MatchForage is a web-based application to improve the selection of forage species for specific locations, intended uses, and management. It is based on research and extension information on forage and cover-crop species used throughout the US and the world. Consistently formatted information for each species has been developed with US and international experts and placed within a database allowing presentation in various complexity forms. Selection strategies are based on qualitative and quantitative tolerances to climatic and soil-based factors and species suitability for use as pasture, hay, silage, cover-crop, soil conservation and improvement, pollinators, wildlife, and beautification applications. Climatic and soil information are used to define conditions which are then compared with the forage species tolerances to determine how well-suited each species is for the targeted location. The intended use and management level information further refine the search for the most appropriate species.

Primary Forage Contact: David B. Hannaway, Forage Specialist, Oregon State University

Cooperators

OSU FACULTY:

  • Serkan Ates, Forage-Livestock Systems Specialist
  • Linda Brewer, Senior Faculty Research Assistant II, Technical Writer and Project Manager
  • Christopher Daly, Climate Modeling Specialist, Chemical, Biological & Environmental Engineering
  • Michael Halbleib, Soil Scientist and GIS Modeling Expert, Chemical, Biological & Environmental Engineering

GIS Expert: Chelsea Clark

OSU Students:

  • Graduate and Undergraduate Students in Various Fields

COOPERATING SCIENTISTS:

  • Annamaria Mills, Postdoctoral Fellow, Lincoln University, New Zealand
  • Derrick Moot, Professor in Plant Science, Lincoln University, New Zealand

WEB DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATION:

  • Sara Monk, Web Developer, Oregon State University
  • Kayleen Schreiber, Science Communicator: Data Visualization, Infographics, Animation

CONTENT REVIEW:

  • Peter Ballerstedt, Forage Ambassador, Barenbrug USA
  • Jerry Hall, Co-founder, President, Director of Research, Grasslands Oregon Seed Company
  • Dennis Hancock, Forage Specialist, University of Georgia

Acknowledgements

This work is supported by AFRI Sustainable Agricultural Systems Coordinated Agricultural Project (SAS-CAP) grant no. 2021-68012-35917 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Earlier work for initial clover species provided by the Oregon Clover Commission. Support also provided from Oregon State University Agricultural Experiment Station Hatch Project ORE0217,  the Agricultural Extension Program Leader, the College of Agricultural Sciences Undergraduate Research Intern Program, and faculty participating in the Forage Working Group.