Hemp as a Livestock Feedstuff: A Review of Current Literature

Hemp was removed from the list of controlled substances in the 2018 Farm Bill, making regulated hemp production legal in the United States. Kentucky agriculturalists and entrepreneurs are at the cutting edge of the United States hemp production and processing industries. Hemp production generally falls into one of three categories: grain, fiber, or floral (CBD extraction). Each production category also produces byproducts; one such byproduct is meal. In order to make hemp oil and fiber processing viable, markets for the remaining meal must be found. The high fiber, fat, and protein of hemp meal make it a potential feedstuff for animal agriculture and a potential substitute for soybean meal in many livestock diets. Despite the potential feedstuff value of hemp, nutrition is not the only factor in determining the future of hemp meal in livestock feed. Agriculturalists and consumers are socially biased on the topic of hemp production, which may prevent full utilization of the crop. Additionally, hemp products face regulatory challenges before they can be incorporated into livestock feedstuffs legally. The purpose of this literature review is to describe current research on the nutritional viability, producer acceptance, and legality of hemp products and byproducts as livestock feedstuffs