Hemp Shows Promise As Cattle Feed

Hemp Shows Promise As Cattle Feed CROPS New Crops Two researchers at Kansas State University are making progress on studies that involve feeding industrial hemp to cattle Michael Kleinhenz and Hans Coetzee veterinary researchers at K-State have studied the use of cannabinoids to reduce pain and improve well being in livestock Kleinhenz is an assistant professor in beef production medicine while Coetzee also a professor is head of the anatomy and physiology department in the College of Veterinary Medicine “We were looking at the use of CBD in pain mitigation as one of the big claims is that it helps with chronic pains ” Kleinhenz says He and Coetzee collaborated with a colleague from K-State’s horticulture department who was growing hemp for CBD production in a research setting “Out of the blue he’s like ‘I’ve got 20 lbs left from my seed cleaning would you guys be interested in trying to do something with it?’” Kleinhenz says “We looked at each other and said ‘I wonder if this would make good animal feed?’” The researchers found a lab to evaluate the hemp for nutrients and conducted their own cannabinoid testing As they continued their research Kleinhenz and Coetzee realized that at present there isn’t a similar hemp feed product on the market and there are many parts of the hemp plant that can be used as cattle feed post- harvest and post-processing In recent months their research has stalled but they’ve had conversations with the Food and Drug Administration and Kleinhenz says the FDA has been “very helpful” in directing the study Because the effects of cannabinoids on livestock is unknown the feed would need FDA approval before it gets produced Kleinhenz hopes by early 2021 they will be able to study tissue residue profiles on cattle and by the summer move into studies on how the feed affects milk production Coetzee and Kleinhenz conducted a 14-day feeding trial with 16 calves They fed 8 calves hemp feed and the other 8 non-hemp feed “We saw some behaviorial differences in how they spent time lying down and moving ” Kleinhenz says “We didn’t see any benefits or harm in terms of production parameters and average daily gain from feeding hemp ” If the feed is approved for market distribution Kleinhenz says it could be a lower-cost alternative for producers With grain prices continuing to rise farmers could choose the hemp product not only to save money but to also have healthier livestock In agriculture Kleinhenz believes hemp residue products will continue to gain popularity in coming years Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine 1620 Denison Ave 228 Coles Hall Manhattan Kan 66506

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.