Hemp Biomass Could Serve As Excellent Livestock Feed, OSU Researcher Says

A recent study by Oregon State University found hemp biomass could be the next big thing in livestock feed.  OSU Associate Professor Serkan Ates said his team found the byproduct of the CBD extraction process produces a high-protein, high-energy product with no harmful impacts to lambs in the study.  But, he was quick to point out, the feed does include a very small amount of THC; less than 0.3%.

“THC is considered a drug and there is no regulation, at the moment, in terms of the allowable THC in animal products.  So, that’s why we did this study as well. I mean, we have done some more studies after this one, just to provide some data to the FDA.”

He hopes the research will be used by the FDA to create a THC threshold, so hemp biomass can be used in livestock feed.  He said greenlighting the biomass as a feed product will be a win-win situation.

“The processors, they do not know what to do with this material because it has almost no use.  It’s a burden for them; they have to get rid of this.  But, on the other hand, it’s a material with really excellent nutritional-type qualities.”

Ates says when it comes to feed, this is a cheap material with virtually no other use.  Lambs in the study weren’t too keen on the taste, so researchers converted the hemp into pellets and used it as filler with other feed.

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