While the marijuana industry has been growing greatly in North America, it is not the only one. The hemp industry is also seeing a rise of new farmers and start-ups due to changes to regulations throughout Canada and the United States.
This influx of hemp farming and start-ups are directly related to a provision in the 2018 Farm Bill that has allowed for CBD hemp use. This has resulted in 14 states recently allowing for CBD oil, despite still considering recreational marijuana use illegal (and even a felony). For those who don’t know, hemp is a strain of the cannabis Sativa plant that typically contains very little THC and an abundance of CBD. With this allowance of CBD oil and increased demand for this effective non-psychoactive cannabinoid, the industry is growing quite rapidly. Currently, the United States has 24 states which now allow for hemp farming – particularly in the South Eastern area.
The changes to legalization surrounding CBD has not only resulted in a boom in the industry but also an increased need in harvesting and trimming technologies within this sector. Hemp farms are huge, spanning dozens of acres and containing hundreds of plants requiring a great deal of time and effort – especially when it comes to harvesting. One of the ways that new technology has improved the processing time for hemp is with the introduction of high capacity buckers and trimming machines suited to the demanding needs of hemp farms.
Processing Hemp
Once your CBD hemp has been harvested, you can either dry the plant prior to processing it or you can process it wet. This is similar to harvesting marijuana and is greatly dependent on the preferences of the grower. If you choose to process your hemp plants dry, it is required to hang the plants for 3-7 days to ensure they are thoroughly dried. Typically the plants are hung upside down in a well-ventilated area and should be checked every 24 hours. For individuals who prefer to process their hemp wet, once it is harvested it goes straight to bucking.
Bucking Hemp
Whether you process your hemp wet or dry, bucking is a vital part of the process. Also known as de-budding or de-stemming, bucking is the process of removing the flowers and leaves from the hemp stalk. Some farmers will take this untrimmed material and process it as is for textiles or building materials. However, farmers looking to capitalize on the legalization of CBD oil will take their bucked material and use it to produce CBD oil or distillates. With the exception of farmers that use the whole plant, most growers will require a bucker in order to efficiently process their harvest.
CenturionPro Solutions has recently launched a line of buckers, which are available in single and triple workstation options and can process 40 to 500 (or more) pounds per hour of fully hydrated flowers – making them the highest capacity buckers in the world. Depending on your preferences and purpose of your hemp product, you can choose from our GC (Gentle Cut) or HP (High Performance) buckers, which each use a different style of processing.
The GC bucker cuts the flowers off the stem – as opposed to pulling and popping them. This prevents the large crown buds from breaking into smaller pieces, thereby keeping the structure of the flowers fully intact and preserving the look of your bud. This is ideal for farmers looking to sell CBD flower. For farmers that want to produce CBD oils or have a lot of hemp to process, there is our HP bucker line. This bucker utilizes two rollers that pull the stem into the machine, therefore popping the flowers off. This allows you to continuously feed the bucker for more efficient de-stemming.
Hemp Trimming Solutions
Hemp Trimming SolutionsOnce your hemp has been de-stemmed, it is time to trim the product! As mentioned earlier, you can either process your hemp wet or you can choose to dry it prior to trimming. This greatly depends on the goal of the farmer and the purpose of the product. Similar to cannabis, wet trimmed product tends to be more aesthetically pleasing to the eye and has a reduced chance of mold, ensuring the harvest remains viable. On the other hand, dry trimming produces a gentler smoke. For individuals looking to produce large amounts of CBD oil, wet trimming is the more efficient method. If you are producing CBD for smoking, dry trimming provides more benefits to the final user.
To meet the needs of the hemp market, CenturionPro Solutions has a variety of large-scale trimming machines with both wet and dry tumbler options. Each machine comes with a set of wet tumblers and a set of dry tumblers, however those individuals who prefer one or the other can opt to receive two sets of wet tumblers or two sets of dry tumblers instead. This ensures optimal efficiency and prevents downtime when cleaning, as you simply swap out the tumblers with no downtime.
CenturionPro Solutions industrial hemp and cannabis trimmers can process up to 1800 lbs/hour of fully hydrated flowers, making them the highest capacity trimming system in the world! Production of this magnitude can replace up to 350-400 human workers and at prices ranging from $22,995 and up, the value is unprecedented when it comes to hemp harvesting equipment. Will you be harvest ready?