Aaron Williams stores reclaimed barnwood for his business, Willow Architectural Salvage. He says for every one barn where the wood is salvaged, another 100 are burned or bulldozed. Photos courtesy Aaron Williams.
He has been growing the Willow Architectural Salvage business ever since. “It still allows me to farm,” says Williams, who grows corn and soybeans near Waverly about 30 miles south of Springfield. “Being a farmer, I understand farm families. It’s a good fit,” he says of the business. HOWEVER, DESPITE the popularity of barn wood today, a surprising amount of barns are wasted. “For every one that we salvage about 100 get burned or bulldozed,” Williams says. Some of those barns were built 150 years ago for livestock and when equipment was smaller. Such buildings are expensive to maintain.