Page 59 - Southern Oregon Magazine Fall 2022

HORN CREEK HEMP

a responsible option

paul murdoch

shane stiles & horn creek hemp

n December of 2013, I tumbled from the roof of our business onto
a pile of pallets. My injury was more problematic than the height
would indicate. Two weeks and six surgeries later, I went home
Iwith a basket full of opioid painkillers. Somewhere in the mix, our
son brought me a CBD topical. I was skeptical.

Returning to work, I struggled to keep a clear head. Opiates left me
too foggy. During recovery I was given a jar of CBD cream. It stayed
on my nightstand. Feeling out of options I gave it a try. To my surprise
and chagrin, my pain simply faded into the background. Opioids aren’t
subtle when they take effect. They plow through your head like a steam
train. CBD is far more discrete. After an hour, I would realize that the
pain wasn’t nearly as sharp. It just faded into the background.

The following year, we planted our first experimental hemp crop. We
weren’t farmers. Everyone in this fledgling industry learned as we
went, even those who had experience growing cannabis but not accus-
tomed to farming at scale. All six in our extended family dug in and
took notes. We were fortunate and made lucky decisions. We invested
heavily in our infrastructure so that we were mostly self-sufficient, and
sought advice from traditional organic agriculture rather than cannabis
consultants.

What is CBD hemp? It is defined as Cannabis Sativa with the intoxicating
cannabinoid – THC – at .3% or less. High THC cannabis in dispensaries
can be 15% to 35%. Think of CBD hemp as all the benefits of cannabi-
noids without the psychotropic effects. Think of non-alcoholic beer.

High CBD hemp is grown for extraction or for smoking as a non-
intoxicating version of its potent cousin, and can be extracted at home,
using MCT oils or alcohol. Extraction labs will use CO2, ethanol and
other methods. These extracts are used to produce convenient means of
ingesting cannabidiol. We use CBD oils and distillates to dial in specific
dosages for gummies, tinctures, and topicals. These are primarily used
for sleep, anxiety, and chronic pain. The important thing with concen-
trates is to include all the minor cannabinoids that elevate the overall
effects. Minor cannabinoids such as CBG, CBN and CBC aren’t the stars
of the show, but they play a critical role in the performance. High CBD
hemp is what we grow. Most of what is grown in Oregon is for CBD
content. Seed and fiber are different plants, requiring different condi-
tions. They are more suited to larger farms, often in drier climates.

As Southern Oregonians experienced, the industry was frenzied dur-
ing these early years. Farmers, extractors, and entrepreneurs didn’t
know where the train was going, but they wanted to be on board. At

fall 2022 | www.southernoregonmagazine.com 57