K-State beef cattle scientists study hemp’s palatability, digestibility
MANHATTAN, Kan. — As the movement to legalize marijuana across the country expands, many are left with confusion about the hemp plant that it comes from, and its other by-products such as oils, seeds and fibers.
In the case of beef cattle, scientists and veterinarians are working together to study the possibility of industrial hemp as a feed source.
Talking on a recent Beef Cattle Institute Cattle Chat podcast, Kansas State University veterinarian Mike Kleinhenz said it is important to define what is being tested as a feed source.
“The plant, Cannabis sativa, as defined by the USDA, is one that has less than .3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC),” Kleinhenz said. “This is considered industrial hemp.”
He added: “If it is above that .3% threshold, then it is considered marijuana.”
Kleinhenz said currently there is no legal precedent that industrialized hemp can be fed to animals. But he and a team of scientists are studying industrial hemp as a potential feed source.
“Cattle didn’t find the plant particularly palatable. We had to grind it down and mix it with something sweet like molasses to get cattle to consume it,” Kleinhenz said.
He also said the nutrient profile of industrial hemp was variable depending on the age of the plant and the part of the plant that was consumed.
“Hemp seeds, for example, are really high in protein and have a nice amino acid profile and a decent fat content, while the stalk of the plant is not very nutritious,” Kleinhenz said.
Results of K-State’s research have been published in Nature and are available online. The researchers also recently published their results in Applied Animal Science.
To hear more of this discussion, listen to the Cattle Chat podcast online.
-30-
FOR PRINT PUBLICATIONS: Links used in this story
BCI Cattle Chat podcast, https://ksubci.org/2022/03/11/hemp-as-an-alternative-feedsource-pain-management-decisions-tactical-health-plan-building-brd-and-pain-management/
Nature (journal articles), https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-69768-4
and https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-07795-z
Applied Animal Science (journal article), https://www.appliedanimalscience.org/article/S2590-2865(20)30085-9/fulltext
K State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county extension offices, experiment fields, area extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K State campus in Manhattan. For more information, visit www.ksre.ksu.edu. K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Story by:
Lisa Moser
785-532-2010
[email protected]
More information:
Mike Kleinhenz
785-532-4478
[email protected]
