Forage Totally Explained

Everything about Forage totally explained

Forage is the plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing animals. Historically the term forage has meant fodder consisting solely of plant material. In a contemporary sense, it refers to pasture, hay, silage, crop residue, and immature cereal crops. Since it's generally considered to be high in fiber, cereal crop grains (such as shelled corn) are not normally regarded as forage.

Common forages

Grasses

Kentucky bluegrass
timothy
Canada bluegrass
bromegrass
orchardgrass
rhygrasses
tall fescue
reed canary grass Legumes
alfalfa
red clover
white clover
alsike clover
birdsfoot trefoil
vetches
sweetclover Silage
corn
alfalfa
grass-legume mix
sorghums
oats Crop residue
corn stover
soybean stover

Animals that make use of forage

Monogastrates (Ex. swine) make little use of the nutritional value of forage because their digestive tracts are not designed to break down fiber. For these animals it mainly serves as roughage to insure gut health and regular bowel movement. In ruminants (Ex. cattle) and hind-gut fermenters (Ex. horses), the microorganisms in their digestive tracts break down fiber, so forages serve as their main energy source.

Further Information

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