Hemp puts cows in a mellow mood, science says
Scientists at Kansas State University have found that feeding hemp to cows helps them the fuck sit down and cool the eff down.
In a highly respectable study published this week in Scientific Reports (a publication of the prestigious journal Nature), K-State veterinary researchers Hans Coetzee and Michael Kleinhenz discovered that a diet high in industrial hemp “increased lying behavior and biomarkers of stress and reduced inflammation in cattle.”
If you feed hemp to a cow, she will lie down and freeze. Science!
In other words, eating hemp makes cows mellow.
Hemp is, of course, cannabis that contains less than 0.3% THC. While low in THC by definition, hemp contains a variety of other cannabinoids — including CBD and CBG — that can have psychoactive but non-intoxicating effects in humans.
It was previously unclear what effect cannabis would have on domestic ruminants above or below the 0.3% THC level.
“Although hemp can be legally grown under license in Kansas, feeding hemp products to livestock remains prohibited because the potential for accumulation of cannabinoid drug residues in meat and milk has not been evaluated,” said study co-author Hans Coetzee , professor and study leader the Department of Anatomy and Physiology at the Kansas State College of Veterinary Medicine. Coetzee was interviewed by Joe Montgomery on K-State News.
Cannabinoid-free milk… or cannabinoid-enriched Milk?
The Kansas State team recently received a $200,000 grant from the US Department of Agriculture to determine cannabinoid concentrations in farm animals after exposure to industrial hemp. If scientists can show that cows fed hemp don’t pass on cannabinoids in their milk or meat, hemp could become a viable commodity in global markets.
However, if cows are passing on cannabinoids in their milk… speaking for a 420-friendly audience, that could also create its own specialized niche market. Although the chances of the FDA allowing cannabinoid-infused milk to be sold would admittedly be slim at best.
Secondary use for hemp leaves
“Industrial hemp is typically grown for the production of oil, seed, fiber and medicines,” said study co-author Michael Kleinhenz, assistant professor of beef production medicine. “While hemp varieties can be planted for a single or dual purpose, such as seed and fiber, post-harvest by-products of leaves, forage, and plant debris remain. These by-products could serve as potential feed for animals. Since the plant material is predominantly cellulosic, ruminants, especially cattle, are the ideal animal species for utilizing this feed.”
Previous study on cannabinoids in plasma
In a previous study published in 2020, the Kansas State team found detectable levels of the cannabinoids CBDA, THCA, CBCA, and CBVA in the plasma of cows fed industrial hemp.
In this study, milk from cows was not tested for cannabinoid levels. Proven cannabinoid levels have not necessarily ruled out the use of hemp as a source material, as much more research needs to be done on cannabinoid degradation and elimination.
“This work is an important first step towards the follow-up studies needed to characterize the uptake, distribution, metabolism and excretion of cannabinoids in cattle,” the scientists wrote. “In particular, additional work is needed to determine edible tissue residue profiles for cannabinoids in cattle.”
In other words, a lot more cows need to eat a lot more hemp before we can draw any stronger conclusions.
Bruce Barcott
Leafly Senior Editor Bruce Barcott oversees news, investigations and feature projects. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and the author of Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana in America.
Check out Bruce Barcott’s articles
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