Article
Article
Forage crop
Article By:
Walton, Peter D. Department of Plant Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Last reviewed:August 2021
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.267750
Any of the grasses and legumes that make up grasslands and are consumed by grazing livestock. Grasslands represent an ancient renewable natural resource. In general, grasslands form 25% of the world's vegetation and occupy the largest area of any single plant type. Significantly, grasslands benefit humanity indirectly by providing food—forage crops (Fig. 1)—for numerous wild animals and domesticated livestock. Many of these animals are ruminants, so they are able to digest fibrous forage material because their digestive systems contain microorganisms. Thus, the prime value of grassland areas lies in the meat, milk, or work produced by the livestock that graze on grassland forages. See also: Domestication; Grassland ecosystem
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