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Forages

A forage is a vegetable food for wild or domestic animals. In agriculture, harvested, processed, and stored forage is called silage.

Forages consist of both pastures and annual forages such as ryes, etc. In addition each particular crops usage is determined by the season (cool or warm) and the location as well as other factors.

Forages, both perennial and annual grasses as well as other crops, can be established for grazing purposes.

Cattle and horses are natural grazers. Their stomachs are designed to process small amounts of forage constantly throughout the day.

Horses need to eat a minimum of one percent of their body weight in long-stem forage (either grass or hay) every day. So a horse that weighs 1000 pounds needs to eat at least 10 pounds of hay and silage a day. They usually eat around 25 pounds in a day.

Good quality hay can provide most, if not all, of the nutrients a horse needs. Hay can be grass hay (timothy, for example) or legume (alfalfa). Legume hays are generally higher in protein content than grass hays, although due to the higher ratio of calcium to phosphorous, legume hays should not be fed as the only source of forage to young, growing horses. Grass/legume mixes are an excellent choice of forage for horses.

Establishing a rotational grazing system is the best way to maximize forage production and consumption on limited pasture acreage. A group of compatible horses can graze a paddock (area of divided pasture) for approximately 3 to 6 days, then be moved (rotated) to a fresh paddock.

Cool Season and Warm Season areas of the country have different plants and cultivars that do better for grazing purposes in each particular weather zone.

Cool Season Forages include the tall fescues, annual ryegrass, perennial ryegrass, smooth brome grass, orchard grass, wheatgrasses, oatgrass, Kentucky bluegrass , Canada bluegrass, annual bluegrass, redtop reed canary grass, timothy, wheats, ryes, clovers, millets, sorghums.

Warm season forages are: Bahiagrass, Bermuda, switch grass, bluestems, buffalo grass, Grama grasses, Indian grass, love grasses, panic grasses, Johnson grass, limpo grass, digit grass, wheat's, ryes, indigo, clovers, millets, sorghums.

 

More Information

• Georgia Forages
• UGA Forage Facts
• Pastures in Georgia: a guide
• Planting Guide
• Understanding Forages: links to forage publications
• American Forage and Grassland Council

 

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