Michigan hemp took a national step forward this week when High Times reported on a new whole-hemp nutrition study from Food First Initiative — and one of iHemp Michigan’s own board members, Andy Simons of Full Spectrum Seeds, was part of the story.
The article, titled “The Feds Won’t Study Hemp As Food. A Nonprofit Just Did It For $9,379,” explains a simple but frustrating gap in federal food data: hemp has been federally legal since the 2018 Farm Bill, yet USDA FoodData Central still does not appear to have a nutritional profile for whole hemp biomass. Hemp seeds are represented. Whole hemp plant material is not.
Why This Matters
For years, much of the public conversation around hemp has been pulled toward cannabinoids, CBD, THC limits, and regulation. Those issues matter. But hemp is bigger than cannabinoids. Hemp is also seed, grain, fiber, hurd, biomass, food, feed, soil health, processing, manufacturing, and rural economic development.
This study helps shift the conversation back toward the whole plant.
Food First Initiative commissioned accredited private labs to test hemp biomass in four forms: fresh with seeds, fresh without seeds, dried with seeds, and dried without seeds. The goal was to begin building basic nutrition data for hemp flowers, leaves, and seeds — the kind of baseline information that helps a crop move from curiosity to legitimate agricultural commodity.
Andy Simons and Flint-Grown Hemp Genetics
The first test used Amaze Auto, a grain-type hemp variety developed by Andy Simons of Full Spectrum Seeds. According to the Food First Initiative, Andy provided and hand-selected the genetics and biomass samples from his farm location in Flint, Michigan. The samples were separated into fresh and dried material, with and without seeds, then vacuum sealed and shipped in temperature-controlled containers for laboratory testing.
That is exactly the kind of practical, hands-on hemp work Michigan needs more of. This was not a theory written on a whiteboard. This was a Michigan grower selecting plant material, preparing it properly, and helping generate data that can move the industry forward.
What the Labs Found
High Times reported that dried seedless hemp biomass tested at 5,990 mg of calcium, 2,336 mg of potassium, 8.67 g of protein, and 34.6 g of dietary fiber per 100 g. Dried biomass with seeds tested at 12.1 g of protein and 35.6 g of fiber per 100 g. Eurofins also detected essential amino acids across the sample conditions.
Those numbers should get people’s attention. But they should also be handled responsibly. This is preliminary data. It came from one cultivar, one farm, and one growing season. It has not been peer reviewed. It should not be used to make medical claims or sweeping nutrition claims. It should be used as a starting point for more research.
The Bigger Point: Hemp Needs Real Research Infrastructure
The most important part of this story may not be one nutrient number. The important part is that a nonprofit had to pay private labs to begin answering a basic question: what is the nutritional profile of whole hemp biomass?
High Times reported that Food First Initiative asked USDA’s Agricultural Research Service to support or conduct this type of research, but the federal food-data process did not provide a clear pathway for whole hemp biomass. That leaves legal hemp in an odd position: recognized as an agricultural crop, but still missing from important food-data infrastructure.
Michigan should not wait around for federal systems to catch up. We have farmers, breeders, processors, educators, and advocates who can help build the evidence base now.
Michigan Can Lead If We Treat Hemp Like a Real Crop
This is why iHemp Michigan continues to push for a broader understanding of hemp. Hemp policy should not be built only around fear of intoxicating products. It should also recognize the real agricultural and economic potential of hemp grain, fiber, food, feed, and industrial uses.
Andy Simons’ role in this study is a good example of what leadership looks like at the ground level. A Michigan grower helped provide the genetics and plant material for a national conversation about hemp nutrition. That is worth recognizing.
Now the next step is more testing, more cultivars, more locations, more seasons, and more collaboration between growers, universities, labs, agencies, and food researchers.
Hemp does not need hype. It needs data, infrastructure, and fair treatment as a crop.
Michigan has people already doing that work.
Learn More
Read the High Times article here: The Feds Won’t Study Hemp As Food. A Nonprofit Just Did It For $9,379.
View the Food First Initiative study page here: Food First Initiative Hemp Biomass Nutrition Study
Learn more about Full Spectrum Seeds here: Full Spectrum Seeds