- The USDA has granted researchers at Oregon State University nearly $300,000 for their studies on using hemp and its byproducts in livestock feed.
- The $299,950 grant is a part of a $8.5 million budget set aside for awarding research and extension grants.
- Oregon State University researchers are the only ones to receive funding that are working on a hemp-specific study.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted $299,950 to researchers at Oregon State University who are studying the safe implementation of hemp byproducts into livestock feed. With this new federal grant, Oregon State University will be adding cattle to their studies.
Oregon State’s nearly $300,000 grant is part of an $8.5 million budget that is being awarded for various research and extension grants from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Speaking on the grant money that Oregon State University received, Oregon Democratic Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said they believe the grant could be widely beneficial to farmers across the United States.
“This OSU research will help to continue building the case for federal approval or hemp biomass on cattle farms, making a natural connection between two signature Oregon products — livestock and hemp,” Wyden said.
Merkley has pledged to “continue to secure the resources needed” to further agricultural research and is looking forward to the results of OSU’s cattle feed study.
Oregon State has been running a series of tests on hemp in animal feed since fall when they began feeding hemp biomass to sheep to test the impact on the tenderness of the meat along with its shelf life.
The Hemp Feed Coalition (HFC) also recently submitted for the approval to classify hemp and its byproducts as commercial animal feed and nutrition.
Hopefully OSU’s research study goes well and can help to add cattle, sheep, and goats to the AAFCO and FDA-CVM application for hempseed meal. OSU’s study is the only hemp-specific project to receive a grant.
