Harvest-Time Insights into Legal Cannabis and Industrial Agriculture

As the cannabis industry grows, so too does the scale and sophistication of cultivation operations. What was once a largely decentralized, small-scale practice has evolved into a highly regulated and competitive industry, where efficiency, quality, and compliance are paramount. 

Yet, the cannabis industry did not get to where it is today without pioneers first developing new systems and methodologies. Especially when it comes to commercial cannabis cultivation, there was literally no blueprint for success for people to follow. 

In assessing some of the early producers of legal commercial cannabis, perhaps no operation explored the unknown realms of commercial production as much as Colorado’s Los Suenos Farms shortly after the Rocky Mountain State legalized recreational cannabis in 2014. 

Thought Leadership Insight: Pioneering Best Practices in Commercial Cannabis Cultivation

To highlight the achievements of leaders in cannabis cultivation, M&F Talent publishes thought leadership pieces showcasing industry innovations and best practices. Our network benefits from insights into what it takes to run large-scale operations like Los Suenos Farms, providing a clearer picture of the skills, talent, and grit required to excel in today’s competitive cannabis market.

Colorado’s Los Suenos Farms 

Orignally conceived shortly after Colorado legalized recreational cannabis in 2014, Los Suenos Farms is a massive outdoor cannabis farm located in Pueblo, CO. 

In its founding, Los Suenos set a new precedence in commercial cannabis cultivation. The operation transformed a once cottage industry into full-scale industrial agriculture. In the process, they earned the title of the largest legal outdoor cultivation facility in the United States.

Pueblo is an ex-steel industry manufacturing town, its location marks the end of the Rocky Mountains and the start of the Great Plains, as they sprawl eastward throughout the heartland of the United States.

Just outside of town, Los Suenos’s massive outdoor grow facility is located amidst a checkerboard of cornfields and family farms—blending somewhat seamlessly into a landscape and community based on agriculture and blue-collar industry. This is one of the most remarkable facets of Los Suenos, the feel of the cannabis farm is unmistakably “Americana”—like witnessing something strangely familiar in the novel landscapes of the marijuana industry.

One of the most compelling business aspects of Los Suenos Farms lies in the sheer size of the operation and the subsequent ingenuity of operational logistics on the part of the staff. The team at Los Suenos is forced to operate their farm with all the zeal, competitiveness, and efficiency of an industrial agriculture operation—while simultaneously paying vigilant attention to detail concerning CO State cannabis compliance standards. This is no small feat for any plant-touching business. Not to mention one of this incredible scale. 

Commercial Cannabis Cultivation: 36 Acres & 36,000 Plants

The massive scope of operations at Los Suenos Farms is their most defining characteristic, this size precariously provides both their brand identity and the largest obstacle in logistics. For starters, Los Suenos is legally licensed by the State of Colorado to cultivate an astounding 36,000 marijuana plants—this number covers all phases of plant growth.

Within this allocated number, the farm grows 24,000 full-season outdoor plants that comprise a 28-acre garden canopy. Make no mistake about it, witnessing an operation of this size during peak flower will change one’s perspective on the cannabis industry – by providing glimpses of the future.

It is important to note that the State of Colorado does not normally issue commercial cannabis cultivation licenses for this many plants. In fact, they never do. In order to function at this immense scale of production, Los Suenos operates under four different licenses. 

Their licensing arrangement adds another level of complexity to a cannabis business venture already steeped in multifaceted regulation—the specificities of these licenses affect all business operations, from employee wages to product sales.

The Los Suenos Farms Vision

Los Sueno’s philosophy for cannabis growing is to “let nature take its course.” The climate in Pueblo provides the means for this system, as Los Sueno’s garden is located at an elevation of approximately 3,700 feet and receives abundant sunshine. This notion is vital, because, there aren’t many geographies in Colorado that are conducive to full-sun, outdoor marijuana growing. Therefore, it is from this climactic niche that Los Suenos developed both its identity and business model.

The industrial-scale approach at Los Suenos Farms is largely due to Pueblo’s favorable climate. Growing 28 acres of cannabis outdoors in Pueblo is vastly more feasible than attempting a similar scale in greenhouses or warehouses, which would require dramatically different resources and logistics.

The large-scale model at the farm is truly unique, with no other operation reaching the same level. Each day, the team at Los Suenos skillfully balances industrial production with meticulous attention to detail. This dedication to efficiency is setting an industry standard, constantly pushing boundaries in cannabis cultivation.

It’s worth noting, as well, that cannabis businesses that push the boundaries with size and innovation are generally those that push the whole industry to progress. Along this line of thought, Los Suenos is writing the blueprint for industrial agriculture in the cannabis sector. Furthermore, as Colorado has become the global model for a functioning, regulated cannabis industry, international eyes have looked to Los Suenos for guidance. Thus far, the farm has been visited by Canadian businessmen and politicians looking to gain insights into the inner workings of commercial cannabis cultivation. 

Commercial Cannabis Cultivation Insights

The cultivation team at Los Suenos Farms models its horticultural methods after the farm’s overarching vision of large-scale, natural growing. They use the farm’s native soil for plant propagation—a practice rarely seen in an industry dominated by expensive, name-brand soils.

Watering at Los Suenos is accomplished through the use of irrigation lines built into the soil within the rows of crops. Finally, the growers at the farm have adopted the use of powdered, water-soluble nutrients for their massive fertilization efforts—also a logical departure from the liquid nutrient lines that dominate the industry. To reiterate, efficiency with operational logistics is the key to success at Los Suenos Farms. For a commercial cannabis cultivation company like this, practical means for accomplishing day-to-day tasks are essential for success. 

The growers at Los Suenos opted to grow smaller marijuana plants—by outdoor standards—than seen in traditional commercial cannabis cultivation operations. For them, it makes the most sense to grow their plants to between 5 and 6 feet tall. Again, this methodology is directly related to efficiency, mainly because attempting to grow 24,000 plants to large sizes, simultaneously, in vegetative growth would be an expensive proposition and logistical nightmare. 

The smaller size of the plants at Los Suenos also makes them manageable concerning pruning and support. To illustrate, the team at the farm simply supports the plants with tomato cages—as opposed to time-consuming, labor-intensive trellising and tying practices.

At Los Suenos Farms, employees manage the daily logistics of a large-scale cultivation operation while also navigating the complex legal requirements of Colorado’s cannabis industry. Maintaining a balance between operational efficiency and regulatory compliance is essential, as each of Los Suenos’s 36,000 plants is tagged with a barcode, serial number, and RFID chip. 

These tags provide detailed information on each plant, such as strain, age, location, and repositioning. Through the state-mandated METRC tracking system, this data must be readily accessible to regulators at all times, across every growth phase and during harvest.

Harvest Operations: Keeping Track of Every Gram

The harvest operations at Los Suenos are indicative of a finely choreographed dance, in which 70 temporary employees follow the careful instruction of management personnel. When streamlined, the team can harvest between 800 -1200 plants a day. It is also important to note that the harvest team at the farm is under serious time constraints with the Colorado weather, as mid-October freezes and snow are normal in the Pueblo region. 

CO State tracking guidelines are strictly mandated in every phase of the harvest operation—this is serious business and it is not taken lightly. As a result, the most challenging element of harvest season is keeping a fast pace while remaining compliant. 

The harvest operation at Los Suenos Farms utilizes the infrastructures on premises, with a large influx of temporary employees to aid with the plethora of cannabis jobs at hand. With teams split up in various areas of the farm, they bring down rows of cannabis plants with chainsaws and ship them into a drying room via ATV trailer. 

Upon entering the drying room, whole wet plants are weighed for METRC tracking and then bucked down for a more efficient drying process. Once dry, cannabis flowers are removed from stems and sent to the processing building for trimming in industrial trim machines. Finally, cannabis flowers are stored in large barrels for the curing process.

A crucial element of the entire harvest process at Los Suenos, again, boils down to cannabis compliance with CO State law. To illustrate, the METRC number from the original whole-plant weigh-in must match the weight of the finished flower product plus waste for each plant—waste denoting leaves, stems, and unusable materials. All of this plant material gets weighed several times throughout drying and processing to account for loss of water weight, etc. Finally, Los Suenos hires an ancillary business to visit the farm and destroy all excess plant matter, or waste, on camera for CO State to witness.

Conclusion

Commercial cannabis cultivation at Los Suenos Farms is not without its problems, or critics. Of course, they face the same problems with weather, pests, and labor seen with all farming operations. Additionally, being the biggest cannabis garden in the United States puts them on the map for drug war zealots on the local and federal levels. However, the cannabis industry in Pueblo, CO has helped fill the economic void of a wavering steel manufacturing economy in the town. Also, Los Suenos has provided an overabundance of jobs in the region, especially during cannabis harvest season when they are continually short-staffed. All things considered, the problems Los Suenos Farms faces are indicative of its iconoclastic business model that pushes the cannabis industry forward. 

Cannabis Recruiting with M&F Talent 

M&F Talent has been a critical part of the cannabis landscape since its earliest days. Whether you’re looking for a cannabis job or need to hire top talent, we are here to help. 

Contact us today to learn more!