Forage

Forage crops are grass and legume plant species that are grown for livestock feed as well as land Conservation and reclamation. It is the vegetative portion of the plant, mainly leaves and stems, which is consumed by livestock.

Forage: Vegetative plant parts (i.e leaves, flowers and stems of plants) eaten by animals, could
be domesticated or wild animals.
Fodder: More specific term referring to the vegetative part of cultivated forages or crops used as
forages

Feed: Is a more general term that includes also non-vegetative plant parts e.g grains, seed etc. fed
to animals. Sometimes, it is difficult to differentiate between feed, forage and fodder, for
example when animals consume the seed head other part of herbaceous plants together.

Forages and fodder are mainly sources of nutrition for ruminant animals because these animals
are capable of producing useful outputs from these natural resources that humans can not
consume directly.

The products produce by the animals provide essential nutrients for human existence. So, management of forage resources for production of ruminant animals is largely
complementary to cultivation of food crops.

Forages crops are classified into two basic groups.
(i) Herbaceous plants
(ii) Woody plants.

While woody plants grow cumulative over many years, herbaceous species show an annual cycle
of growth and decay, regrowing each year from seed, but perennial herbaceous species regrow
from existing root stock.

THE HERBACEOUS group,
subgroups are of particular interest as sources of forage,
namely:

Grasses: These make up the bulk of plants found in many mixtures of the natural vegetation that
supply animal feed. Grasses also have certain characteristics that make them very suitable as
herbage plants.