Town & Country

2 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2018 G I L B E R T P L A I N S Hemp Sense rolls out new products B Y J I M T I M L I C K Pet Projects Brad Michaleski MLA for Dauphin Constituency Office Unit 16 – 1450 Main St. S. Dauphin, MB, R7N 3H4 t. 204.701.0238 tf. 1.877.245.8238 e. dauphinmla@outlook.com www.bradmichaleski.ca HIGHWAY 10 NORTH SWAN RIVER, MB 204-734-6180 GAS BAR CONVENIENCE STORE CAR WASH MANITOBA MAPLE SYRUP FESTIVAL Starts at 8 am with maple pancake breakfast & events through the day include maple taffy on snow, tree tapping, visits to the sugar bush, music, a market & much more for all ages. Tickets for sale at: www.mbmaplesyrupfest.ca 3640746 McCreary Econ Dev 16H Mar26.pdf;Customer is responsible for accuracy Friday, April 12, 2019 Saturday, April 13, 2019 McCreary, MB 42 HUGE Fall RHF Ramsay Health And Fitness • 6 Locations • 24 Hour Gyms Best Little Gyms in Canada www.ramsayhealthandfitness.com manitoba's rural entrepreneurship conference Monday, October 23 Credit Union Place, Dauphin,MB Register online $45. After October 1st $60 www.taketheleapmb.ca coordinator@taketheleapmb.ca PHOTOS COURTESY OF HEMP SENSE INC. I t's a dog-eat-dog business world out there and a Parkland region- based business is hoping to take a bite out of the competition with a pair of new products it's marketing to eco-conscious pet owners. This spring, Hemp Sense Inc. in Gilbert Plains launched Hemp Cat Litter made from 100 per cent natural hemp stalks. This fall, the company will begin distributing a hemp-based pet food booster for cats and dogs to pet shops and other major retailers. The beauty of the two products, says company president Lyall Bates, is that not only are they good for Simba and Fido, they're also good for the environment. Both are free of any chemicals and are produced using a completely waste- free process. "There's no waste. It's absolutely, 100 per cent no waste," Bates says. Hemp Sense was incorporated in 2015 and began rolling out a limited number of offerings soon after, including an edible hemp seed product and a soil enricher. While the two pet products are new offerings, they have been in development for several years. Bates says the biggest challenge his company faced was finding the right equipment to cut and bale the hemp straw used to produce the cat litter. Previously, hemp straw was burned by area farmers because there was no local market for it. Bates toured a number of similar operations in Europe and the U.S. and spoke with owners there to learn more about the processes and equipment that worked best for them. The process they settled on sees the straw converted into pellets which are then crushed to create the cat litter. "We wanted to make sure we knew what we were doing before we invested our time and money," he says. "It took probably two years of testing equipment. It was a lot of trial and error." In addition to containing no chemicals or additives, the hemp cat litter is completely biodegradable and compostable. It's also 99-per-cent dust-free, produces virtually no odour and is four to five times more absorbent than similar clay- based products. "It's one of the highest absorbing products. We put it up against other products out there and it beat them hands down," Bates says. Hemp Sense's pet food booster follows a pretty simple recipe. Hemp seeds are mixed with chicken liver flavouring which can then be added to your pet's favourite meat-based meal. Because hemp seeds contain omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, they can help promote a shiny coat, reduce shedding and dander, strengthen the immune system and reduce inflammation. Not only that, early test results produced plenty of positive feedback from pet owners and their canine and feline companions. "The few people who have used it say when it runs out their cats and dogs will not eat their regular food anymore. I guess they really like our product," Bates says, laughing. The potential of these two pet products is no laughing matter, however. Home Hardware stores across the country will soon be carrying both, and several U.S. interests have already approached Bates about the possibility of setting up franchises south of the border. "It's exciting," says Bates, who has been involved in the Canadian hemp industry for over 20 years. "It's a good product and it's green. People want green these days. It's a good product for their stores and it's good for us." It could also prove to be a significant financial boon for Gilbert Plains and the surrounding community. Bates estimates his company could eventually require the equivalent of as many as 12,000 bales of hemp straw annually to meet the demand for its pet products. All of that hemp is purchased on contract from local growers. "It gives farmers another crop they can grow and another market they can sell to and it will create more jobs which will be really good for the community," he adds. Setting up shop in Gilbert Plains was something of a no-brainer for Bates. It's his hometown and it's a short drive from the city of Dauphin, where the Manitoba hemp industry first put down roots in 1998. "Farmers in the area were committed to growing it here so we figured it was a good place to start," he says. Hemp Sense is looking at the possibility of introducing several other new products, including pet boosters and horse supplements that use the leaves and outer shells of buds from hemp plants. They are also in talks with several companies about supplying them with the raw product needed to produce CBD oil used in health-related products such as oils, tinctures and pills. Along with hemp seeds, soil enricher and bedding for small animals, Hemp Sense Inc. continues to roll out new eco- friendly products for pets, including high- quality cat litter and a food booster. In addition to containing no chemicals or additives, the hemp cat litter is completely biodegradable and compostable.

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