Marijuana-Hemp

Is Hemp Headed for Dairy Rations?

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 15:38:21 GMT

The 2018 Agricultural Improvement Act (“Farm Bill”) expanded the legal production of hemp in the United States. But much work still needs to be done in the regulatory arena regarding hemp applications.

To clarify, hemp and marijuana are not one in the same. They both are from the same class of plants of the Cannabis genus, but are legally separated by their level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the plant. Legal hemp must contain 0.3 percent THC or less. In short, hemp can’t get you high.

Hemp has a wide variety of uses, which often earn it the moniker “industrial hemp.” These include rope, textiles, human food products, paper, bioplastics, building materials, and biofuels. Prior to prohibition in the U.S. more than 80 years ago, hemp was a significant commodity crop in many parts of the country.

Tillery Sims, Executive Director of the Texas Hemp Growers Association , is working to restore hemp’s role in the commodity rotation for crop farmers. “We want to be a reliable resource to farmers to give them a place for consistent information about hemp,” Sims shared on a webinar during the virtual 2021 World Ag Expo.

Joining Sims on the webinar was Hunter Buffington, then Executive Director of the Hemp Feed Coalition (HFC) . Her organization’s mission is to gain federal approval for hemp and its byproducts and create new markets in another potentially important application: animal feed. She said approval of hemp’s use as animal feed will bring more value to farmers, as they will be able to utilize or market every part of the plant.

Hemp seed is a grain that is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human consumption. It does not produce any cannabinoids, which are found in the flowering part of the plant. HFC points out that hemp seed meal – comprised of the hull of the seed after the oil has been extruded – is a highly nutritious protein, fiber, and lipid source.

Buffington shared collective data from 40 American-grown and -processed hemp seed meal products from three different varieties grown in 10 states. The data was collected from 40 individual Certificates of Analysis. It was found to be a highly homogenous ingredient, with the following nutritional profile:

Crude protein: 33.5%
Crude fiber: 34.05
Crude fat: 10.1%
ADF: 34.65
NDF: 43.6%
Calcium: 1,584.71 ppm
Phosphorus: 8,254.06 ppm
Selenium: 1.28 ppm
Sodium: <25.00 ppm
Lysine: 10.44 mg/g
Methionine: 5.48 mg/g

“Gaining federal approval is a time-consuming, expensive, data-driven process,” said Buffington.

The HFC submitted its first application for a new ingredient definition approval from the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) in 2020. Their hope is the application process, which starts with AAFCO, will ultimately lead to the approval by the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA-CVM) as the first federally approved hemp feed ingredient. The application is for hemp seed cake and meal to be fed to laying hens.

FDA returned the application to HFC in 2021 with a request for more data.

In February 2022, AAFCA issued a Joint Open Letter of Concern over the Allowance of Hemp in Animal Feed. Addressed to agricultural leaders and state policymakers, the letter was a caution against individual states circumventing federal review approving hemp in animal feed.

“Currently, no hemp ingredients have been approved through the established animal feed ingredient pathways,” the letter stated. “It would be imprudent to bypass these established procedures needed to protect both human and animal health and unilaterally legislate approval of animal feed ingredients at the state level.”

Further details in the letter addressed concerns for (1) animal health and safety; (2) safety of food from production animals entering the human food chain; and (3) legal implications for animal producers and feed manufacturers.

Included among the 17 organizations signing the letter were the American Dairy Science Association, American Association of Bovine Practitioners, American Veterinary Medical Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and the Federation of Animal Science Societies.

“We understand the importance of supporting the hemp industry, and yet we also believe it is simply too soon to know whether hemp is safe for farm and ranch animals, as well as for our pets,” the letter stated.

The HFC, in turn, has issued its own statement in response to the AAFCO letter. In it they stated the AAFCO letter “deliberately conflates hemp grain with cannabinoids, greatly setting back the years of progress the industry has made educating our colleagues in the traditional agricultural world on how the parts of the plant differ and the highly nutritious value grain brings.”

Facts and Fiction About Hemp in Animal Feed, page 2

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 14:25:53 GMT

>>> Continued from page 1

Figure 2: Regarding the use of cannabis as an animal feed, 48% said they either strongly agreed or agreed that they would feed it to their animals.

Figure 3: The survey also asked if farmers and ranchers think it is ethical to feed cannabis products to animals if trace constituents, such as THC, can be found in the meat. Overwhelmingly, respondents said no.

Source: 2019 Farm Journal Cannabis in U.S. Agriculture Study

Objectives and methodology: Measure farmers’ and ranchers’ awareness
of cannabis and interest in growing hemp. The e-blast was distributed to row crop farmers with 1+ acres of corn, soybeans or wheat, and also to livestock producers with 1+ head of hogs, beef cattle, dairy cattle or poultry, and produce growers with 1+ acres of produce. A set of 950 completes yielded a margin of error of +/- 3.2%. Respondents were entered in a drawing to receive one of 25 copies of “Making the Family Farm the Family Business” by Chip Flory.

Read more about cannabis in animal feed here:

> From AgWeb:

Perdue Answers Buzz on Hemp in Animal Feed

> From Bovine Veterinarian:

Cannabis in Veterinary Medicine

> From Farm Journal’s PORK:

Could Cannabis Improve Pork Flavor? Weed-Fed Pigs Creating a Stir

PORK Poll: Could Marijuana in the Pig Diet Make a Difference?

Facts and Fiction About Hemp in Animal Feed

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 14:23:27 GMT

Volatility driven by overproduction, trade wars and ever-more fickle consumers has American farmers and ranchers facing the largest financial crisis in a generation. Searching for alternatives, many U.S. farmers are scrambling this winter to add hemp to their crop rotation, thanks to the green light given to the long-forbidden crop in the 2018 farm bill. It’s the start of what could become a revolution to traditional agriculture at a time when many farmers are financially desperate.

A new survey conducted by Farm Journal and Drovers finds that among those now considering growing hemp, additional revenue and profits are the driving factors. For instance, one respondent voiced a common theme: “If I could be certain it was low in THC and it was more profitable (to grow) it would be okay.” Another said: “If it has uses, is okay for the environment, if there is a market, if I can make money, then yes.”

Livestock producers will play a crucial role in the success or failure
of hemp, as the crop holds many potential benefits as a feedstuff. Some states have already set in motion programs to analyze hemp’s safety and practicality as a livestock feed. Two years ago, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed a bill creating a working group under the Commissioner of Agriculture to study the feasibility of hemp as animal feed. As of January 2019, 40 other states have given hemp the go ahead.

As cattle feed, scientists believe hemp can benefit health and increase performance. Hemp seed, for instance, is high in much-desired fatty acids, such as Omega 3, Omega 6, Omega 9 and GLA. It is also very high in proteins, which contain every amino acid.

Hemp seeds are also high in fiber, aiding an animal’s digestive system. It also is a good source of minerals, such as: Copper, Iron, Boron, Zinc, Manganese, Nitrogen and Zinc. Hemp will be given to animals in Colorado, via crushed seed meal, pellets or oil given as a supplement.

The distinction between recreational marijuana and hemp, and how that factors into cultivation of the crop should be noted. Hemp and marijuana are from the same Cannabis Sativa family, and they share similarities. However, the notable difference is the amount of the psychoactive chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which pro- duces a high. The references here for agricultural uses are only for hemp, which contains less than 0.3% THC. For comparison, marijuana contains from 5% to 35% THC.

With the door now open for hemp cultivation and feeding, Farm Journal and Drovers surveyed farmers and livestock producers to gauge their attitude about the use of the crop many consider controversial. We found a majority of both farmers and ranchers are amenable to using hemp, yet conservative rural values remain among the majority of respondents.

Check out the figures below that reveal cattle owners’ level of interest in growing hemp and using cannabis in animal feed.

The 2019 Farm Journal/Drovers Cannabis in U.S. Agriculture Study surveyed farmers and ranchers to gauge their interest in growing cannabis. Here’s what we learned.

Figure 1: Cattle owners are less interested in growing cannabis than farmers.

Click next page to read more results.