Small-scale cannabis cultivation is a rewarding and challenging job. When we crack our seeds for the first time in the spring to get ready for planting, there is a thrill. We carefully place each tiny sprout in soil and then watch them grow over the next seven months.
There will always be some setbacks, regardless of whether they are caused by the weather, insects, diseases, predators, or simple human error. In most cases, the joy of the experience outweighs the difficulties. In the autumn it is time to start the curing and drying process.
When you believe you’re in the clear, because your harvest has been stored in the barns, this is the time when the cultivator who is conscious must be alert. We hear too many stories of farmers who lose their crops due to mildew or mold because they have not dried and curried properly. Supply chain issues are also common.
After the cannabis has been properly dried at the farm it is sent to a processor who will trim and package it. The cultivator no longer controls the product. On the long road from the garden to the consumer, a variety of factors can lead to the degradation of even the finest flowers.
After harvest, however, it is important to dry, cure and buckle down cannabis. Swami Select, located in California’s Emerald Triangle region, hangs its cannabis branches upside down in our timber-frame barn for at least 2 weeks. Temperature and humidity levels should be around 60 degrees for proper drying. We use dehumidifiers if it is raining outside to keep the humidity level high. When the temperature outside drops too low, we also use the wood stove to burn a fire. This helps control humidity.
The buds will be dry when the stems bend instead of breaking. After gently removing the branches from the drying nets, we place them in long sheets unbleached Kraft papers that are folded like burritos. After a few days, after careful inspection, we wrap the burritos up. Once the rolls are fully dry and ready for curing, we store them in non-scented contractor bag and keep them stored until they’re ready to be bucked.
Swami and myself do all of our own bucking at the ranch. Bucking means cutting the full buds off of the branches and removing any large fan leaves—the ones that you would never want to smoke because they have no “sugar” on them. To protect the buds, we leave smaller sugar leaves on the branches. Trimming is when the larger sugar leaves become “trimshak.”
After being bucked, the buds will be placed in oven bags (also called turkey bags) and large tubs with labels that include the Metrc plant numbers. Metrc asks us to report to them the weight of the buds when the plants leave the ranch. The weights of stems, leaves and other plant parts that we cut off and place on the compost heap must also be reported to Metrc.
It feels as if the girls are finally going to be sent to school. A large, unmarked white van, with tubs of flowers in it, will arrive at our ranch after eight to nine months spent carefully caring for our plants. At this stage, we are unable to control the flow of flowers along the supply chains.
Most farmers used to trim their flowers and package them themselves. However, due to Department of Cannabis Control rules that prohibit the commercial use of cannabis in residential buildings, and city, county, and state zoning and building code regulations, they can no longer do this. Professionals will trim the flowers at a center which also packs them.
Many farmers claim that even though they tell the trimmers only to hold the buds on the stem in order to maintain the trichomes, the trimming crews ignore their instructions. Many processors use machine-bucking or leaf removal, then hand finishing to “claim” that cannabis was “hand-trimmed.” This treatment may also remove the trichrome heads. The packaging of the buds is also delicate. It involves weighing them out correctly and putting them into the final bags or jars for sale.
The distributor stores the packaged flowers while awaiting test results or orders. The temperature/humidity conditions during storage and operations are essential to maintaining the quality of flowers and preventing them from drying out. In a Californian summer, when temperatures are soaring, how many of the storage areas really maintain a temperature below 60°C? We’ve found that not many are. What percentage of delivery vans is properly refrigerated? Rarely will you find a distributor or processor who treats the flowers with the same care and love as the grower.
Once the flowers have left the farm, the farmers are unable to do anything about it. The flower may not be of optimum quality by the time it reaches the consumer. This is a real issue.
So what’s the solution? For starters, farmers must keep as close an eye on their processor/distributor/retailer as possible to ensure proper trimming and packaging techniques, as well as monitoring transport and storage conditions. Many farms can be located miles from each other in remote rural communities.
You can also invest in a license for a microbusiness, which will allow you to grow, process and package your products at home, while being your own retailer with either a storefront or non-storefront license. The cost of this option is high; you will need a commercial building, extensive security measures, ADA access and a vehicle with a driver. Many small farmers have been looking at alternative forms of collectives in order to increase their chances.
It’s long past the days when you could grow great weed at home and trim it, then drive a few pounds of it in a turkey bag to the city. Craft farmers who demand the best quality can still control their crops. The challenge is worth the effort.