Colorado Senate Unanimously Approves Hemp Animal Feed Bill
Currently it’s illegal in Colorado for farmers to use hemp animal feed; a bill passed by the Senate looks to study the possibility of changing that.
Senate Bill 17-109 was given unanimous approval by Colorado’s full Senate, sending it to the House of Representatives for consideration. Passage in the house would send it to the desk of Governor John Hickenlooper for final consideration.
The proposal directs the Colorado Department of Agriculture to study the feasibility of allowing farmers to use hemp in animal feed, a practice that is currently prohibited.
Below is a summary of the measure:
The bill creates a group under the commissioner of agriculture to study the feasability of including hemp products in animal feed. The group includes a hemp producer, a hemp processor, a legal expert, a person from an institution of higher education who has studied hemp policy, a veterinarian, a livestock producer, and any other person the commissioner determines would facilitate understanding the legal, practical, or business considerations. The group will make recommendations by December 31, 2017.
Washington State’s Legislature gave approval to a similar bill in 2015.