Repurposed: A new life on the farm

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.

This sign greets visitors to the repurposedMATERIALS warehouse in Denver. Check out some of the materials the company offers and their uses.

Chains

Repurposed Materials offers chain remnants for sale. Although short in length, farmers and ranchers can find dozens of uses for them.

Conveyor belt

Chunks of conveyor belt can be used in a number of applications: Weed control in a new windbreak, for example.

Dozer tracks

One rancher bought dozens of dozer tracks, cut them in half and used them as non-slip surfaces for livestock.

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.

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.

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

Pool covers

Old pool covers make great shades, says Damon Carson of repurposedMATERIAL.

Ropes

Rope from the ski industry can be repurposed as lead ropes for livestock, Carson says.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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