When thousands of feet of “expired” gas pipe were destined for the landfill, one Minnesota hog farmer gave it new life — and revealed a smarter, more sustainable way forward for agriculture.
When a major Illinois natural gas utility found itself with thousands of feet of unused 4-inch polyethylene pipe past its installation deadline, the plan was simple: throw it away.
By regulation, gas pipe must be installed and buried within three years of manufacture for safety and liability reasons. After that, it’s considered “expired” — good for scrap, but not for service.
But one farmer saw opportunity where others saw waste.
A Second Life for Expired Pipe
In central Minnesota, hog producer Devin Nohl of DNS Farms came across 2,800 feet of the unused pipe through repurposedMATERIALS, a company that rescues industrial byproducts and finds them second lives in industries like agriculture, construction, and transportation.
Instead of ordering new PVC or steel pipe, Nohl put the polyethylene line to work moving manure between his barns. The pipe was still clean, sturdy, and flexible — perfectly suited for the job.
“It was perfect for what I needed,” Nohl said. “It just needed a different job.”
A few truckloads of discarded utility pipe are now an integral part of Nohl’s manure-handling system — a simple, smart solution that turned an industrial liability into a working piece of farm infrastructure.
“It’s funny — people call it waste, but for us, it’s opportunity,” Nohl added. “Farming’s always been about making the most of what you’ve got.”
From Waste to Resource
For the team at repurposedMATERIALS, stories like this are what they call “the industrial thrift store for farmers.” The company specializes in finding second uses for materials that have aged out of their original industries but still have decades of usable life left — from conveyor belting and water tanks to mats, lumber, and rubber hose.
“Devin didn’t see scrap,” said a company representative. “He saw a resource. That’s the mindset we love — practical innovation that keeps materials working and out of the waste stream.”
Across North America, more producers are thinking the same way. As input costs rise and sustainability expectations grow, repurposing is becoming a quiet revolution — one built on practicality, not ideology.
A Mindset Worth Spreading
The pipe that couldn’t be buried is now working every day beneath the soil of a Minnesota hog farm.
It’s a small story, but one that speaks volumes about the future of agriculture — where resourcefulness, creativity, and stewardship combine to move the industry forward.
In the end, the best innovations don’t always come from new technology. Sometimes, they come from simply looking twice at what’s already there.
Devin Nohl – DNS Farms
📧 devin@dnsfarms.us☎ 320-349-1682
Learn more about repurposing industrial materials for agricultural use:
🔗 repurposedmaterialsinc.com
