Forage
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Bull feeding on grass

Forage is plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock.^[1] Historically the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially as hay or silage.^[2]

Common forages

Grasses^[3]

• Bluegrasses or meadow-grasses (Poa species)
  • Kentucky bluegrass or smooth meadow-grass (Poa pratensis)
  • Rough meadow-grass (Poa trivialis)
  • Texas bluegrass (Poa arachnifera)
• Bromegrass or brome (Bromus species)
• False oat-grass (Arrhenatherum elatius)
• Fescues (Festuca species):
  • Red fescue (Festuca rubra)
  • Meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis)
  • Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea)
• Orchard grass or cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata)
• Reed canary-grass (Phalaris arundinacea)
• Ryegrasses (Lolium species):
  • Annual or Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum)
  • Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)
• Timothy-grass or timothy (Phleum pratense)

Legumes^[4]

• Alfalfa or lucerne (Medicago sativa')
• Bird's-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
• Clovers (Trifolium species):
  • Alsike clover (Trifolium hybridum)
  • Crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum)
  • Red clover (Trifolium pratense)
  • White clover (Trifolium repens)
• Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia)
• Sweetclover or melilot (Melilotus species)
• Vetches (Vicia species)
  • Common vetch or tare (Vicia sativa)
  • Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa)

Silage^[5]

• corn (maize)
• alfalfa
• grass-legume mix
• sorghums
• oats

Crop residue

• corn (maize) stover
• soybean stover

See also

• Grass-fed beef
• Foraging, a method of finding food
• Hunter-gatherers, humans who survive by foraging
• Forage (honeybee) can also refer to the plants that produce nectar, in the context of the animals that gather it, such as honeybees.

References

1. ^ Fageria, N.K. (1997). Growth and Mineral Nutrition of Field Crops. NY,NY: Marcel Dekker, p.595. 
2. ^ Fageria, N.K. (1997). Growth and Mineral Nutrition of Field Crops. NY,NY: Marcel Dekker, p.583. 
3. ^ Murphy, Bill (1998). Greener Pastures On Your Side of the Fence. Colchester, Vermont: Arriba Publishing, p.19-20. 
4. ^ Murphy, Bill (1998). Greener Pastures On Your Side of the Fence. Colchester, Vermont: Arriba Publishing, p.20. 
5. ^ George, J. Ronald (1994). Extention Publications: Forage and Grain Crops. Dubuque,Iowa: Kendall/Hunt, p.152. 

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