company. The J.R. Simplot Company is comprised of several groups, including: AgriBusiness (which the Vernal location is part of), Food Group and Land & Livestock. The AgriBusiness unit helps provide the necessary nutrients and fertilizer that is used by Land & Livestock. The potatoes and vegetables grown and the cattle raised in the Land & Livestock division are then sold to companies and consumers across the world. RESPECT FOR RESOURCES Reclamation and energy conservation have been top priorities in Vernal the last several years, including the creation of sage grouse habitat. Simplot has easily spent millions of dollars over the previous 7-8 years for environmental improvements directed towards the creation of sage grouse habitat, which included Pinion and Juniper treatments (Chaining Project), sage brush plantings, aerial seeding, mining reclamation, reseeding established areas and blasting improvements. All of these project have made a big impact in the creation of sage grouse habitat. As a result of our conservation efforts, Simplot has been recognized with multiple awards. In the past 10 years, the Vernal Mine has been the recipient of seven Earth Day Awards from the State of Utah Board of Oil, Gas and Mining. The two most recent awards came in 2015 for the Creation of Sage Grouse Habitat and 2013 for Innovative blasting operations provide increased grade and preferred ore size to our mill operations team. BRINGING EARTH’S RESOURCES TO LIFE