Benny Brown founder of Paq-Mule Innovations, LLC (http://paq-mule.com/) , has developed a system for removal of chickens which have died in commercial poultry chicken houses. The system will shorten the typical time to remove the chickens from 6-hours per day to less than two hours. The system is a conveyor attached to the roof of the poultry house that follows the worker and is directed by a hand-held remote control. As the bird is removed, it is placed in a large stainless steel basket that the worker brings along with him on the conveyor. By doing this, the worker can make one round trip through the house rather than the 50+ they currently make on a typical day. The $7,500 SOAR Farm Loan will be used to finalize the proto-type and complete the patent process. KHIC has also lent Paq-Mule $200,000 to begin manufacturing the product.
The SOAR Small Production Loan Fund is a low-interest financing resource designed to assist small producers grow healthy, nutritional foods so that they can move into commercial production. The goal is to support and educate growers to develop a strong local food system in eastern and southern Kentucky that will be market-supported and result in a profit for the growers.
