Yesterday we hosted an exciting livestream webinar featuring Barchart’s Senior Account Executive, Ryan Nelson and Regional Sales Director, Tateme Clark, as well as PanXchange Founder and CEO, Julie Lerner and Seth Boone, VP of Business Development.  The livestream provided attendees with an in-depth look into PanXchange's most recent whitepaper, Hemp and Animal Feed Report.  Don’t worry if you weren’t able to attend - we’ll fill you in now!

The group jumped right in with a discussion on PanXchange's report and the opportunities in the agriculture industry for hemp.  Seth explains that there's an opportunity for hemp not only in traditional livestock and poultry but also in markets ranging from aquaculture to equine feedstock. He explains that there is already a wide array of growing sectors in the hemp industry that are producing by-products.
Ryan asks Seth what hemp products specifically are advantageous for animal feed.  Seth explains that the whole plant can be used for feed in some way.  For example, the plant material can be spent material, which is already available to a feeder if they want it through the CBD industry.  Additionally, it can be used as grain.  It’s very comparable to all other oilseeds as far as energy content, with the exception of the omega-3 and omega-6 values, which are higher in hemp than most other ingredients. Most importantly the ratio is exactly what is needed for human intake. 

The conversation transitions into a discussion on the sustainability of hemp.  Seth explains that hemp is good at sequestering carbon in soil and hemp can replace a lot of things on the industrial side.  For example, we're seeing hurd being powdered and put into a filler for plastics, which can be a direct carbon credit for replacing a petroleum product.  It also places a lot of carbon back into the soil.  

Switching gears, the group discusses comparable commodities for hemp ingredients.  On the fiber side, it compares mainly to alfalfa and grass hay.  For the grain side of things, from a nutritional standpoint, the hemp meal is about 30%-40% protein and very comparable to cottonseed meal. 

Ryan then asks what the path to market is for these hemp derivatives and how the regulatory obstacles will be managed.  Seth answers that he believes that regardless of FDA approval, people will take advantage of this.  Seth adds that we are already seeing small local markets take advantage of this.  The next step is the non-production animals.  He believes there’s enough mill interest in the ingredient that we will start seeing products for rabbits and horses.  Beyond that, if the west continues the drought and alfalfa prices stay where they are at, Seth believes we’ll start to see some emergency state-level approvals. 

Tateme asks how farmers can grow and test hemp.  Seth explains that if you are going to grow hemp you need to get a license and be registered with the state or the USDA.  There are protocols through the hemp industry to test the crop for cannabinoids.

Ryan then asks Tateme what she looks for in feed ingredients from a producer standpoint, and if hemp would be something she’d consider.  Tateme explains that she’s open to whatever they can do to maximize profit while taking care of their animals and land.

Ryan then facilitated a Q&A which provided insights on how farmers can grow more hemp, and much more! Watch the full livestream here! To learn more about the data available from PanXchange please visit our website. Sign up for product updates here to stay in the loop on upcoming webinars!