Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by

grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to free range (roam around) and consume wild vegetations in order to feed conversion ratio, convert the otherwise indigestible (by human diges ...

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

. Historically, the term ''forage'' has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Types of pasture Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, c ...

crop residue Crop residues are waste materials generated by agriculture. The two types are: * Field residues are materials left in an agricultural field or orchard after the crop has been harvested. These residues include stalks and stubble (stems), leav ...

, or immature

cereal A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize ( Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, ...

crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for

fodder Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agriculture, agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, domestic rabbit, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food ...

and carried to the animals, especially as hay or

silage Silage is fodder made from green foliage crops which have been preserved by fermentation (food), fermentation to the point of souring. It is fed to cattle, sheep and other ruminants. The fermentation and storage process is called ''ensilage'', ' ...

. While the term ''forage'' has a broad definition, the term ''forage crop'' is used to define crops, annual or biennial, which are grown to be utilized by grazing or harvesting as a whole crop.

Common forages

Grasses

Grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...

forages include: *''

Agrostis ''Agrostis'' (bent or bentgrass) is a large and very nearly Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan genus of plants in the Poaceae, grass family, found in nearly all the countries in the world. It has been bred as a Genetically modified organis ...

'' spp. – bentgrasses **''

Agrostis capillaris ''Agrostis capillaris'', the common bent, colonial bent, or browntop, is a rhizomatous and stoloniferous perennial in the grass family (Poaceae). It is native to Eurasia and has been widely introduced in many parts of the world. Colonial be ...

'' – common bentgrass **''

Agrostis stolonifera ''Agrostis stolonifera'' (creeping bentgrass, creeping bent, fiorin, spreading bent or carpet bentgrass) is a perennial grass species in the family Poaceae. It is widely used as turf for golf courses. Description ''Agrostis stolonifera'' is st ...

'' – creeping bentgrass *'' Andropogon hallii'' – sand bluestem *'' Arrhenatherum elatius'' – false oat-grass *'' Bothriochloa bladhii'' – Australian bluestem *'' Bothriochloa pertusa'' – hurricane grass *'' Brachiaria decumbens'' – Surinam grass *'' Brachiaria humidicola'' – koronivia grass *'' Bromus'' spp. – bromegrasses * '' Cenchrus ciliaris'' – buffelgrass *'' Chloris gayana'' – Rhodes grass *''

Cynodon dactylon ''Cynodon dactylon'', commonly known as Bermuda grass, also known as couch grass in Australia and New Zealand, is a grass found worldwide. It is native to Europe, Africa, Australia and much of Asia. It has been introduced to the Americas. Contra ...

'' – bermudagrass *''

Dactylis glomerata ''Dactylis glomerata'' is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae, known as cock's-foot,Interactive Flora of NW Europ''Dactylis glomerata'' (Cock's-foot)/ref> also colloquially as orchard grass, or cat grass (due to its populari ...

'' – orchard grass *'' Echinochloa pyramidalis'' – antelope grass *'' Entolasia imbricata'' – bungoma grass *''

Festuca ''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on ...

'' spp. – fescues **'' Festuca arundinacea'' – tall fescue **''

Festuca pratensis ''Lolium pratense'', meadow fescue is a perennial species of grass, which is often used as an ornamental in gardens, and is also an important forage crop. It grows in meadows, roadsides, old pastures, and riversides on moist, rich soils, especia ...

'' – meadow fescue **'' Festuca rubra'' – red fescue *'' Heteropogon contortus'' – black spear grass *'' Hymenachne amplexicaulis'' – West Indian marsh grass *''

Hyparrhenia rufa ''Hyparrhenia rufa'' is a species of Poaceae, grass known by the common names jaraguá,Leersia hexandra'' – southern cutgrass *'' Lolium'' spp. – ryegrasses **''

Lolium multiflorum ''Lolium multiflorum'' (Italian rye-grass, annual ryegrass) is a ryegrass native to temperate Europe, though its precise native range is unknown. It is a herbaceous annual, biennial, or perennial grass that is grown for silage, and as a cover ...

'' – Italian ryegrass **'' Lolium perenne'' – perennial ryegrass *'' Megathyrsus maximus'' – Guinea grass *'' Melinis minutiflora'' – molasses grass *'' Paspalum conjugatum'' – carabao grass *'' Paspalum dilatatum'' – dallisgrass *'' Phalaris arundinacea'' – reed canarygrass *'' Phleum pratense'' – timothy *''

Poa ''Poa'' is a genus of about 570 species of Poaceae, grasses, native to the temperate regions of both hemispheres. Common names include meadow-grass (mainly in Europe and Asia), bluegrass (mainly in North America), tussock (some New Zealand spe ...

'' spp. – bluegrasses, meadow-grasses **'' Poa arachnifera'' – Texas bluegrass **'' Poa pratensis'' – Kentucky bluegrass **'' Poa trivialis'' – rough bluegrass *'' Setaria sphacelata'' – African bristlegrass *'' Themeda triandra'' – kangaroo grass *'' Thinopyrum intermedium'' – intermediate wheatgrass

Herbaceous legumes

Herbaceous

legume Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...

forages include: Lucerne with hay bales behind

*'' Arachis pintoi'' – pinto peanut *'' Astragalus cicer'' – cicer milkvetch *'' Chamaecrista rotundifolia'' – roundleaf sensitive pea *'' Clitoria ternatea'' – butterfly-pea *'' Kummerowia'' – annual lespedezas **'' Kummerowia stipulacea'' – Korean clover, Korean lespedeza **'' Kummerowia striata'' – Japanese clover, common lespedeza *'' Lotus corniculatus'' – bird's-foot trefoil *'' Macroptilium atropurpureum'' – purple bush-bean *'' Macroptilium bracteatum'' – burgundy bean *'' Medicago'' spp. – medics **'' Medicago sativa'' – alfalfa, lucerne **'' Medicago truncatula'' – barrel medic *'' Melilotus'' spp. – sweetclovers *'' Neonotonia wightii'' – perennial soybean *'' Onobrychis viciifolia'' – common sainfoin *'' Stylosanthes'' spp. – stylo **'' Stylosanthes humilis'' – Townsville stylo **'' Stylosanthes scabra'' – shrubby stylo *''

Trifolium Clovers, also called trefoils, are plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with the highest diversity ...

'' spp. – clovers **'' Trifolium hybridum'' – alsike clover **'' Trifolium incarnatum'' – crimson clover **''

Trifolium pratense ''Trifolium pratense'' (from Latin prātum, meaning meadow), red clover, is a herbaceous species of flowering plant in the bean family, Fabaceae. It is native to the Old World, but planted and naturalised in many other regions. Description ...

'' – red clover **'' Trifolium repens'' – white clover *'' Vicia'' spp. – vetches **'' Vicia articulata'' – oneflower vetch **''

Vicia ervilia ''Vicia ervilia'', called ervil or bitter vetch, is an ancient legume crop of the Mediterranean region. Besides the English names, other common names include: (Persian), (Arabic), (Spanish), (Greek), and (Turkish). According to Zohary and ...

'' – bitter vetch **'' Vicia narbonensis'' – narbon vetch **'' Vicia sativa'' – common vetch, tare **'' Vicia villosa'' – hairy vetch *'' Vigna parkeri'' – creeping vigna

Tree legumes

Tree legume forages include: *''

Acacia aneura ''Acacia aneura'', commonly known as mulga, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to inland Australia. It is a variable shrub or small tree with flat, narrowly linear to elliptic phyllodes, cylindrical spike ...

'' – mulga *'' Albizia'' spp. – silk trees *'' Albizia canescens'' – Belmont siris *'' Albizia lebbeck'' – lebbeck *'' Enterolobium cyclocarpum'' – earpodtree *''

Leucaena leucocephala ''Leucaena leucocephala'' is a small fast-growing Mimosoideae, mimosoid tree native to southern Mexico and northern Central America (Belize and Guatemala) and is now naturalized throughout the tropics including parts of Asia. Common names inclu ...

'' – leadtree

Silage

Silage Silage is fodder made from green foliage crops which have been preserved by fermentation (food), fermentation to the point of souring. It is fed to cattle, sheep and other ruminants. The fermentation and storage process is called ''ensilage'', ' ...

may be composed by the following: *

Alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial plant, perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, ...

Maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

(corn) *Grass-legume mix *

Sorghum ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...

s * Oats

Aquatic feeds

*'' Lemna minor'' – Duckweed *'' Pistia stratiotes'' – Water lecttuce *'' Eichhornia crassipes'' – Water hyacinth *'' Salvinia molesta'' – fern *''

Ipomoea aquatica ''Ipomoea aquatica'', commonly known as water spinach or kangkung, is a semi- aquatic, tropical plant grown as a vegetable for its tender shoots. ''I. aquatica'' is generally believed to have been first domesticated in Southeast Asia. It is wi ...

'' – Water spinach

Crop residue

Crop residue Crop residues are waste materials generated by agriculture. The two types are: * Field residues are materials left in an agricultural field or orchard after the crop has been harvested. These residues include stalks and stubble (stems), leav ...

s used as forage include: *Sorghum *Sweet potato vines *Corn or soybean *Fruit tree by-products stover

Common forages

Grasses

Herbaceous legumes

Tree legumes

Silage

Aquatic feeds

Crop residue

Other

See also

References

External links