(Manhattan, KS) -- Hemp could become another feed alternative for cattle in the near future. A pair of studies at Kansas State University is bringing new insight to farmers and producers seeking to incorporate industrial hemp in cattle feed.
Hans Coetzee is a K-State professor and head of the anatomy and physiology department in the College of Veterinary Medicine. He says the studies are looking at hemp, much like the corn industry and ethanol.
"The hemp is currently grown specifically for the value-added product of CBD oil," said Coetzee. "But once the oil has been extracted, the plant is left behind -- similar to ethanol. We're interested in understanding whether that material that's left or remains after the oil is extracted could be used in animals as a feedstock. Obviously, cattle and other ruminants would be the target species because they can utilize these fiber-rich or cellulose-rich plants, much like they utilize the by-products of ethanol."
Recently the K-State research team received a $200,000 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant from the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to establish concentrations of cannabinoids in livestock after exposure to industrial hemp. Coetzee explains more about the process.
"We'll then be collecting samples of liver and kidney and muscle and fat tissue that we'll then analyze with the same equipment they use to test athletes to make sure they're not taking performance-enhancing drugs," said Coetzee. "We use the same equipment to look at the concentrations of CBD and other cannabinoids from the hemp plant in the animal tissues. That will be the final stage that we will confirm that there is no risk or minimal risk to the consumer to eat or consume meat or milk from animals who have been fed hemp plant materials."
Coetzee says the goal is for long term financial support for hemp producers.
Research on hemp as a feedstuff for cattle is not the only livestock being studied. Research on hemp as feedstuffs for sheep and goats is going on in Colorado and there have been studies with pigs and poultry, but since they are not ruminants, those studies have been with the seeds.
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October 10, 2020 at 09:00PM
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