The debate about post-harvest automation rages on among cannabis producers. On one side, growers swear by the unparalleled quality of product that’s been carefully harvested, destemmed, and trimmed by hand. In the other camp, growers leverage cutting-edge automated equipment to complete these tasks quickly and efficiently as they scale their operations to meet growing demand and capture market share.
There is no objective way to determine which option is best. Both approaches come with certain costs and trade-offs that producers must weigh before deciding how to handle crops. From labor expenses to upfront capital investments for products such as automated buckers, trimmers, and packaging and labeling equipment, every step of post-harvest processing requires a close assessment of these costs, benefits, and risks to determine the optimal return on investment (ROI).
