Forage

While the term forage has a broad definition, the term forage crop is used to define crops, annual or biennial, which are grown to be utilized by grazing or harvesting as a whole crop.

Common forages

Grasses

Grass forages include:

• Agrostis spp. – bentgrasses
  • Agrostis capillaris – common bentgrass
  • Agrostis stolonifera – creeping bentgrass
• Andropogon hallii – sand bluestem
• Arrhenatherum elatius – false oat-grass
• Bothriochloa bladhii – Australian bluestem
• Bothriochloa pertusa – hurricane grass
• Brachiaria decumbens – Surinam grass
• Brachiaria humidicola – koronivia grass
• Bromus spp. – bromegrasses
• Cenchrus ciliaris – buffelgrass
• Chloris gayana – Rhodes grass
• Cynodon dactylon – bermudagrass
• Dactylis glomerata – orchard grass
• Echinochloa pyramidalis – antelope grass
• Entolasia imbricata – bungoma grass
• Festuca spp. – fescues
  • Festuca arundinacea – tall fescue
  • Festuca pratensis – meadow fescue
  • Festuca rubra – red fescue
• Heteropogon contortus – black spear grass
• Hymenachne amplexicaulis – West Indian marsh grass
• Hyparrhenia rufa – jaragua
• Leersia hexandra – southern cutgrass
• Lolium spp. – ryegrasses
  • Lolium multiflorum – Italian ryegrass
  • Lolium perenne – perennial ryegrass
• Megathyrsus maximus – Guinea grass
• Melinis minutiflora – molasses grass
• Paspalum conjugatum – carabao grass
• Paspalum dilatatum – dallisgrass
• Phalaris arundinacea – reed canarygrass
• Phleum pratense – timothy
• Poa spp. – bluegrasses, meadow-grasses
  • Poa arachnifera – Texas bluegrass
  • Poa pratensis – Kentucky bluegrass
  • Poa trivialis – rough bluegrass
• Setaria sphacelata – African bristlegrass
• Themeda triandra – kangaroo grass
• Thinopyrum intermedium – intermediate wheatgrass

Herbaceous legumes

Herbaceous legume forages include:

• Arachis pintoi – pinto peanut
• Astragalus cicer – cicer milkvetch
• Chamaecrista rotundifolia – roundleaf sensitive pea
• Clitoria ternatea – butterfly-pea
• Kummerowia – annual lespedezas
  • Kummerowia stipulacea – Korean clover, Korean lespedeza
  • Kummerowia striata – Japanese clover, common lespedeza
• Lotus corniculatus – bird's-foot trefoil
• Macroptilium atropurpureum – purple bush-bean
• Macroptilium bracteatum – burgundy bean
• Medicago spp. – medics
  • Medicago sativa – alfalfa, lucerne
  • Medicago truncatula – barrel medic
• Melilotus spp. – sweetclovers
• Neonotonia wightii – perennial soybean
• Onobrychis viciifolia – common sainfoin
• Stylosanthes spp. – stylo
  • Stylosanthes humilis – Townsville stylo
  • Stylosanthes scabra – shrubby stylo
• Trifolium spp. – clovers
  • Trifolium hybridum – alsike clover
  • Trifolium incarnatum – crimson clover
  • Trifolium pratense – red clover
  • Trifolium repens – white clover
• Vicia spp. – vetches
  • Vicia articulata – oneflower vetch
  • Vicia ervilia – bitter vetch
  • Vicia narbonensis – narbon vetch
  • Vicia sativa – common vetch, tare
  • Vicia villosa – hairy vetch
• Vigna parkeri – creeping vigna

Tree legumes

Tree legume forages include:

• Acacia aneura – mulga
• Albizia spp. – silk trees
• Albizia canescens – Belmont siris
• Albizia lebbeck – lebbeck
• Enterolobium cyclocarpum – earpodtree
• Leucaena leucocephala – leadtree

Silage

Silage may be composed by the following:

• Alfalfa
• Maize (corn)
• Grass-legume mix
• Sorghums
• Oats

Aquatic feeds

• Lemna minor – Duckweed
• Pistia stratiotes – Water lettuce
• Eichhornia crassipes – Water hyacinth
• Salvinia molesta – fern
• Ipomoea aquatica – Water spinach

Crop residue

Crop residues used as forage include:

• Sorghum
• Sweet potato vines
• Corn or soybean
• Fruit tree by-products stover