Study: Cows fed hemp are more relaxed

It's a scientific study that might make you smile. But it's extremely serious! According to American researchers, cows fed hemp with high doses of cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) are less stressed than with a normal diet. Their results are published in Scientific Reports. This peer-reviewed study is funded by the U.S. government, via the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The CBDA is a molecule present in abundance in hemp plants. It then degrades to become CBD, by a process known as decarboxylation.

«We may well have found a more natural way to reduce stress in cows. And we're just at the beginning of the positive aspects of hemp.», says a delighted Mike Kleinhenz, head of the study, with KMUW. For him, it's important to reduce stress in these animals, especially during transport or separation from their mothers.

Hemp-fed cows lie down more often

To reach this conclusion, Kleinhenz and his colleagues at the University of Kansas observed 16 cows. They were of the Holstein breed, the queen of dairy cows. They separated the ruminants into two groups of eight. In the first group, the animals received «25 grams of industrial hemp mixed in 200g of cereals, once a day for 14 days, to target a daily dose of 5.5mg/kg CBDA». The other group of 8 cows was a control group, i.e. with a placebo for comparison.

Conclusion: cows fed hemp lie down more often (14.1 hours per day) than their counterparts (13.4 hours). This indicates that they are more relaxed. Also, cortisol levels (the stress hormone) are lower in cows fed hemp. animals fed CBDA. Finally, cows in the first group experience a decrease in prostaglandin E_2,, the acid responsible for inflammation. Those in the second group, on the other hand, have an increase in this molecule.

«These results suggest that feeding cows high levels of CBDA for fourteen days accentuates elongated behavior, and lowers stress and inflammatory biomarkers in cows.», conclude the scientists in their article.

There's just one thing we don't know before we start feeding hemp to cows on a massive scale: the law. Even if the Farm Bill has authorized hemp since 2018, the American authorities have to authorize it as cattle feed.