Cannabis cultivation has a rich and complicated history stretching back as early as 10,000 BC and has influenced virtually every culture around the world. The rapid expansion of legalization, regulation, and commercialization, however, has created a high-tech world of cultivation that was barely imaginable even 20 years ago. The moves over the past decades to legalize and regulate the industry into a commercial commodity have opened the gateways for vast technological innovation, introducing the industry to everything from advancements in genetics to hardware automation that helps optimize lighting, soil, and nutrients delivery. Software innovation has also impacted the industry, allowing operators to stay compliant with state systems while maximizing the efficiencies and ROI of their businesses.
As more states and countries legalize cannabis cultivation, operations have significantly increased in size and scope, with the number of plants per grow increasing from thousands to millions. As facility size increases exponentially, operational efficiencies and economies of scale play an even bigger role in the industry. In order to run facilities of this size, complex hardware and software solutions are needed to operate at scale while maintaining compliance and managing procedures that optimize workflows.
The industry as a whole is in a time of unprecedented growth. As we see the continued rapid consolidation, sophisticated solutions are even more necessary to manage business operations that are expanding in terms of both states and verticals. Cultivators are discovering that software is essential to the coordination of staff and systems (accounting, testing, labeling, automation, work orders) that contribute to running an efficient and profitable business. For instance, the ability to manage COGS for 280E tax write-offs has significant implications on cannabis business tax burdens, yet many operators do not have systems in place to track and capture this information for tax purposes.
What Does Seed-to-Sale Software do for Cannabis Cultivators?
This increased industry consolidation and growth will mean continued reliance on advanced software and data insights to manage the complexities of cannabis cultivation. Although traditionally cultivation and technology have not always gone hand-in-hand, cultivators who are embracing software solutions are quickly recognizing the benefits of full operational visibility.
MJ Platform has a robust and comprehensive cannabis grow module designed specifically for cultivators, by cultivators. As data around the plants is entered into the platform, cultivation operators gain full visibility into all aspects of their business, giving them the ability to make key, data-driven decisions.
To see MJ Platform in action, click here to watch a demo of the cultivation module.
MJ Platform’s cultivation module includes:
- Plant Management – All plant propagation and growth functions in the creation, modification, batching, and destruction of plants.
- Genetics Tracking – Generational strains and variations, phenotypes and variations, cross and hybridization of materials, identification of mother and pollen donor to maintain transparency.
- Harvest Management – Harvest weights and post-harvest packaging, batch, and lot tracking.
- Nutrient Management – Application of nutrients associated with each plant.
- Transfers – Internal transfer tracking for movement between locations within a facility.
- Materials management – Raw materials inventory tracking across all stages of cultivation.
- Process Management – Tracking of process, yield, and efficiency for all cultivation operations.
- Forecasting and Yield Management – Tracking harvest actual vs. planned for weight, time, and labor. Forecast of strain productivity based on historical data.
- COGS Management and Calculation – Detailed plant level costing for consumables tracked through ingredients and feeding schedules.
- Compliance – Ongoing data reporting to state tracking systems and onsite regulatory inspectors for plants, harvest weight, packaged weight, and various testing results.
To learn more about the influence of technology on cannabis cultivation, the factors reshaping the industry, and our predictions for the future growth of the vertical, download our e-book, Cultivation in the Cannabis Industry.
