Lucy showed up at the Kinneman farm as a six-month-old Weimaraner mix who needed a home. She fit into the rhythm of the place the way some dogs do instinctively. Farm life is routine: gates, feed, and shadowing whoever holds the bucket. Lucy attached herself to Kurt Kinneman.
Kurt eventually left Wisconsin and went west to Oregon, where hemp was beginning to look like a real career path instead of a trend. He spent two years learning how to grow it. Hemp cultivation is repetitive work. Water. Trim. Adjust. Watch the plant respond. Lucy followed along through the move and the shifts.
During that time, Lucy struggled with recurring skin issues and ear flare-ups. Standard treatments weren’t cutting it. Kurt tried hemp-derived CBD from the farm. The company says Lucy’s skin improved and the flare-ups eased enough to get his attention. What mattered to Kurt wasn’t a miracle. It was the possibility.
When his parents visited Oregon and saw hemp growing at scale, they asked the question that changed the farm’s direction. Why not do this back home?
They returned to Wisconsin and planted hemp on part of the family’s land. The business that grew out of that decision is called Bad Apple Pets. The hemp is produced through Kinnektion Products, LLC in the St. Croix River Valley, and the CBD products — treats, tinctures and a topical balm — are made in the Midwest.
One thing about Bad Apple stands out in an industry full of promises. The company posts lab results. On its website, it shares third-party Certificates of Analysis that show exactly what’s inside. One report lists the tincture at 1.538 percent CBD and 0.053 percent THC. Another shows the balm with 2.687 percent CBD and 0.153 percent THC. A third lists the Serenity Dog Treats with CBD and no quantifiable THC.
CBD for pets still exists ahead of the research curve. Regulations are uneven and veterinarians differ on guidance. The Kinnemans keep the story simple. They grow a crop. They make a product. And they show the numbers.
What began with a dog that needed help became a new path for the farm.
The post How One Dog Led a Family Farm to Grow Hemp first appeared on High Times.