The harvest story in images
Reintroducing Hemp to Kentucky
The 2014–2015 Harvest Story of Kentucky Cannabis Company
In 2014, hemp returned to the Commonwealth of Kentucky after decades of absence. As early participants in the Hemp Pilot Program, Kentucky Cannabis Company played a direct role in rebuilding hemp cultivation, harvest, drying, and processing from the ground up. This page documents part of that story through images from the field, greenhouse, harvest, and drying room.
A New Chapter for Hemp in Kentucky
What began as research, relocation, and careful cultivation quickly evolved into one of the early regulated hemp harvest cycles in Kentucky. These images show the progression from plant care and late flowering to trimming, harvest, drying, and preparation for extraction. Together, they reflect the hard work required to help bring hemp back to Kentucky in the 2014–2015 period.
Plant care
Protecting the Plants Naturally
This image shows a young Gunner Polyniak spreading beneficial insects on female hemp plants that had been relocated to Lexington, Kentucky. It reflects the hands-on cultivation approach used in the early days of Kentucky Cannabis Company and the importance of maintaining plant health naturally during a critical stage of growth.
Late flowering
Late Flowering in Winter 2014–2015
These high-CBD cannabis sativa hemp plants were in the late flowering stage during the winter of 2014–2015. This phase is critical because cannabinoid and terpene development are nearing their peak, making careful monitoring essential for timing the harvest and preserving quality.
Pre-harvest
Ready for Harvest
This mature female cannabis sativa bloom was photographed just days before harvest. It was part of the truckload of plants moved from eastern Kentucky into the Kentucky Cannabis greenhouse complex on Military Pike. The image captures the plant at a key point, when the resin-rich flowers had fully matured and were nearly ready for harvest.
Close-up detail
Resin, Trichomes, and Purple Coloration
This close-up shows a mature hemp bud covered in resin glands and displaying natural purple hues. It highlights both quality genetics and careful cultivation, with visible trichomes that indicate strong cannabinoid and terpene development.
Harvest prep
Preparing the Crop
This image shows Lori Miller trimming cannabis sativa hemp plants by hand before harvest. Trimming helped prepare the plants for the next stage and reflects the detailed, hands-on labor required to move from cultivation into post-harvest handling.
Infrastructure
Building the Drying Room
A few days before harvest, a young Colten Polyniak used a drill to secure a board that would hold the vapor barrier in the clean room being built to dry the harvest properly before extraction. This image captures the reality of building the necessary infrastructure while the crop was still approaching harvest.
Historic moment
The Ceremonial First Cut
Dave Hendrick prepares to make the ceremonial first cut of a cannabis sativa hemp plant during the 2014 Hemp Pilot Program. This moment marks a historic transition from cultivation to harvest in one of Kentucky’s first modern hemp crops.
Post-harvest
Freshly Harvested and Headed to Drying
Here, Dave Hendrick holds a freshly cut hemp plant before it is moved into the drying room. This stage is essential because proper handling after harvest helps preserve cannabinoids and terpenes for later extraction.
Drying room
Drying Room Operations Begin
This image shows Dave Hendrick on a green ladder hanging harvested cannabis sativa hemp plants inside the drying room. These plants were harvested in January 2015 and represent the early development of Kentucky Cannabis Company’s drying and post-harvest process.
Team effort
Family and Team Effort
A young Colten Polyniak smiles while hanging cannabis sativa hemp plants in the drying room. This image reinforces how much of the early work was done directly by the people building the company from the ground up.
Flower detail
Drying Resin-Rich Flowers
This image shows cannabis sativa plants hanging in the drying room, with large flowers covered in trichomes rich in CBD and other cannabinoids and terpenes. Proper drying at this stage is critical to preserving the plant material for extraction.
Drying process
Inside the Drying Room
This image shows rows of freshly cut female hemp plants hanging inside the drying room. It documents an important step in the process, where blooms were dried so the resin-rich flowers could later be prepared for extraction.
Where It Started
These images document more than a single harvest. They show the work required to help rebuild hemp cultivation in Kentucky: relocating plants, protecting the crop, preparing for harvest, building drying infrastructure, and handling plants carefully after cutting. This was part of the foundation that would grow into Kentucky Cannabis Company’s long-term role in hemp cultivation, extraction, and full-spectrum CBD production.
Learn More About Our Process and Products
Explore the story behind Kentucky Cannabis Company and discover the products and education available through Bluegrass Hemp Oil.