Understanding Forages

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Understanding Forages

• Karen Hutchinson
• Virginia Cooperative Extension
• This is a presentation from Virginia Tech and it
  has not been edited by the Georgia Curriculum
  Office.

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Forage Defined

• Forage
• herbaceous plants, generally referring to
  pasture, hay, silage, and green chop, utilized
  for animal nutritional requirements.
• Provides protein and energy

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Forages Defined, contd.

• Protein
• Quantified by taking the percentage of Nitrogen
  in a sample and multiplying by 6.25
• Energy
• Measured as TDN (total digestible nutrients), or
  what the animal can actually take away from the
  forage

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Importance of Forages

• Provide roughage
• Keep rumen working
• Source of energy and protein
• Can be less expensive than grain or other
  supplements

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Typical Forages

• Warm season vs. cool season
• Cool season
• rye
• fescue
• bluegrass
• orchard grass
• timothy

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Typical Forages, contd

• Warm season
• alfalfa
• pearl millet
• red and white clovers

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Rye

• Winter pasture crop
• Can be planted in late fall
• Will germinate in temps close to freezing
• Winter hardy
• Can seed as early as August
• Undesirable for dairy cattle
• Good spring green manure crop
• 14 protein 53 TDN

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Tall Fescue

• Big root system
• Tolerates drought and poorly drained soil
• Good for late fall, winter grazing
• Good for stockpiling for later grazing
• Plant in spring to use in later summer
• 10 protein 59 TDN

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Bluegrass

• Shallow rooted
• Tolerates close, continuous grazing
• Very palatable
• Unproductive during mid-summer
• Best adapted to soils with limestone base
• Plant in late summer to early fall for following
  year
• 15 protein 50 TDN

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Orchard Grass

• Deep rooted
• Cant graze closely
• Good vigorous growth
• Winter killed
• 15 protein 71 TDN

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Timothy

• Shallow rooted
• Better for hay than for pasture
• Adapted to cool/humid climates
• Establish in late summer, early fall
• 8 protein 57 TDN

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Alfalfa

• Complements energy from corn with high protein
  content
• High in Ca, P, Mg
• Spring seeding Feb 1 - Mar 15
• Summer seeding after first good rain in Sep.
• 17-22 protein 57-67 TDN

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Pearl Millet

• Both a warm and a cool season crop
• 65 day growing season
• 600,000 acres grown in SE U.S.
• Seeded after danger of last frost
• Good VA summer pasture
• Leafy and palatable
• 18 protein 67 TDN

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Red Clover

• Easily established
• Short-lived (2yr. Max)
• Comparable nutritionally to alfalfa
• Seed in late summer to early fall for following
  spring

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Selected Beef Cattle Nutritional Requirements
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Forage Quality Indicators
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Activity

• Select an appropriate forage or forage mix for
  the following animals
• 1st calf heifer in high milk
• 350lb stocker
• Developing heifer
• Dry cow

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1st calf heifer in high milk

• Requires 13 protein, 68 TDN
• Orchard grass and clover mix
• Orchard grass (15 protein 71 TDN)
• Red clover (17 protein approx. 70 TDN)

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350lb stocker

• Requires 15 protein, 68 TDN
• Orchard grass and alfalfa mix
• Orchard grass (15 protein, 71 TDN)
• Alfalfa (17-22 protein, 57-67 TDN)

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Developing heifer

• Requires 17 protein, 68 TDN
• Orchard grass and pearl millet mix
• Orchard grass (15 protein, 71 TDN)
• Pearl millet (18 protein, 67 TDN)

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Dry cow

• Requires 8 protein, 50 TDN
• Tall fescue and timothy
• Tall fescue (10 protein, 59 TDN)
• Timothy (8 protein, 57 TDN)

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Summary

• Important to be aware of forage nutritional value
• Can either cost or save producer money
• Values differ among species and years
• Values change during different growing stages