Factors affecting forage quality

There are many factors that should be considered in growing a forage crop that directly improve quality. These basic factors are;

Plant species and mixtures and cultivars
- Legumes vs. grasses / mixtures
  - Legumes are higher in protein and have faster rates of fiber digestion.
- Cool-season vs. warm season
  - Cool season grasses are more digestible due to anatomy differences.
- Breeding can improve quality and maturity differences can be large.
Temperature
- Plants grown at high temperatures produce lower quality forage due to lignification.
Maturity stage
- Maturity stage at harvest is the most important factor determining forage quality of any species.
- Forage quality declines as maturity advances.

(Relative Quality vs Growth Stage Graph to be added)

Fertilization
- Most important for grasses; N fertilization increases yield and crude protein (%N*6.25).
Harvesting and storage techniques
- Field losses include rain damage, leaf loss, and plant respiration.
- Storage losses to uncovered bales can be 40%.
Foreign material
- Dirt, weeds, wire and straw are all considered foreign material.
- High quality hay will have little to no foreign material.
Antiquality factors
- High quality forages should be free of antiquality factors that discourage animal consumption.
- Can be chemical (toxins) or physical (thorns).