If you haven’t already, it’s time to start thinking about harvesting your crop. The good news is you’re here and, we can help, but time is running out!
If you’re like the majority of hemp farmers we’ve been recently working with this is your first time cultivating and harvesting hemp. You may be a farmer by trade but recently converted to hemp once legalization passed.
There are various hemp products so, it’s essential to understand which end product provides the most value, what your end goal is and how you are going to achieve it before harvest begins.
Leverage Multiple Revenue Streams for the Hemp Plant
There are two main revenue streams for the hemp plant that growers can take advantage of; CBD Hemp Biomass (flower) and Hemp Fibre Biomass.
CBD Hemp Flower – Photo Credit
Hemp Fibre Biomass – Photo Credit
CBD Hemp Flower is used to create CBD products. CBD flower is highly profitable; the previous years have not been able to supply what the market demands thus pushing up the market price per lb. A shortage of rich hemp CBD flower is expected to continue into the foreseeable future.
Capitalize on CBD Hemp Flower Demand
CBD hemp flower is in demand and highly profitable! Whether you’re selling directly to a retailer as smokable hemp flower, through a distributor or to a processing facility, the best products come from the best flower.
So how do you get the best flower? You maximize the CBD potency by isolating the flower by removing the stalks and stems that dilute your potency. What does the highest CBD potency mean for you—a higher selling price!
Still unsure of taking the extra steps, let’s put this into perspective. Depending on your location, CBD Hemp Flower is selling for approximately $400 / lb. A common hemp farm is 10 acres, can grow 5000-8000 plants per acre and yield 1-2 lbs of flower per plant. Using the lower scale as an example that’s 50,000 lbs of CBD flower multiplied by $400, which equals $20 million in revenue.
If you’re still reading, we likely agree high-quality hemp flower is where the value is, so it’s time to talk about processing and the benefits of Automation.
“Depending on where you are located, CBD Hemp Flower is selling for approximately $400/lb.”
Automation: The Benefits
Benefit #1: Eliminate the risk of losing your harvest
Yes, we said it. The reality is, a high percentage of farmers lose their harvest every year because they didn’t get their crop harvested in time. Harvest typically starts mid-September and runs to the end of Oct which seems like enough time, but the season can change on a dime. If you don’t have the tools to expedite the process you risk losing your crop to mold or other mother nature extremities.
Let’s break it down*:
Hand bucking vs. Bucker Automation
Hand trimming vs. Trimming Automation
*Calculated using fully hyrdated (wet) numbers and a daily rate of 8 hours.
Benefit #2: Say Goodbye to High Labour Costs
So now that we have talked about time savings, what about cost savings? Let’s calculate how harvesting your crop using the proper equipment will help drive the numbers you hoped all growing season.
To calculate we used are assuming a 50,000 lb harvest to buck and to trim. We have allowed 10 days for bucking and 10.5 days for trimming, for a total harvest of 20.5 days to provide extra time. We’ve used an hourly rate of $15 / hour – $120 per day/person.
Mitigate Risk for Higher Levels of Success
The success of your harvest comes down to the decisions and investments you make. Choosing the right number of days to harvest in is vital to your crop, and differs based on your geographic location. Choose a number of days to harvest in that you are comfortable with and provides flexibility for any speed bumps along the way.
Connect with one of our hemp harvesting experts.
United States
Phone: 415.533.7797
Click to email US@keirton.com
Canada & outside the United States
Phone: 1.604.377.4326
Click to email international@keirton.com
