When a farmer in southern Oregon planted 1,000 hemp plants in the summer of 2015, he expected a good harvest. Instead, he woke up to find that deer had eaten 960 of them in a single night. It wasn't a pest problem – it was a lesson. The animals instinctively chose the most nutritious option in the field.
From wild deer to farmed salmon, research now shows what the animals already knew: hemp is one of nature's most complete feeds. And it's not just changing animal health – it's changing the quality of the eggs, cheese, meat and milk that reach our plates.
Wild animals flock to the hemp field
The hemp field acts as a magnet for wildlife. Deer, rabbits, insects and birds seek it out – not by chance, but because hemp offers exceptional nutrition.
In Oregon, the Oregon Family Farm Association documented how deer systematically grazed down an entire hemp field.
Hemp leaves contain approximately 15–20 percent protein – enough that hunters in the USA now plant hemp as an attractant. Rabbits use hemp fields as both a food source and shelter, thanks to hemp's rapid growth which creates dense habitat in just a few months.
But it's not just mammals. Research from Colorado State University shows that 23 different bee species visit hemp fields. Hemp blooms late – from August to September – precisely when most other crops have stopped producing pollen. At a time when bee colonies are collapsing worldwide, hemp fills a critical gap in pollinator food supply. Hemp pollen contains approximately 25 percent protein, and studies from Cornell University show that honeybees make up 60 percent and bumblebees 30 percent of visitors to hemp fields.
The hen and the egg: 6 times more omega-3
The most dramatic effect of hemp as animal feed is seen in eggs. A study published in Poultry Science by Goldberg and colleagues in 2012 showed that when laying hens were fed 12 percent hemp seed oil in their diet, the omega-3 content in eggs increased from 2.4 to 15.3 milligrams per gram. That's a sixfold increase.
The results were consistent: better yolk colour thanks to higher carotenoid content, no negative effects on hen health or egg production, and no impact on taste. The eggs simply became more nutritious with no drawbacks.
A meta-analysis published in MDPI Animals in 2025 confirmed these results across multiple studies, showing that hemp seeds, hemp seed cake and hemp seed oil all significantly enrich omega-3 fatty acids – particularly DHA – in egg yolks. The study also showed improved yolk colour, which is an indicator of higher nutritional value.
In August 2024, AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) took the formal step of approving hemp seed meal as official feed for laying hens in the USA. This meant that what research had shown for over a decade was now regulatory accepted.
Goats and cheese: 5 times more CLA
When researchers at MDPI Agriculture examined the effect of hemp seeds in goats' diet, they found that CLA – conjugated linoleic acid – increased by five times compared to the control group. At the same time, saturated fat decreased significantly and polyunsaturated fatty acids increased.
CLA is a fatty acid studied in nutrition research. That a simple change in the goat's diet can quintuple this substance in cheese and milk is remarkable.
An earlier study published in Frontiers in Animal Science in 2022 confirmed that hemp seeds change goat milk's fatty acid profile at a fundamental level. The researchers mapped not only the fatty acids but also gene expression and microRNA – showing that hemp affects milk production down to the molecular level.
For those wondering about taste: there are no published blind tests on goat cheese from hemp-fed goats yet. But anecdotal reports from producers suggest that the improved fatty acid profile gives a richer, more complex flavour.
Pigs and pork: 2.6 times more omega-3
Mourot and Guillevic at INRA in France published a 2015 study in the journal OCL where they fed three groups of 12 pigs with different oils: palm oil, rapeseed oil or hemp oil. The results were clear.
The pigs fed hemp oil had 2.6 times higher levels of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in the meat compared to the palm oil group. In practice, this meant that 100 grams of pork from hemp-fed pigs contained 250 to 300 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids – a level approaching what nutrition experts recommend for daily intake.
The study also showed that hemp oil was superior to rapeseed oil, which "only" increased omega-3 by 1.8 times. Hemp's unique fatty acid profile – with an omega-6/omega-3 ratio of 3:1 – makes it an ideal feed supplement for producing more nutritious meat.
Salmon and aquaculture: 100 percent protein digestibility
The University of Stirling in Scotland conducted a groundbreaking 2023 study on hemp seed meal as a replacement for fishmeal in salmon feed. The results exceeded expectations.
The hemp seed meal showed 100 percent protein digestibility – fully comparable to fishmeal, which is the gold standard in aquaculture. The amino acid profile was similar, with high levels of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, phenylalanine, histidine and arginine. Additionally, the hemp seed meal had minimal anti-nutritional factors, something that is often a problem with other plant-based protein sources like soy.
This is potentially one of the most important discoveries for global food production. The aquaculture industry faces a crisis: fishmeal is a finite resource that is becoming increasingly expensive and environmentally burdensome to produce. If hemp can offer an equivalent alternative, it opens the door to more sustainable fish farming at scale.
Trials are now being extended to trout, shrimp, tilapia and other species.
Cattle: CLA increase with no drawbacks
Gibb and colleagues published a 2005 study in the Canadian Journal of Animal Science where cattle were fed up to 14 percent hemp seeds in their diet. The results showed no negative impact on growth or feed conversion.
On the contrary, CLA content in meat tissue increased, and omega-3 fatty acids (particularly C18:3) increased significantly. Hemp seed cake proved capable of replacing soy meal as a protein source in cattle feed – an important result given soy production's environmental impact.
Oregon State University has since continued to investigate hemp as cattle feed and reports promising results for both meat production and milk quality.
Bees: hemp's quiet revolution
Perhaps the most surprising effect of hemp cultivation is on bees and other pollinators. A study by O'Brien and Arathi published in Biomass and Bioenergy in 2019 documented 23 different bee species on hemp fields in Colorado.
Hemp produces no nectar, but it produces abundant pollen – and that's exactly what bees need. The pollen's protein content of approximately 25 percent makes it a valuable nutritional source.
What makes hemp particularly important is the timing. Hemp blooms from late July to late September, a period when few other crops produce pollen. Cornell University's hemp programme confirms that this late blooming coincides with a critical food gap for pollinators.
At a time when Colony Collapse Disorder threatens beekeeping and food production worldwide, hemp represents a simple but powerful solution: more hemp cultivation means more healthy bees, which in turn means better pollination of all other crops.
Why hemp's fatty acid profile is unique
What unites all these results is the exceptional nutritional profile of hemp seed. Hemp seed oil consists of over 80 percent polyunsaturated fatty acids and has an omega-6/omega-3 ratio of approximately 3:1 – considered optimal for both animals and humans. Read more about hemp seeds and essential fatty acids.
Additionally, hemp contains gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), a rare omega-6 fatty acid. The combination of ALA, GLA and stearidonic acid (SDA) makes hemp one of the most complete plant-based fatty acid sources available.
It is this profile that explains why the results are so consistent across species: from hens to goats, from pigs to salmon. Hemp's nutrition is universal.
From research to Gotland
On Gotland, Helsama grows hemp on limestone bedrock that is naturally alkaline – a soil type that binds heavy metals and keeps them away from the plants. The island has never had smelters, mines or heavy industries. The soil is clean, and what grows in clean soil is clean.
The same hemp seeds that give hens six times higher omega-3 and goats five times higher CLA are grown here – on one of the Nordic region's cleanest agricultural lands.
The animals chose hemp instinctively. Research confirms why. Helsama delivers it to you.
Sources
Wild animals and hemp
- Oregon Family Farm Association – Deer vs. Hemp Crops (2016)
oregonfamilyfarm.com - National Deer Association – Sunn Hemp for Deer
deerassociation.com - Petcher Seeds – Sunn Hemp and Wildlife
petcherseeds.com
Eggs and the hen
- Goldberg et al. (2012), Poultry Science – Hemp seed and oil in laying hen diets
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov - MDPI Animals (2025) – Meta-analysis of hemp in laying hen feed
mdpi.com
Goats and cheese
- MDPI Agriculture (2024) – Goats dairy products enriched by hempseed
mdpi.com - Frontiers in Animal Science (2022) – Hemp seeds effect on goat milk fatty acids
frontiersin.org
Pigs and pork
- Mourot & Guillevic (2015), OCL Journal – Hemp oil and pig meat quality
ocl-journal.org
Salmon and aquaculture
- University of Stirling (2023) – Hemp-based salmon feed trial
stir.ac.uk
Cattle
- Oregon State University – Hemp byproduct as cattle feed
extension.oregonstate.edu - Gibb et al. (2005), Canadian Journal of Animal Science
doi.org
Bees and pollination
- O'Brien & Arathi (2019), Biomass and Bioenergy – Bee diversity on hemp
sciencedirect.com - Cornell Hemp Program – Hemp and Bees
cornell.edu