Every year, as the days shorten and the crisp nights settle in, Southern Oregon prepares for a special time of the year— Hemp harvest season. This transition marks not just the end of another successful grow season, but a celebration of community, hard work, and the healing powers of Mother Nature. Harvest season is vital to the region’s agricultural heartbeat, and is a celebration of natural wellness. Whether you're a longtime advocate of hemp or just curious about its benefits, understanding the process from seed to harvest offers a fascinating glimpse into our sustainable farming practices.
In this blog post, we'll take you through the entire lifecycle of hemp cultivation here in Southern Oregon. You’ll discover how we nurture the plants, why Southern Oregon has become world renown for producing high-quality hemp and why this season is so significant to us. By the end, we simply hope you will appreciate harvest season as much as we do!
The Importance of Hemp in Southern Oregon
A Rich Agricultural Tradition
Southern Oregon boasts a long-standing tradition of agriculture and natural wellness. With its nutrient rich fertile soil and favorable climate, Southern Oregon is a great place to grow just about anything. This, paired with the community's deep rooted value of sustainability and natural wellness, is why Hemp found a natural home here.
Economic Impact
Hemp farming is critical to the local economy of Southern Oregon. It provides jobs, supports local businesses, and contributes to the overall prosperity of the region. Being able to share our premium hemp with the rest of the country has allowed us to hire locally, support other businesses and contribute to a thriving community.
Wellness and Hemp
From our natural mineral springs to our enthusiasm for beneficial plants and herbs, Southern Oregon has always been a hub for natural wellness. It is ingrained in our culture. While the ideal environment plays a major role, it is also the passion for plants and natural healing that results in the production of the highest quality hemp in the country.
Preparing for the Grow Season
Selecting the Right Seeds
Before our seeds are even planted, we were very intentional with selecting seeds that would grow to be healthy, cannabinoid and terpene rich plants. The hemp market has been flooded with people looking to capitalize financially while sacrificing quality, so it is important to source seeds from reputable breeders who care for the plant and understand the science behind it. This led us to sourcing from the University of Oregon, which is home to some of the most talented hemp breeding scientists.
Nurturing Seedlings
Once the seeds were selected, we germinated them in a greenhouse in Ashland, Oregon. Germinating in the greenhouse allowed the seedlings to be protected from the harsh elements of the colder seasons and have a strong start to their life. Using greenhouses rather than indoor growing facilities, also reduces our impact on the land around us. We let the plants stay in the greenhouses for a couple of weeks, watching them grow to a few inches tall.
Planting Techniques
After the seeds grew to strong plant starts, they were ready for planting. To prevent as much damage and trauma in the early stages of its life, the plant starts were planted in our field by hand. Machine planting is more likely to cause root damage and ultimately stunt the size and quality of the hemp. Careful planning and placement was also required to give the plants optimal room to grow. Once in the ground, they were fed organic nutrients like fish and kelp to support healthy growth.
Watering Strategies
Water is essential to any crop, and hemp is no exception. In the extreme summer heat, hemp can require a lot of water. The use of efficient and sustainable irrigation systems to conserve water while providing the plants with what they need is necesary. Rainwater collection, drip irrigation, water retention methods and other techniques help send water directly to the roots while reducing excess water usage.
Natural Pest Control
Maintaining an organic and sustainable crop means avoiding synthetic pesticides. In fact, we avoided pesticides altogether. Instead we introduced natural predators, like lady bugs to the grow to prevent pest infestations.
Monitoring Growth
Throughout the growing season, we closely monitor the health and progress of the hemp plants. Regular inspections can identify major problems that need addressing early. Every year always brings a new challenge. With that said, beyond major issues, less intervention and a healthy diet of organic nutrients allows the plant to grow as naturally as possible. Many other companies will grow more unnaturally and the result is a plant filled with chemicals and a composition that is not as robust.
The Harvest Season
Timing the Harvest
Timing is everything when it comes to harvesting hemp. Peak maturity is important, but each strain is unique and each year the weather varies. It is very important to harvest before the nights start to freeze or the weather becomes too wet, causing mold. The unpredictability of farming and the seasons can be very stressful. And for good reason. You could make it through 99% of the grow season, just to lose a significant portion of your harvest if the weather turns too quickly unexpectedly. Having an experienced farmer helps a lot, but we are always at the mercy of mother nature.
Once we determine the plants have flowered to their full potential, putting off the most beautiful smells that will translate to an effective product, it’s time for the harvest! Harvest is the busiest time of the year, with teams working very hard in the field all day long for a couple of weeks.
Drying and Curing
As we harvest, we are immediately hanging the plants to dry. This involves hanging the plants in a well-ventilated greenhouse to dry the hemp slowly over the course of four to seven days preserving the cannabinoids and terpenes that give hemp its beneficial properties. Proper curing ensures a product that’s potent and aromatic. Many companies will rush both of these processes, rushing to make money which significantly reduces the quality of the final product.
Farm-to-You
As the days continue to shorten, harvest season will come to a close at the beginning of November. The hemp will be dry and ready to send off for extraction. After going through a low temperature ethanol extraction, we will have a beautiful robust full spectrum hemp extract, ready to be infused into products for you. This is what makes the harvest season so special. We get to celebrate going from just a seed, to products that help so many. Happy Harvest Season!
