Repurposed: A new life on the farm
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Damon Carson has created a new business for castoff items: repurposedMATERIALS is a place where surplus goods from corporate America can find a new use on the farms and ranches of America.
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This sign greets visitors to the repurposedMATERIALS warehouse in Denver. Check out some of the materials the company offers and their uses.
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Chains
Repurposed Materials offers chain remnants for sale. Although short in length, farmers and ranchers can find dozens of uses for them.
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Conveyor belt
Chunks of conveyor belt can be used in a number of applications: Weed control in a new windbreak, for example.
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Dozer tracks
One rancher bought dozens of dozer tracks, cut them in half and used them as non-slip surfaces for livestock.
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Getting info
In the repurposedMATERIALS warehouse in Denver, potential customers can see each product, with a description of what it was before it is repurposed.
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Bowling alley flooring
The demise of the bowling industry is repurposedMATERIALS' gain. Farmers can use these wide and long chunks of maple for shop benches, or unique tables.
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Parachutes
Dozens and dozens of massive parachutes -- the kind the military uses to drop large equipment -- line the floor of the repurposedMATERIALS warehouse. These are used as shade for everything from daycare centers, to Far
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Pool covers
Old pool covers make great shades, says Damon Carson of repurposedMATERIAL.
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Ropes
Rope from the ski industry can be repurposed as lead ropes for livestock, Carson says.
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Ski poles
Ski poles are made from high-impact plastic that cannot be recycled. They can be repurposed as electric fence posts, sorting sticks and other things, says Damon Carson of repurposedMATERIALS.
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Steel cable
Steel rope no longer suited for the ski industry can be repurposed in a number of ways. A dredging company in Minnesota is one place where this cast-off material found a new life.
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Sweeper brushes
One of the first repurposed materials that found a new life on the farm: Street sweeper brushes make ideal livestock scratchers at a fraction of the price.
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Wood frames
Folks can find a number of uses for these wood frames, including garden beds.
So, have you used repurposed materials on your farm?
Company takes cast-off commercial materials and puts them to work in agriculture.