Pub. 6 2016 Issue 1

23 MINING FOCUS VERNAL MINE What does it mean to be sustainable? For us, it means being resourceful in tak- ing care of earth ’ s resources. It means conserving energy. It means helping na- ture be more productive, efficient, and healthy. It means Bringing Earth ’ s Re- sources to Life in a responsible manner. Being sustainable isn ’ t just about doing the right things in life. It ’ s about life itself. Discover more at www.simplot.com © 2015 J.R. Simplot Company. Stream Bank Stabilization and Restoration. This spring the environmental team plans to plant over 1,000 sage brush plants to the site. These plants are key to the sage grouse population, providing them with necessary food and shelter. SPIRIT OF INNOVATION Since founding the company in 1929, J.R. Simplot was constantly looking for ways to improve his company and his products. It was that spirit of innovation that lead him to create the first commercially-viable frozen french fries in the 1940s. That same spirit lives on today throughout the company and is especially important to the Vernal Mine. A formal drilling program was implemented in late 2015 to improve blast hole quality, location, depth, and GPS proficiency. Current blasting operations are taking place within 500 feet of our SAG Mill Facility and slowly moving closer to our Mine Shop, so accuracy is imperative. Within 6 months of the implementation, the number of re-drill holes was down to less than 7 a month (previous re-drill holes were over 20 per month), improved GPS proficiency, and a productivity improvement from a historic 70ft. per hour to 89ft. per hour for the month of February. Improvements in the Mine Operations have also shown great results for our Mill Operations team. The new Through Seam Blasting Procedure has been able to create ore product with the Mill’s preferred size and grade range without creating fly rock that could potentially cause damage to the SAG Mill. This has led to record breaking tonnage, ore quality and recovery rates being sent to Rock Springs, which helps their production number increase while decreasing operating costs. PASSION FOR PEOPLE Our number one asset has, and will always be, our employees. Without their constant hard work and dedication, their ideas and suggestions, our success would not be possible. Along with our employees, safety goes hand in hand. Employees are encouraged to participate in the C.A.R.E (Choose to Commit, Assess Physical & Behavioral, React to Resolve, Explain & Encourage) and newly implemented ‘Near Miss Reporting’ program. Both initiatives give employees personal ownership of their safety and of their fellow coworkers. It allows employees to strive for continuous improvements in safety performance and identify at-risk conditions without the fear of disciplinary actions. From day one, we tell our employees, “If you see something, say something.” These programs allow all employees, from our newest hired to the Mine Manager, to talk openly and positively about safety goals. X