The Call To Adventure

Hi Everyone,

Was just reminiscing with a friend and he reminded me of the time I grew CBD in his garage. Little did we know …

By 2014 I was in my mid-thirties and my pain was at its peak. I had moved to New York, and was flying back to Oregon regularly to help my father with his classic car restoration company built next to our family’s farmland. I cherished this time with him, working on cars and figuring out the mechanics of life, but the days were hard and my body was struggling. I’d push through the pain finding relief wherever I could and at the end of those work trips it would take me weeks to recover.

Another thing happened on those trips back to Oregon.

See, at that time, our understanding of the vast benefits of cannabidiol was just beginning. For me, in my quest for pain relief, it was only rumors. I was desperately seeking some salve that didn’t require laying on my back for hours, on the apartment floor, just to recover from normal daily tasks. While I was chatting with a good friend about my physical dilemma, and ruminating on the recent CBD news, we decided to leverage our common knowledge and cultivate a few plants in his garage.

Like most things in life, our first attempt was not great. The grow only produced a tiny amount of oil, just enough to experiment with CBD for pain relief. Not surprisingly, our second attempt was even worse and the plants were not healthy due to mites and mildew. In a certain twist of fate, the ones that were healthy pollinated the rest - leaving mostly seed and not much usable plant matter to press into oil. It was a total disaster … or was it?

Then the books became my friends.

In school, I was normally that fidgety kid who always wanted to be out doing anything else other than being stuck behind a book. The physical world was always more enticing, and when it came to biology, naturally, I was captivated. Experimentation was entrancing. Then, it hit me. These first two grow attempts were trials, opportunities to learn. Hypothesize, test, evaluate and retest - the scientific method would certainly become a foundation for my life.

During my quest for knowledge, I ultimately found that growing has little to do with the seed and everything to do with the soil. More specifically, the ecosystem that supports the soil and its relationship to the plant. I spent the next year studying Amazonian gardening, mycorrhizal mushrooms, beneficial bacteria, soil amendments, nematodes, and connected with other like minded farmers to learn from their experiences. Armed with expertise, I felt confident to try again. This time knowing a garage grow wouldn’t do. These plants needed the right piece of land, and that perfect ecosystem was the overgrown back field of the family farm.

Decades of ‘Reefer Madness' and ‘fried-egg’ brain on drug commercials were understandably seared into my parents minds. I’d been talking with my father for years about my struggles with pain and the benefits of hemp. He saw my discomfort and distress first hand after long days under the hood. The political climate around cannabis in Oregon was changing rapidly and my father listened, but we had a long way to go.

I’d love for you to try some of the CBD grown on the family farm. So, we’re making it simple. You cover shipping, and we’ll send you a sample of the strain of your choice.  Already use our product? Help a friend experience the difference, on us!

- Chris Mecham

Founder, Farmer

Springhill Farm