Ned Full Spectrum Hemp Oils begin their lives under the careful guidance of organic farmers in sunny Colorado. Free from additives, fillers, flavoring, isolates, preservatives, sweeteners, and thinning agents, the wholesome flavor of Ned’s CBD rich oils is the result of careful planning, thoughtful nutrient-rich cultivation, and gentle cold ethanol extraction, that helps preserve the bioactive compounds which contribute to hemp’s various therapeutic benefits.
Grown under organic and biodynamic farming practices developed to enhance cannabinoid, terpene, and flavonoid content naturally without compromising plant integrity, Ned's CBD products are all handcrafted from slow grown, single-origin hemp flowers in small batches with minimal environmental impact. Ned's hemp oils are also certified by third-party laboratory tests for purity and concentration.
Single-Source Hemp Allows For Quality Assurance
The hemp flowers used in making Ned's two lines of full-spectrum CBD products come from two organic farms in Colorado. The hemp oil that is the basis of each line is extracted from a single source of hemp. Specifically, the hemp used in Ned's Natural Cycle Collection was organically grown by best friends Cheri and Lynn in beautiful Platteville, Colorado. The hemp used in the Full Spectrum CBD Collection, was organically and biodynamically grown by Farmer Jonathan in Paonia, Colorado.
Deriving each product line from a single source of hemp flowers allows Ned to perform rigorous laboratory testing for both potential contaminants such as pesticides and heavy metals as well as beneficial bioactive compound profiles. Although the extent of testing performed by Ned is not required by the state of Colorado, which unlike many states, requires testing of hemp products for cannabinoid content, a full lab workup is integral to establishing product quality, consistency, and unique therapeutic potential.
Many people who use CBD rich hemp oils find that consistency in strain, cannabinoid, and terpene profile is key to helping alleviate specific symptoms including those associated with sleep problems, pain, and anxiety. Thus, using single-source hemp not only lends itself to stringent lab analysis but also to ensuring a consistent therapeutic benefit experience with every bottle.
Organically and Biodynamically Grown in Colorado
A pioneer in the cannabis space and one of the first states to legalize recreational marijuana, Colorado has had many years to institute comprehensive state guidelines for the hemp industry while working with and supporting hemp farmers in growing the highest quality crops.
Unlike conventionally farmed crops, organically grown hemp is cultivated without the use of toxic and synthetic insecticides, fungicides, pesticides, or fertilizers, genetically modified ingredients, and sewage sludge or irradiation, all of which can enter and taint the hemp plant and have been associated with a variety of acute and chronic illnesses.
Hemp is especially susceptible to contamination because it is a cleansing crop capable of absorbing and thereby removing contaminants and radiation through a process known as phytoremediation. Because hemp accumulates toxins from the air and soil it is thus critical to avoid consuming CBD products made from hemp that has been grown with pollutants or in polluted environments. This is especially important when consuming CBD oils, which as hemp concentrates, can ultimately contain greater potencies of toxins than the hemp plant itself.
Farmer Jonathan, the man, the myth, and the legend behind Ned's Full Spectrum Hemp Collection is not just an organic farmer, however. In fact, he takes organic hemp farming to a whole new level. Jonathan employs biodynamic farming practices which are a sort of organic farming extremism centered around phases of the moon, planetary movements, treating the farm as its own organism, and hyper local farm management practices.
Ret and Adriaan, Ned’s founders learned precisely what this means and how awesome it is during the summer of 2019, when they were invited to to the farm for planting which had to happen between the hours of 5 pm on June 13th and 6 pm the following day. According to the biodynamic calendar, a body of work based on over 40 years of research into the effects of the moon, the planets, and the constellations on plant growth, these hours encompassed the ideal cosmic alignment for planting hemp in tune with the earth’s natural forces.
Often referred to as Organic 2.0, biodynamic farming requires a deep connection to the natural world and treats the farm as its own living, breathing organism. Biodynamic goes beyond organic farming in that rather than taking life from the soil, it seeks to maximize the soil's health and vitality throughout the growing life cycle. This ensures abundance for future planting seasons without damaging soil by stripping it of it’s essential nutrients and microorganisms.
Developed in Europe in 1928, biodynamics aims to generate the inputs needed for farm management out of the farm's own ecosystem rather than by importing them from the outside. Using only hyper-local and biodegradable tools like worms to aerate and fertilize the soil paired with local robins to keep the worm populations in check, biodynamic farmers strive for a balanced relationship between all farm elements.
A unique and gentle form of crop growing, biodynamics heals the earth through slow and naturally tuned regenerative agricultural practices that transform the hemp farm into a vibrant and self-sustaining eco-system that not only takes from the soil, but also gives back.
Cold Ethanol Extracted from Hemp Flowers
Hemp extraction is the process by which cannabinoids like CBD, CBN, and THC are separated from the hemp plant and concentrated into products like CBD oils or tinctures. Both an art and a science, hemp extraction can take many forms and use all parts of the hemp plant. As you may have guessed, however, both the part of the plant being used and the method of extraction affect a product’s ultimate potency, quality, and ability to provide health benefits.
Unlike most products which utilize the entire plant, including stalks, stems, and leaves, Ned Full Spectrum Hemp Oil is extracted only from hemp flowers. Hemp flowers, or buds, contain high concentrations of flavonoids, terpenes, cannabidiol, and other cannabinoids. By limiting their input to hemp flowers rather than all plant parts, Ned is able to ensure maximum cannabinoid potency, terpene content and quality in all of its products.
Extraction can take many forms and utilize a variety of solvents to separate the desirable plant parts from the unnecessary. Whereas other types of extraction may be faster or more economical they also tend to use less than desirable solvents such as butane or strip some or all of the beneficial bioactive compounds found in hemp. To avoid these pitfalls and extract the highest grade of compounds, Ned utilizes a gentle and slow form of food-grade cold ethanol extraction at -40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Because it is a high-proof grain alcohol, ethanol naturally dissolves the hemp flower's oils, separating the cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids while leaving behind the remaining plant material. This method leaves no harmful residues in the oil while also preserving the vital nutrients and biodynamic compounds for which the hemp flower is so famous.
Third-Party Lab Tested and Certified
Because CBD is primarily marketed and sold as a supplement rather than a medication, it's safety and purity is not currently regulated by the FDA. Thus, unless you purchase a lab tested and certified hemp product, you may not know for sure whether the extract you're buying contains the dose of CBD listed on the label or whether it has other unknown elements.
All of Ned's hemp products undergo testing performed by a third-party laboratory with no affiliation to Ned and no conflicts of interest. Testing certifies the contents and purity of Ned's extracts. Although the state of Colorado requires potency testing for all hemp oils, Ned goes one step further to ensure its products are free from contaminants, like solvents, fungicides, pesticides, heavy metals, and microbial contaminants.
In line with their culture of full transparency, Ned provides certificates of analysis for every batch of its CBD products. These certificates list the cannabinoid composition, terpene profile, as well as any contaminants that may have been found in the oil. For details on making sense of these hemp analyses, check out our post on how to read a batch certificate.
