Couple brings CBD to McCook

Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Kaylynn and Justin Harris remove the leaves from hemp plants they harvested from their farm outside McCook. The Harris’ own Wild Ass Hemp Farm, where they sell products with and without CBD.
Lorri Sughroue/McCook Gazette

McCOOK, Neb. — After years of being vilified, hemp is making a comeback. And it’s possibilities are endless, said Justin Harris, who with his wife, Kaylynn, owns Wild Ass Hemp Farm in McCook.

CBD, short for cannabidiol, is exploding in popularity. The non-intoxicating extract from hemp is being used for pain and anxiety relief, along with sleeplessness, epileptic seizures and other uses. But its medicinal properties are only the beginning of how it can be used, Justin said. “CBD is just a tiny sliver of how hemp can change the planet,” he said.

The Harris’ first tried CBD a few years ago for chronic pain and the results were life-changing, they said. Since then, they’ve just harvested their first crop of 650 hemp plants and are offering items with and without CBD at Wild Ass Hemp Farm, that also sells all-natural soaps. The Harris’ sell CBD in oils (also known as tinctures), roll-ons, lotions and smokables.

Hemp is a species of the cannabis plant that doesn’t produce large quantities of the psychoactive cannabinoid, THC, found in marijuana. From 1937 through December 2018, federal regulations kept hemp out of production as it was lumped in with marijuana. In 2018, the federal Farm Bill removed hemp from a list of controlled substances and Nebraska legalized hemp production for fiber, grain, or cannabidiol (CBD) in 2019, with the condition that plant parts of industrial hemp have a THC concentration of less than 0.3%.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved Nebraska’s hemp plan in January of this year and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture began accepting applications for licenses to grow, process, and sell hemp.

The nice thing about CBD is that it’s all natural and that the body seems to be made for it, Justin said. He cited two receptors present in the endocannabinoid system that help regulate the nervous system, the immune system and its associated structures. “It’s amazing how the plant works with our bodies,” Justin said. “There’s no other plant like it that can locks into our body’s receptors.”

The Harris’ are one of several in Southwest Nebraska who grew hemp in the area this year, after submitting a plan to the state and receiving a license. Although Justin said he can’t make medical claims about CBD, he likened his knowledge similar to a dietician with food. “Some foods are just better for you than others,” he said. While CBD and hemp still seem taboo for a lot of people, that’s changing, Justin said, as seen in their repeat customers.

And their customers are varied. Some are amazed at the benefits of CBD oil or roll-ons for back pain or wrist pain, others swear by the dog biscuits that help calm down their dog.

But it’s the dozens of ways that hemp can be used beyond CBD that’s exciting, Justin said. Hemp has biodegradable properties and could be used to eliminate plastic bags and bottled water; its fiber can be processed into thousands of commercial and industrial products. Fiber strings from hemp have shown to be stronger in concrete than fiberglass, Justin said. “The more research being done, the more we’re learning how it works.”

For now, the Harris’ are keeping it simple and plan to expand as the industry grows. Although their inventory and business products are expected to change with demand, don’t even think about asking them to change the name of their company.

Named after their two miniature donkeys, Elmer and Donkey, Justin said the name is staying. “A lot of people have told me how much they like it,” he said. “And I’m very non-PC, anti-censorship, anyway.”

Wild Ass Hemp products can be found at its website, www.wildasssoaps.com or at the upcoming McCook Farm, Ranch and Hemp Expo, Wednesday and Thursday, at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds.

Tana Dale of Star Expos, sponsor of the expo, said the event will still take place as scheduled.

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