Peter and Gary formed a partnership and after three prototypes, the basic fodder factory today is a 10.3 by 3.3m greenhouse with a gable roof and a thin polystyrene ceiling which insulates the growing environment against the diurnal temperature range. The unit is covered with a double skin of solarweave fabric. An air lock is incorporated at one end in order to maintain the sealed environment during those periods of removing fodder and replanting seed. Inside is an 8-bay bank of galvanised steel racks which hold the growing trays. Inside, the growing environment is regulated by a custom-made electronic climate controller which controls the watering cycle, air temperature, humidity, exhaust fan and circulating fan.
All functions are pre-set, and require minimal input from the user.
Tests are currently in progress with carbon dioxide enrichment to reduce the growing cycle even further. The Fodder Factory has now been fully operational for 21 months, but it was not without its problems during its early development. During the summer of 1990, at the height of the drought, the temperature was so hot that the cooling system had to be upgraded by placing exhausts fans in the ceiling to control the environment, to allow carbon-dioxide fresh air to enter the unit. A critical factor for growing oats is temperature. The misting system took more than 6 months to perfect.