Feed rate is the volume and evenness of flower entering a trimming machine. Even feeding produces consistent trim quality; uneven feeding produces batches where some flower is over-trimmed and some is under-trimmed in the same run.

Why it matters

Feeding is often treated as a labor task, not a process variable, and it shows up in the yield report. Surging feed forces operators to run longer dwell as insurance, which then damages the flower that was fed correctly.

From the floor

Feeding consistency is one of the most underrated variables in automated post-harvest. It costs almost nothing to fix and it usually recovers a point or two of yield on its own.

Related field notes

• A guide for post-harvest automation