Forage Quality: Impacts on Cattle Performance and Economics

The value of a feedstuff is a complex function of its nutrient composition (net energy, protein, vitamins, minerals, etc.) chemical-physical characteristics of its fiber (fragility of the cell walls), acceptability (palatability), and associative interactions with other dietary ingredients. In the case of forages, their associative effects on utilization of other dietary ingredients is of greatest importance. For this reason, forages are often referred to as functional feeds. Indeed, forages are not usually cost-competitive alternatives for supplying the diet with energy, protein, or minerals. Their inclusion in formulations for feedlot and dairy cattle is dictated primarily on the basis of their function as roughage. A big step toward understanding the alternative value of different forages in diet formulations for feedlot and dairy cattle is to better appreciate their limits as functional feedstuffs.