These Floor Panels Keep Hogs Cool

These Floor Panels Keep Hogs Cool HOG EQUIPMENT & IDEAS IHT Group of Winnipeg Man has partnered with Purdue University to commercialize a cooling pad technology patent for hog barns The pads were developed to keep boars and sows cooler during the intense summer heat to improve productivity feed intake and milk output “It’s a perfect fit as everything we do at IHT revolves around energy efficiency and animal welfare ” says Matt Robins IHT V P “We want to be industry leaders in providing heating and cooling micro-climate technologies ” The 2 by 4-ft diamond-plate aluminum panels fasten directly to barn floors Each contains an internal network of copper piping to circulate water Temperature probes and controllers work in combination monitoring humidity and ambient air temperature determining in real-time when cold water should be circulated IHT plans to offer different versions of the system using direct supply well water or holding tanks The collected warmed water is dispersed throughout the barn or into cisterns “Our efficient thermal transfer pulls excess heat from the animals when they’re overheating and regulates the temperature through surface contact as they lie on the plate ” Robins says Models can be installed in either new construction builds or existing hog barns “Our heating and cooling pads are considered modular ” Robins says “The goal is to create a micro-climate technology of both heating and cooling combined In that way it can be used primarily for cooling but if the temperature falls during the night it has the option to begin heating ” Trials are ongoing with three of the four top pork producers in North America and IHT will be gathering data from farrowing sites and boar facilities The cooling pads will be produced and manufactured in Winnipeg Their release is planned for the spring of 2024 with shipping expected for the U S Europe Australia and Southeast Asia markets Interested customers should contact IHT directly through their website for prices and availability at least until the cooling pad’s initial release when a dealer network will be operational Contact: FARM SHOW Followup IHT Group 97 Progress Way Oak Bluff Manitoba Canada R4G 0E3 ph 800-725-9661; inquiries@ihtgroup ca; www ihtgroup ca

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