An Australian study observed increased productivity in sheep fed hemp.
Research leader Bronwyn Blake said: “The most important result was an increase in minor volatile fatty acids, indicating a substantial improvement in energy availability and a change in the composition of the gut microbial population.”
High digestibility
The results showed hemp was highly digestible for sheep.
Fifteen Merinos in New South Wales were fed pellets made from the Morpeth Late variety grown in Western Australia. A Western Australian stockfeed company processed the plants into eight-millimeter pellets. The sheep were fed only hemp for 56 days, with measurements of digestibility, performance and development.
The research was a step toward assessing hemp as animal feed and regulating the market accordingly. It also showed that growing and processing hemp for feed could create a new market.
The DPIRD pilot was funded by AgriFutures Australia in collaboration with ChemCentre and Charles Sturt University.
