At harvest time, usually toward the end of the Summertime, farmers gently cut the stems of mature plants just below the flower heads with shears. Whole heads are placed into sacks or crates and brought back to the plant for processing. At the plant, heads are separated from the stem and then passed through a series of machines that shake the seeds loose before crushing the seeds into a fine mixture. The oils are then extracted via solvents. This entire process usually takes a single day, with the produced oil stored away for bottling or further refinement. The remaining residue is often given to animals as feed or compost.