The Nutritive Value of Hemp Meal for Ruminants

Nutrition Update
Volume 10 No.3, February 2000

Hemp is an annual herbaceous plant. Traditionally, hemp is grown as a fiber crop in areas with temperate climates. Hemp seeds are also a valuable commodity. The seed contains 30 to 35% oil, 80% of which is polyunsaturated fatty acids. Hemp-seed oil can be used in cooking or in industrial products such as paint, detergents and lubricants. As with other oilseeds, mechanical or solvent extraction of hemp seed produces a meal that is high in protein and low in oil, relative to the seed. If an oil-extraction industry is to be economically viable, a market must be found for the residual meal. The relative high fibre of the meal indicates that it may be used most efficiently as a protein supplement for ruminants.

Analyses showed that HM contained (on a 100% DM basis) 32% crude protein, 8% ash, 5.2% ether extract, 50% NDF, 39% ADF and 8.8 % soluble protein. The in situ results suggest that HM is highly undegraded in the rumen compared to canola meal and is closer to heat treated canola meal in its rumen degradability characteristics. When substituted for canola meal, as a protein source in isonitrogenous diets (up to 20% of the ration dry matter), HM had no detrimental effects on feed intake or nutrient utilization by sheep. Further studies are required to determine the effects of including HM in beef and dairy rations as an undegradable protein source.

Reference: Mustafa et al. 1999. Can. J. An. Sci. 79:91.

 

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