Forage Crops Unfairly Losing Ground in the Ag Industry
Forage crops promote clean air and water as well as reduce erosion and flooding. Despite this, most people are unaware of the importance of these crops. For example, domestic food security is enhanced by perennial forages grow on land that cannot support row crops.
Grasslands make up almost 70 percent of all U.S. agricultural land and its economic worth averages about $45 billion a year. Further, forage crops can provide half to all of the total feed requirements of ruminants. It also is one of the most important resources when it comes to effective nutrient management planning. According to the USDA’s National Statistics Service, alfalfa is number three on the list of most valuable U.S. field crops.
Forages also help farmers maintain their status of stewards of the environment. Grasslands contribute a great deal to biodiversity and the functioning of rural ecosystems. Grasslands safeguard watersheds, providing scenic beauty to the countryside. Perennial forages also help decrease nutrient accumulation in bodies of water, preventing eutrophication and fish kill and increasing the water quality.
Despite the importance of forage and pasture, there are few forage experts in the agronomic industry. People learn about forages primarily through educational activities provided by extensions. Forage extension faculty are, unfortunately, disappearing from universities.
Around the country, forage crop scientists are retiring and these scientists are not being replaced. Over the past two decades, the number of U.S. forage research and extension scientists have dropped 50 percent. The sad fact is that because the value of forage crops is not appreciated, extension positions are not filled when one opens up through retirement, for example.
It was about 10 years ago that the USDA formed the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to integrate scientific disciplines with research, education and extension activities. At that time only a very small fraction of NIFA’s budget was earmarked specifically to forage and grasslands. This is particularly disheartening in light of the fact that many other countries such as Australia and Canada, maintain a strong commitment to forages.
Finally, while forage crops provide an exceptional ROI, the investment made in these crops continues to drop. This is especially disheartening in light of the fact that forage crops are a significant renewable resource. Much of this has to do with the fact that since forage is not viewed as a commodity it doesn’t receive commodity support. What is particularly sad is that forage crops are a shining example that conventional agriculture is sustainable, despite more and more people believing the opposite.
The Hay Manager
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For over 17 years, The Hay Manager has been innovating and improving hay management tools to the farming industry. Besides manufacturing round bale feeders.