Reflections ►
Could Hemp Revolutionize the Livestock Industry ?
We are what we eat , could hemp-fed make us healthier ? by Dolores Halbin , contributing writer
Things are looking a little grim in the American food chain of late . Shortages of grains persist , not just with the world food bank due to the destruction of the wheat basket in Ukraine from an unprovoked war , but from climate changes resulting in the loss of our breadbasket . Recall that Nebraska “ hurricane ” a few years ago ? Aside from taking out most of the bridges and infrastructure in the state , the water stripped the topsoil of Nebraska farmland down to sandy loam that could be seen from space . From drought to wildfires , massive flooding , and wind events , business as usual will not continue to feed us or solve this year ’ s turkey shortage . I don ’ t think any of us were really aware of how globally versus locally entwined our food chain has become until recent world events . We have definitely created many unsustainable links in that chain .
The caped heroes of our Nation ’ s food crisis are our Midwest farmers and their rapid embracing of the birthing hemp crop to the rescue . This thriving , committed , and absolutely unstoppable group of literally grassroots women and men farmers of all ages is here to create a new food chain , a new farm , a new crop , and a new infrastructure to support the birthing hemp industry . After fifty years of stagnation ,
Farmers say , buy all things hemp , eat all things hemp , and support all things hemp . Hemp may be more expensive now , but the more we buy , the more affordable hemp products become . hemp is happening at lightning speed . With nothing short of the survival of our planet at stake , we need to move fast .
What we have found in the hemp industry versus the much slower adaptation on the medical side of the plant is academia , and higher education brings with it credibility . Universities across the country are sponsoring studies in all things hemp , but the one I am the most excited about is hemp feed for our food chain animals .
I listened to the two speakers at the Missouri Hemp Trade Association meeting in Butler , MO , at least six times and put together a lengthy vocabulary list of farming terms I did not understand . But I promise , if you are a farmer and you want to start a hemp crop , these two gals answered most of the questions any farmer will have right out of the barn gate . The meeting is available on the Missouri Hemp Trade Association Facebook page . I strongly recommend listening to these women at least twice if you have any interest in hemp farming at all .
Michele Nelson , a crop researcher and scientist , is the co-founder of
Performance Crop Research ( PCR ), an independent crop research company and co-owner of South Bend Industrial Hemp Company in Central Kansas .
The second speaker , Morgan Tweet , has a background in chemical engineering . Tweet ’ s dad approached her in 2014 about the number of hemp farmers with no infrastructure for processing . Dad wanted to build a hemp processing plant in Montana . “ I just thought he was the ‘ crazy hemp guy ,’ but by 2019 , it turned into something .” The Hemp Feed Coalition focuses its efforts on the feed market through the seed market .