Wendy Mosher , CEO of New West Genetics ( NWG ), Sarah Stevens of Kansas Hemp Technologies , and their teams have found not one but three arteries .
NWG ’ s Amplify Genetics is a super strain of hemp that will produce U . S . seed certified by AOSCA . I was stunned to learn that in 2022 , we import our seeds from China and France , so it ’ s huge !
Carbon sequestering with hemp is up and running and will exponentially increase the hemp crop . But my favorite is that we finally get to feed our chickens hemp . not only won her over , but we won over our FDA representative as well . And that is how we finally did it , how we got chicken food approved , by building relationships ,” Mosher sighed with relief .
“ Since the beginning of the relationship with AAFCO and the FDA in 2019 , farmers across the Midwest have done exceptional research on growing ,” Stevens explained . “ We are gaining so much experience along the way . With the tools and machinery from traditional farming , developing new tools , and combining those tools with technology , we are making hemp available as a rotation crop .
For Dolores , by Bill ☺
When I asked our esteemed publisher Bill Cromwell for a “ happy hempy ( stoned ) chicken ” graphic for my article , he asked , “ But do the chickens get stoned ?” He said that after protesting the stereotype we all have worked hard to overcome , aka stoners . So , I changed verbs and asked , “ Do the hens get ‘ medicated ?’”
The answer is yes . In research on all the animals humans eat , farmers noted that the number one effect was the willingness of the cows , chickens , and pigs to happily go to where they become food , making hemp feed a humane feed .
In addition to being calmer and , in general , happier , animals that eat hemp produce superior meat , eggs , and milk . We do not get “ medicated ” when we eat medicated food ; we just get healthier foods . Especially eggs . Hemp-fed chickens produce eggs with Omega 9 fatty acids , which do not exist anywhere else .
In THE EVOLUTION Magazine ’ s November 2022 issue , I wrote about the impenetrable wall built by AAFCO , refusing to even discuss hemp as a feed crop for critters and its “ white letter ” to the FDA saying as much . Without the AAFCO stamp of approval on a bag of grain , it cannot be sold on the open market . However , the New West and Hemp Research team won the AAFCO over .
Mosher stopped at Native Prairie Field Day on a multi-state tour from New West ’ s home in Colorado to spread the good news . “ It took a long time to develop a relationship with our AAFCO representative , but eventually , with enough science , research , and time , we
“ And now , hemp seed meal for laying hens has received tentative approval from AAFCO ! This means commercial feed mills can begin incorporating hemp seed meal in their rations , a monumental step forward for hemp grains . This is the start of something big . While only approved for one type of animal at this moment , the application process for ruminants is next on the list for the Hemp Feed Coalition , and we all know what happens after the first domino falls .”
Stevens could not contain her excitement , and neither could I . This is huge . I have written many times about the Power of One , the power of those individual relationships we build within our communities , and that is exactly what Mosher , Stevens , and all the rest of the farmers in the room have done — developed relationships .
Change never comes from the top down . It is a crop of its own . It must be planted , fertilized , nurtured , and grown with time and patience . So , hats off to all who persist and persevere on this mission , nothing short of a Mission from God , to pull the earth off the critical list by flooding all her body systems with the healing miracle of hemp . Well done ! There is no reason we cannot save the patient / planet now !
Lerroy Creekmore Warehouse Manager at Majestic Milling Company , a grain and feed operation in Cassville , MO .
April Hatch , RN , Cannabis Care Team , with Dr . Paul Callicoat of Sarcoxie Nursery at the Prairie View Farm Field Day event .
Dolores Montgomery Halbin , RN , BSN , and Ordained Nurse Minister , resides in SW Missouri . After her husband passed in 2015 , she retired from nursing . She worked with the 2014- 2018 Missouri campaigns for legalized medical marijuana . She continues as a cannabis reform activist volunteering with Canna Convict Project and working toward Federal decriminalization through educational speaking and freelance journalism . Dolores Halbin , doloreshalbin @ gmail . com . October 2024 47