Patent ID: 8234812
Filing Date: 2012-08-07
Classification: A01G,Y02A,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A transportable fodder production unit for connecting with a water source and a power source, comprising: an insulated container having a front end and a rear end; a plurality of trays each having a plurality of drain apertures through a bottom side thereof; a racking system having a plurality of shelves extending from proximate the front end of the container to proximate the rear end of the container, the shelves being of sufficient width to receive at least one of the trays and of sufficient depth to receive a predetermined number of rows of the trays to cycle through the container in a growing period, the shelves including rails extending horizontally across each row in a grid configuration, the rails adapted to support each of the trays and to facilitate the sliding of the trays from the front end of the container to the rear end of the container; an irrigation system having a closed water tank in fluid communication with a plurality of spray heads through a pump and a plurality of pipes, the water tank including a fill valve connected with the water source for refilling the water tank when a water level within the tank drops below a predetermined volume of water; a lighting system connected with the power source that maintains a predetermined illumination within the container; and a thermal control system connected with the power source that maintains the temperature inside the container within a predetermined temperature range; whereby seeded trays may be loaded onto the rear end of the container, urged forward by an operator as the fodder progresses through the growing period, and removed from the front of the container with mats of grown fodder, the pump periodically pumping water from the water tank through the pipes to the plurality of spray heads for spraying each tray with a predetermined volume of water.