Why Data-Driven Cultivators Will Win in the Cannabis Industry

Across industries, data-driven companies are 58% more likely to exceed their revenue goals than organizations that are not data-driven according to a Forrester Consulting study. For cannabis cultivators, that means you should be collecting reliable, usable data to help guide decision-making in every aspect of your business operations.

The growers who will win in the cannabis industry in the future are the ones who aren’t just trying to cut costs and get good results. The winners will be the growers who have a mindset of getting better every cycle. Cultivators should always have the mindset to challenge their assumptions and learn new things with a goal of continuous improvement from cycle to cycle.

That means the cultivators who will win are the ones who test something they’re trying to prove in every crop cycle. For example, you should test all of your inputs to ensure your assumptions about the benefits they provide are true and that they generate significant and obvious returns on your investments.

Have you ever really tested:

• Which fertigation regime is best?

• The non-fertilizing amendments you're using?

• Your container or soil volume size?

• How your watering strategy impacts chemotype expression?

• If that single, "magic" microbe you're adding to your grow is worth the cost?

Don’t just accept what your suppliers tell you. To win in the future, you need to have a mindset of constantly proving (or disproving) assumptions and always getting better. A “good enough” mentality won’t win as the cannabis industry continues to grow and get more competitive, because you’ll undoubtedly miss out on things that could increase profitability or provide measurable gains.

RELATED READING: The Truth About “Carefully Selected” Microbe Amendment Products

How to Test Your Assumptions to Improve Results

To gather reliable, usable data, you need to conduct tests of your inputs, processes, and assumptions. However, testing doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You just have to commit to look at one small thing in each test to see if it delivers an incremental change – such as using vs. not using a single microbe amendment.

Set up an R&D or test area at your facility. This could be a single bench, a room, or a grow tent. The key is to have a specific space where you’re constantly testing. However, don’t try to test or change too much too fast. If you try to test too much at once, you won’t know specifically what went right or wrong. Slow and methodical is the best approach when it comes to collecting reliable data.

At bio365, we’re highly data-driven, and we help our customers determine how to run tests all the time. For example, if a grower says they’re using a specific coco and a single microbe amendment and want to determine if the amendment is worth the high cost, we’ll help them set up a side-by-side identical test except for one variable. In this example, the one variable is using vs. not using the microbe amendment. We’ll also help them set up another identical test except they’ll use bio365’s growing media instead of the coco and single microbe amendment to see how much better their results will be.

By changing one variable in each test, the cultivator can see which test delivers the best results. The data will tell them whether or not a change will help them generate a higher ROI. The data doesn’t lie.

We set these kinds of tests up with our customers all the time. In fact, bio365 provides documents and sampling protocols, including documents that help growers determine how to track the data. We help them design control and experimental groups, identify metrics, and size their tests to get meaningful results. We also help them choose locations and environments to get the right results in their grow space.

Importantly, we work with our customers to test one assumption, idea, or change at a time. For example, if they’re testing a single amendment microbe, they don’t test fertilizers or fertilizer amounts at the same time. It’s all controlled so the data is reliable.

Real-World Cultivator Test Example with Big Results

We did kind of testing with one of our customers whose company is one of the largest private vertically integrated multi-state operators in the cannabis industry. We helped them set up a test to optimize their watering and feeding strategy.

Unlike other growing media, bio365’s soil allows cultivators to have great flexibility in their watering protocol. Growers can choose to use a pulse or saturation watering protocol and get great results from either one. The MSO set up a test where all variables were the same except the watering cycle. In one group, they used a pulse-based strategy, and in a different group, they used an elongated cycle. Next, they performed another test using an even longer elongated irrigation schedule to determine if by withholding food and water – by stressing the plant without killing it – they could get their plants to better express chemotypes and increase cannabinoids.

After the test, a third party lab analyzed the results. The MSO found that using bio365 grow media, they could stress their plants to a point where the stress actually helped their results. We helped them find the exact right amount of stress to put on a plant to optimize cannabinoids without hurting their plants or yields. After switching to bio365 grow media and completing their tests, they increased crop yields by 121%, increased total cannabinoids by 35%, and increased terpenes by 48%.

Key Takeaways about Testing and Data for Cannabis Cultivators

Don’t accept the status quo. Instead, always look for improvement, but don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to change too much. Continuous improvement from cycle to cycle doesn’t have to mean massive changes. You’re looking for incremental improvements.

Sometimes your tests will show you change isn’t needed, and other times, the data will tell you change should be a top priority. Let the data guide your decision-making. That’s the hallmark of the kind of data-driven company that will win in the cannabis industry in the future.