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    BTI – Helping feed America

    If you’ve ever thought about the process that goes into farmers producing the food you eat, then understanding BTI’s role in it all is essential.

    It’s all about the fertilizer.

    Farmers depend on fertilizer to enrich the soil and increase the yield of crops. Think about the crops grown and what each of those supplies in the food chain. It’s not just fruits, vegetables, and grains for our consumption but also the feed given to the animals we consume. Those animals also give us dairy and eggs. It really encompasses everything we eat to survive. And in 30 years, farmers will need to produce 70% more food based on population estimates. This statistic is staggering!

    BTI provides a component of phosphate fertilizers which is sulfur. The sulfur itself is a by-product of Wyoming oil and gas fields. BTI trucks head out of Riverton towards Shoshoni first thing in the morning and end up in Lysite at the gas plant. This is where they fill the insulated trailers on the trucks with the molten sulfur that comes from the natural gas. They have to haul it in liquid form because once it hardens, it doesn’t come off very easily. In its liquid form, it’s a brownish-orange color and when it hardens it turns a pretty yellow and has the stinky smell we all know.

    Hard, yellow sulfur.

    Once they have the trucks loaded in Lysite, they head back to Riverton, over South Pass, and on to Rock Springs where they dump their load at the fertilizer plant. The plant then adds air and water to the sulfur to create sulfuric acid. The sulfuric acid is then mixed with the phosphate that is mined out of Vernal, Utah, and travels 96 miles through a slurry pipeline to Rock Springs. When the two elements are mixed it creates phosphoric acid that is then used in creating the fertilizer.

    40 Rock and MAP are two fertilizers made from sulfur and phosphate rock.

    The fertilizer helps replace missing soil nutrients, thereby promoting stronger plants. In turn, organic matter is increased, root systems are strengthened and soil is less susceptible to wind and water erosion. By improving the efficiency of food production, the fertilizers produced in Rock Springs, with the help of BTI, bring those foods to your table affordably.

    “It all happens right here in Wyoming, so it’s pretty cool to think we have a role in that process. It’s important that everyone understands that oil and gas not only provide a reliable source of energy but also play a critical role in agriculture,” said Corte McGuffey, CEO of BTI.

    In addition, BTI’s work also contributes to the economic well-being of the agricultural industry and the communities it serves. The transportation of sulfur and other essential goods by trucking companies like BTI helps keep the fertilizer plants running and supports the jobs of the plant employees. It also helps to sustain the livelihoods of farmers who rely on these fertilizers to grow their crops.

    BTI’s sister company, the Big Horn Divide and Wyoming Railroad also takes sulfur by rail to Idaho and Florida. In all, BTI and the Big Horn Divide and Wyoming Railroad supply sulfur to 3 of the 4 biggest fertilizer manufacturers in the US.

    Rail cars lined up at the gas plant in Lysite.

    Interested in driving for BTI? Sulfur drivers typically have a 9-hour work day and can make over $70,000 a year. Other benefits include:

    • Drivers home every day – start early and home by afternoon
    • Benefits: medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, paid time off, 401k, profit sharing
    • Steady work
    • Well-maintained equipment
    • Best trucks in town!

    Apply today! Simply stop by BTI at 642 South Federal Blvd. in Riverton or apply online at www.btiwyoming.com.


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