THE GLOBAL AGRICULTURAL SECTOR FACES THE CHALLENGE OF PRODUCING SUSTAINABLE AND SAFE FOOD TO MEET INCREASING DEMANDS WHILE ALSO MINIMIZING NATURAL RESOURCE INPUTS. THE 2014 AND 2018 FARM BILLS CLASSIFIED HEMP (CANNABIS SATIVA L.) AS AN AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY, EFFECTIVELY REMOVING IT FROM THE CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES LIST AND ALLOWING FOR PRODUCTION IN THE U.S. UNDER REGULATED CONDITIONS. HEMP IS DISTINCT FROM MARIJUANA IN THAT IT CONTAINS &LT;0.3% TETRAHYDROCANNABIDIOL (THC), WHICH IS A CANNABINOID THAT HAS PSYCHOACTIVE PROPERTIES WHEN INGESTED.HEMP IS A SUSTAINABLE CROP, REQUIRING MINIMAL WATER AND PESTICIDE INPUTS. HEMP IS GROWN TO PRODUCE VARIOUS PRODUCTS, INCLUDING THOSE FOR HUMAN THERAPEUTIC USES. HOWEVER, HEMP PRODUCTION IS OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY WASTE PRODUCTS, SUCH AS HEMP LEAVES AND FIBER, WHICH DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE A STRONG MARKET. IT WOULD BE INTERESTING AND SUSTAINABLE TO FEED THESE PRODUCTS TO LIVESTOCK; HOWEVER, DATA SUGGEST THAT CANNABINOIDS ARE PRESENT THROUGHOUT THE HEMP PLANT AND THAT ANIMALS CONSUMING HEMP RETAIN THESE CANNABINOIDS IN THEIR TISSUES. THIS COULD BE A PROBLEM IF HUMANS THEN CONSUME THOSE ANIMAL PRODUCTS AND ARE UNKNOWINGLY EXPOSED TO CANNABINOIDS THEMSELVES. BECAUSE OF THIS, HEMP IS NOT A DEFINED FEED INGREDIENT FOR VARIOUS LIVESTOCK, INCLUDING CATTLE, LIMITING THE ABILITY TO UTILIZE IT AS SUCH. ACCORDINGLY, RESERACH MUST BE CONDUCTED TO EVALUATE THE SAFETY OF FEEDING HEMP TO LIVESTOCK FOR BOTH THE ANIMAL AND HUMANS. THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO FEED A NOVEL TYPE OF HEMP, ONE THAT HAS BEEN BRED TO BE COMPLETELY ABSENT OF CANNABINOIDS, TO LIVESTOCK TO REMEDY THE ISSUE OF CANNABINOID TRANSFERENCE. HOWEVER, FEED REGULATORS DO NOT DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT CULTIVARS OF HEMP AND, ALTHOUGH THIS HEMP CULTIVAR IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME AS ANY OTHER FORAGE THAT WOULD BE FED TO LIVESTOCK, IT IS NOT ALLOWED TO ENTER THE FEED CHAIN. THEREFORE, RESEARCH SHOULD INCLUDE THIS HEMP CULTIVAR TO DEMONSTRATE ITS SAFETY FOR ANIMALS AND HUMANS.WE WILL FEED TWO CULTIVARS TO CATTLE - ONE THAT IS RICH IN CANNABINOIDS AND ONE THAT HAS BEEN SPECIALLY BRED TO BE ABSENT OF CANNABINOIDS. WE WILL MEASURE FEED INTAKE, DIGESTIBILITY, AND RUMEN FERMENTATION. WE WILL ALSO EMPLOY WHOLE GENOME SEQUENCING AND GENE EXPRESSION PROFILING TO ALLOW FOR IN-DEPTH LOOKS AT THE MICROBES IN THE ANIMAL'S STOMACH AND THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF HEMP ON THE ANIMAL'S HEALTH. FINALLY, WE WILL OBSERVE THE TRANSFER OF CANNABINOIDS FROM HEMP INTO THE ANIMAL'S SYSTEM AND EDIBLE TISSUES THROUGH COLLECTING FAT AND OTHER SAMPLES AFTER FEEDING HEMP. THESE DATA WILL ALLOW US TO PROVIDE DATA TO FEED REGULATORS, ENABLING AN INFORMED DECISION ON THE SAFE ENTRY OF HEMP INTO THE ANIMAL FEED AND HUMAN FOOD CHAINS. THIS SATISFIES THE THREE PILLARS OF SUSTAINABILITY AND SAFEGUARDS PUBLIC HEALTH.