Forage is an under-publicized farm product that touches all of our hearts. It is food that underpins food. It maintains farm animals that have made dramatic inroads as our pets. At 9.2 million in number, there are more horses than milk cows in America.

Historically, most forage for farm animals and farm animal pets came from fields adjacent to the farm. Over time, urbanization and movement of land to other uses has changed a lot of this. Much of the forage today is cut, cured, baled, pelletized, and cubed to be transported.

Forage underpins much of the food we eat, particularly meat and dairy products. Forage has become particularly critical for many of the pets that have come to provide companionship, opportunities for showmanship and just plain old diversion from a competitive world.

To learn more about how forage impacts our lives, buy the July/August edition of Touch the Soil magazine at a retail outlet or subscribe online.