038 - Harvesting Smarter: Streamlining Your Process for Maximum Efficiency

Cultivation Elevated - Indoor Farming, Cannabis Growers & Cultivators - Pipp Horticulture

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The episode discusses efficient harvesting techniques and the importance of maintaining cleanliness and compliance in the cannabis cultivation process. Michael and Anders share tips on improving speed and quality during harvest, such as the use of RFID scanning technology for tracking and compliance. One of the key points is the importance of cleaning up the cultivation room before starting to harvest to avoid contaminating the buds with particulates from the substrate. They also talk about using air quality meters to monitor particulate matter in the air during post-harvest processing.

Michael and Anders emphasize the role of the cultivation team in harvesting, noting that they are typically more connected to the crop and handle it with more care than post-harvest teams. The podcast also discusses the importance of keeping a steady workflow and ensuring no team members are left waiting for tools or supplies. The team shares their experiences with improving harvest efficiency over time and the benefits of avoiding harvests on Mondays and Fridays, recommending mid-week harvests for better staffing and monitoring of the drying process. Additionally, the conversation touches on labor productivity throughout the week and the benefits of keeping harvests within a single day to avoid complications during the drying process.

Harvesting Efficiency:

• Emphasizes teamwork during harvest, including "tag team" efforts for smoother and quicker processes.
• Outlaw Technology’s RFID scanning tool is highlighted for improving speed, accuracy, and compliance by linking with a scale.
• RFID scanning enhances inventory management and helps streamline post-harvest accuracy, reducing errors from manual data entry.

Cleanliness and Compliance:

• Stress on the importance of keeping the cultivation room free of particulates before harvesting to avoid contaminating the buds.
• Moving substrate or equipment during harvest can stir up particles that get on the flowers, affecting quality and compliance.
• Use of air quality meters to measure particulate matter in the air and validate room sanitation after harvest.

Harvesting Team Composition:

• Cultivation team is ideal for harvesting because they are most connected to the crop and take more care, reducing damage to the plants.
• Post-harvest crews tend to be less connected to the plants and may work less gently, potentially affecting quality.
• Compliance person tracks wet weights and labels harvested plants in the drying room.

Workflow and Steady Flow:

• Importance of a "water spider" role to move carts or racks between cultivation and drying rooms to prevent bottlenecks.
• Ensure no one is waiting on others for tools or equipment to keep the workflow steady.
• Example from a facility where initial harvest took an entire shift but improved to just a few hours after a few months.

Optimal Harvesting Days:

• Avoid harvesting on Mondays and Fridays to ensure adequate staffing and monitoring.
• Harvesting on Tuesdays or Wednesdays is ideal to ensure quality monitoring during the critical 24-48 hours after harvest.
• Harvesting should ideally be completed in one day to maintain proper drying conditions.

Labor Productivity:

• Mondays tend to have slower productivity due to the start of the week.
• Tuesdays and Wednesdays are optimal for productivity (good to great).
• Thursdays and Fridays tend to have reduced productivity, with Friday being especially prone to staff calling out.

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