June 13, 2023

Renewable Forage Nutrients

Llewellyn L. Manske PhD Scientist of Rangeland Research Dickinson Research Extension Center 701-456-1118 llewellyn.manske@ndsu.edu

Livestock are hetrotrophic herbivores that cannot make their own food from inorganic elements but must ingest organic substances that have been synthesized by autotrophic plants which can produce organic nutrients, like crude protein and carbohydrates, by chemically combining inorganic elements, like hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, that have been mineralized by soil microorganisms from soil organic matter.    The major forage produced nutrients are energy (TDN) and crude protein. The energy (TDN) produced by forage plants is part of the ecosystem’s carbon cycle. Plants capture and fix carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide with the hydrogen from soil water during the process of photosynthesis which converts energy from the sun into chemical energy. The assimilated carbon is combined in several ways to form various types of sugars and starches that are collectively the carbohydrates (CHO). These carbohydrates are an energy source for livestock.   Crude protein is deficient in grass lead tillers earlier in the growing season than energy. The crude protein produced by forage plants is part of the ecosystem’s nitrogen cycle. Inorganic nitrogen is mineralized from organic nitrogen by numerous soil organisms living in the rhizosphere surrounding living grass plant roots. The inorganic nitrogen is taken up by the roots. The plant combines the inorganic nitrogen with carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen to synthesize different types of amino acids which are then combined to produce various forms of very large organic compounds of proteins. These proteins build muscle. The renewable organic forage nutrients are the primary products that produce weight on livestock and are the true source of new wealth from agricultural use of grazingland and hayland resources. The paradigm that gains the greatest wealth per acre uses management practices that capture the greatest weight of crude protein per acre. For More Information Go To:  https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/ag-hub/publications/grazing-handbook

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