When it comes to producing the highest quality CBD oil, no place on Earth does it better than Kentucky. Why is it that the Bluegrass state, which is best known for race horses and bourbon, is also the best place on the planet to grow CBD-rich hemp plants?
There are four major factors that make Kentucky the best place to grow hemp:
- The Bluegrass Basin
- The World’s Finest Water
- 250 Years of Tradition
- The 37th Parallel
The Bluegrass Basin
The reason that Kentucky produces the fastest horses on Earth is partly due to the rich nutrients in the soil, which comes from the Bluegrass Basin. The Bluegrass Basin is a prehistoric ocean floor. All the living material in that ocean fell to the bottom and became the limestone bedrock of the Bluegrass.
The calcium deposits make their way into the grass that these horses graze upon in the Bluegrass region. This calcium from the water makes the horses’ bones stronger, according to one theory, which gives them an edge over other horses from other parts of the world.1 It also makes Kentucky’s hemp flowers grow pretty good, too.
The World’s Finest Water
Kentucky’s water is another reason why Kentucky hemp is the world’s finest. The water in Kentucky is unique because it’s filtered through the limestone bedrock that forms the foundation of the Bluegrass basin. That’s why Kentucky is also home to the world’s finest bourbon. This limestone bedrock filters iron from the groundwater, and leaves it heavy with calcium and magnesium. That gives Kentucky water a “sweet” taste and doesn’t discolor the whiskey like iron-heavy water can.2 It also helps to water Kentucky’s hemp fields, which provide us with the finest CBD oils and topicals available.
“Kentucky is to hemp what the Napa Valley is to wine”
– Jim Higdon, co-founder
250 Years of Tradition
Kentucky farmers can trace an unbroken line of hemp cultivation going back to at least in 1775.3 From then until today, Kentucky has led the nation in producing America’s finest outdoor hemp, even when it wasn’t legal.
Now that hemp is legal again, Kentucky farmers are able to demonstrate their knowledge by cultivating the finest hemp in America. And here’s a secret that Kentucky farmers have known for decades that they are finally sharing now that hemp is legal: the biggest reason that Kentucky is ideal for growing hemp is because of the light cycles of the 37th parallel.
The 37th Parallel
If you find Kentucky on a globe and trace the 37th parallel to the other side of the world, you will see that the 37th parallel crosses the Hindu Kush mountain range on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. As any cannabis historian will tell you, this is the region where all indica strains of cannabis originated.4
That means that the light cycles in Kentucky are the same as in the Hindu Kush. And that means that hemp plants love those exact light cycles. But the Hindu Kush is a rugged, rocky mountainous region, while Kentucky enjoys one of the greatest agricultural climates on Earth.
When you put all these factors together — the water, the soil, the light cycles of the 37th parallel, and the 250 years of farming knowledge — it’s no wonder that hemp loves Kentucky as much as it does.
References
- “Bluebloods in the Bluegrass: How Kentucky’s Soil Supports Great Horses.” Equestricon. June 27, 2018. https://equestricon.com/blog/ky-soil
- “Limestone Filtered Water A Key Bourbon Ingredient.” The Whiskey Wash. September 14, 2015. https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/bourbon/whats-deal-limestone-water/
- “First Hemp Crop.” ExploreKYHistory. https://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/items/show/108
- “What Do California and Kentucky Have in Common?” LA Weekly. October 15, 2020. https://www.laweekly.com/what-do-california-and-kentucky-have-in-common-its-cornbread-hemp/
