Other Forage

Forages are the foundation of all ruminant diets. The fermentation of forages in the rumens of cows, goats and sheep (and the hindgut of horses) is necessary for both meeting the energy and protein needs as well as maintaining a healthy population of microbes in the rumen or hindgut.

Protecting water in the agricultural context means not only the most obvious large and vulnerable bodies of water, such as the Chesapeake, the Great Lakes or the Gulf of Mexico, but also the smallest streams and the groundwater closest to your farm that aren’t distinguished along property lines.

Living mulches fill the ecological niche of weeds in a far more intentional and systematic way than weeds ever could.

As temperatures began to drop below freezing, southern Idaho livestock producer Justin Place of Place Farms had doubts about the field of cold-tolerant berseem clover he was trialling as a break crop and whether it would survive.

Whether producers are wanting to grow more homegrown feedstuff without increasing acreage, improve soil structure, add organic matter into the ground, increase soil fertility or all the above – cover crops are an effective and quick way to achieve their goals, says Jerry Hall, director of research for Grassland Oregon.

Using tillable acres to provide feed for cattle while still harvesting a cash crop is becoming a popular goal for producers. A growing question from farmers is, “What options do I have for producing forage in the off-season?” In the Midwest, the most popular choices are cereal rye, triticale and wheat.