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In agriculture
Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the animal husbandry of domestication animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more Population density and Social stratification societies....
, fodder or animal feed is any food
Food

Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
stuff that is used specifically to feed domesticated livestock
Livestock

Livestock is the term used to refer to a domesticated animal intentionally reared in an agricultural setting to produce things such as food or fibre, or for its labour....
, such as cattle
Cattle

Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
, goats, sheep
Sheep

#REDIRECT Domestic sheep...
, horses, chicken
Chicken

The chicken is a Domestication fowl. Recent evidence suggests that domestication of the chicken was under way in Vietnam over 10,000 years ago....
s and pig
Pig

Pigs, also called hogs or swine, are a genus of even-toed ungulates within the Family Suidae. The name pig, hog, or swine most commonly refers to the Domestic pig in everyday parlance, but technically encompasses several distinct species, including the Wild Boar....
s. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin. "Fodder" refers particularly to food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them), rather than that which they forage for themselves (see forage
Forage

Forage is plant material eaten by grazing livestock.Historically the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially as hay or silage....
).






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Fodder Factory02
In agriculture
Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the animal husbandry of domestication animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more Population density and Social stratification societies....
, fodder or animal feed is any food
Food

Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
stuff that is used specifically to feed domesticated livestock
Livestock

Livestock is the term used to refer to a domesticated animal intentionally reared in an agricultural setting to produce things such as food or fibre, or for its labour....
, such as cattle
Cattle

Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
, goats, sheep
Sheep

#REDIRECT Domestic sheep...
, horses, chicken
Chicken

The chicken is a Domestication fowl. Recent evidence suggests that domestication of the chicken was under way in Vietnam over 10,000 years ago....
s and pig
Pig

Pigs, also called hogs or swine, are a genus of even-toed ungulates within the Family Suidae. The name pig, hog, or swine most commonly refers to the Domestic pig in everyday parlance, but technically encompasses several distinct species, including the Wild Boar....
s. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin. "Fodder" refers particularly to food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them), rather than that which they forage for themselves (see forage
Forage

Forage is plant material eaten by grazing livestock.Historically the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially as hay or silage....
). It includes hay, straw, silage, compressed and pelleted feeds, oils and mixed rations, and also sprouted grains and legumes.

The worldwide animal feed industry consumed 635 million tons of feed (compound feed
Compound feed

Compound feeds are feedstuffs that are blended from various raw materials and additives. These blends are formulated according to the specific requirements of the target animal....
 equivalent) in 2006, with an annual growth rate of about 2%. The use of agricultural land to grow feed rather than human food can be controversial; some types of feed, such as corn
Corn

Corn may refer to:...
 (maize), can also serve as human food, while others such as grass cannot. Some agricultural by-product
By-product

A by-product is a secondary or incidental product deriving from a manufacturing process, a chemical reaction or a biochemical pathway, and is not the primary product or service being produced....
s which are fed to animals may be considered unsavory by human consumers.

Common plants specifically grown for fodder

Round Hay Bale At Dawn02
* Alfalfa
Alfalfa

Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop. In the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand it is known as lucerne and as lucerne grass in south Asia....
 (lucerne)
  • Barley
    Barley

    Barley is an annual plant cereal grain derived from the grass Hordeum vulgare. It serves as a major animal feed crop, with smaller amounts used for malting and in health food, as well as the making of alcoholic beverages beer and whisky....
  • Birdsfoot trefoil
  • Brassica
    Brassica

    Brassica is a genus of plants in the mustard family . The members of the genus may be collectively known either as cabbages, or as mustards....
    s
    • Chau moellier
    • Kale
      Kale

      Kale or Borecole is a form of cabbage , green in color, in which the central leaves do not form a head. It is considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most domesticated forms....
    • Rapeseed
      Rapeseed

      Rapeseed , also known as rape, oilseed rape, rapa, rapaseed and canola, is a bright yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae ....
       (Canola)
    • Rutabaga
      Rutabaga

      The rutabaga, swede , or yellow turnip is a root vegetable that originated as a cross between the cabbage and the turnip. Its leaves can also be eaten as a leaf vegetable....
       (swede)
    • Turnip
      Turnip

      The turnip is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, bulbous taproot. Small, tender, varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as fodder for livestock....
  • Clover
    Clover

    Clover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes on mountains in the tropics....
    • Alsike clover
      Trifolium hybridum

      Trifolium hybridum or alsike clover is a plant species of the genus Trifolium. The head of the flower has pale pink or whitish coloring....
    • Red clover
      Red clover

      Trifolium pratense is a species of clover, native to Europe, western Asia and northwest Africa, but planted and naturalised in many other regions....
    • Subterranean clover
      Subterranean clover

      The Fabaceae Subterranean clover , often shortened to sub clover, is a species of clover native to northwestern Europe, from Ireland east to Belgium....
    • White clover
      White clover

      White Clover is a species of clover native to Europe, North Africa, and West Asia. It has been widely introduced elsewhere in the world as a pasture crop, and is also common in many grassy areas in North America....
  • Grass
    Grass

    Grass is the common word that generally describes monocotyledonous green plants. The family Poaceae are the "true grasses" and include most plants grown as grains, for pasture, and for lawns ....
    • False oat grass
      Arrhenatherum

      Arrhenatherum, commonly called Oat-Grass or Button-grass, is a genus with seven species and subspecies from the grass family Poaceae. It grows in Europe and the Mediterranean....
    • Fescue
      Fescue

      Fescue is a genus of about 300 species of perennial plant tufted grasses, belonging to the grass family Poaceae . The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, although the majority of the species are found in cool temperate areas, such as the transition zone and Canada....
    • Bermuda grass
    • Brome
      Bromus

      Bromus is a large genus of the true grass family . Estimates in the scientific literature of the number of species have ranged from 100 to 400, but plant taxonomists currently recognize around 160--170 species ....
    • Heath grass
      Danthonia

      Danthonia is a genus of grass species. Grasses of this genus are sometimes referred to as oatgrass, but that common name is not restricted to this genus....
    • Meadow
      Meadow

      A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . It may be cut for hay or grazing by livestock such as cattle, sheep or goats....
       grasses (from naturally mixed grassland swards)
    • Orchard grass
    • Ryegrass
      Ryegrass

      Ryegrass is a genus of nine species of tufted grasses, family Poaceae. Also called tares , these plants are native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa, but are widely cultivated and naturalised elsewhere....
    • Timothy-grass
      Timothy-grass

      Timothy-grass , is an abundant perennial plant Poaceae native to most of Europe except for the Mediterranean region. It grows to 50?150 cm tall, with leaf up to 45 cm long and 1 cm broad....
  • Maize (corn
    Corn

    Corn may refer to:...
    )
  • Millet
    Millet

    The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal Crop or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a scientific classification group, but rather a functional or agronomic one....
  • Oat
    Oat

    The common oat is a species of Cereal Agriculture for its seed, which is known by the same name . While oats are suitable for human consumption as oatmeal and rolled oats, one of the most common uses is as livestock feed....
    s
  • Sorghum
    Sorghum

    Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of Poaceae, some of which are raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture....
  • Soybean
    Soybean

    The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia. The plant is classed as an oilseed rather than a Pulse . It is an annual plant that has been used in China for 5,000 years as a food and a component of drugs....
    s
  • Tree
    TREE

    TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
    s (pollard
    Pollarding

    File:Pollarded trees in Kilmaurs Ayrshire.JPGPollarding is a woodland management method of encouraging lateral branches by cutting off a tree stem or minor branches two or three metres above ground level....
     tree shoots for "tree-hay")
  • Wheat
    Wheat

    Wheat , is a worldwide cultivated Poaceae from the Levant region of the Middle East. Globally, after maize, wheat is the second most-produced food among the cereal just above rice....


Types of fodder

  • Compound feed
    Compound feed

    Compound feeds are feedstuffs that are blended from various raw materials and additives. These blends are formulated according to the specific requirements of the target animal....
     and premixes, often called pellets, nuts or (cattle) cake.
  • Crop residues: stover
    Stover

    Stover consists of the leaves and stalks of corn , sorghum or soybean plants that are left in a field after harvest. It can be directly grazed by cattle or dried for use as fodder ....
    , copra
    Copra

    Copra is the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut. The name copra is derived from the Malayalam language word kopra for dried coconut....
    , straw
    Straw

    Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry wikt:stalk of a cereal plant, after the grain or seed has been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat....
    , chaff
    Chaff

    Chaff is the inedible, dry, scaly protective casings of the seeds of cereal grain, or similar fine, dry, scaly plant material such as scaly parts of flowers, or finely chopped straw....
    , sugar beet
    Sugar beet

    Sugar beet , a member of the Chenopodiaceae family, is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production....
     waste
  • Fish meal
    Fish meal

    Fish meal, or fishmeal, is a commercial product made from both whole fish and the bones and offal from processed fish. It is a brown powder or cake obtained by rendering pressing the whole fish or fish trimmings to remove the fish oil....
  • Freshly cut grass
    Grass

    Grass is the common word that generally describes monocotyledonous green plants. The family Poaceae are the "true grasses" and include most plants grown as grains, for pasture, and for lawns ....
     and other forage plants
  • Meat and bone meal
    Meat and bone meal

    Meat and bone meal is a product of the rendering industry. It is typically about 50% protein, 35% ash , 8-12% fat, and 4-7% moisture. It is primarily used in the formulation of fodder to improve the amino acid profile of the feed....
     (now illegal in many areas due to risk of BSE
    Bovine spongiform encephalopathy

    Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy , commonly known as Mad-Cow Disease , is a fatal, neurodegenerative disease in cattle, that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord....
    )
  • Molasses
    Molasses

    Molasses is a thick by-product from the processing of the sugar beet or sugar cane into sugar. The word molasses comes from the Portuguese language word mela?o, which comes from "meli", the Greek word for "honey"....
  • Oil cake
    Oil cake

    Oil cake is the solid residue that can be removed from various types of oily seeds. The residue is usually extracted by being pressed, removing the oil....
     and press cake
    Press cake

    Press cake is the solids remaining after pressing something to extract the liquids. This can be from pressing:*olives for olive oil *Peanut for peanut oil...
  • Oligosaccharide
    Oligosaccharide

    An oligosaccharide is a saccharide polymer containing a small number of component sugars, also known as simple sugars. The name derived from the Greek oligos, meaning "a few"....
    s
  • Conserved forage plants: hay
    Hay

    Hay is a generic term for Poaceae or legumes that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing animals like cattle, horses, domestic goat, and sheep....
     and silage
    Silage

    File:Cattle eating corn silage.jpgSilage is fermentation , high-moisture fodder that can be fed to ruminants or used as a biofuel feedstock for anaerobic digesters....
  • Seaweed
    Seaweed

    Seaweed is a loose colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthos ocean algae. The term includes some members of the rhodophyta, phycophyta and green algae....
  • Seed
    Seed

    A seed is a small Plant embryogenesis plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some Food storage. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant....
    s and grain
    GRAIN

    GRAIN is an international non-governmental organization based in Barcelona, Spain, which works toward sustainable agriculture. It was formed upon the realization that the genetic diversity of the world's food crops are being drastically eliminated....
    s, either whole or prepared by crushing, milling etc
  • Sprouted grains and legumes
  • Yeast extract
    Yeast extract

    Yeast extract is the common name for various forms of processed yeast products that are used as food additives or flavourings. They are often used in the same way that monosodium glutamate is used, and, like MSG, often contain free glutamic acids....


Health concerns

Fodder Growing
In the past, mad cow disease
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy , commonly known as Mad-Cow Disease , is a fatal, neurodegenerative disease in cattle, that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord....
 spread through the inclusion of ruminant meat and bone meal
Meat and bone meal

Meat and bone meal is a product of the rendering industry. It is typically about 50% protein, 35% ash , 8-12% fat, and 4-7% moisture. It is primarily used in the formulation of fodder to improve the amino acid profile of the feed....
 in cattle
Cattle

Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
 feed due to prion
Prion

A prion is an infectious disease that is comprised entirely of a reproduction, mis-folded protein. The mis-folded form of the prion protein has been implicated in a number of diseases in a variety of mammals, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans....
 contamination. This practice is now banned in most countries where it has occurred. Some animals have a lower tolerance for spoiled or moldy fodder than others, and certain types of molds, toxins, or poisonous weeds inadvertently mixed into a food source may cause economic losses due to sickness or death of the animals.

Sprouted grains as fodder

Fodder in the form of sprouted grains and legumes can be grown in a small-scale environment. Sprouted grains can greatly increase the nutritional value of the grain compared with feeding the "raw" (ungerminated) grain to stock.

See also

  • Forage
    Forage

    Forage is plant material eaten by grazing livestock.Historically the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially as hay or silage....
  • Pasture
    Pasture

    Pasture is land with herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of ungulate livestock as part of a farm or ranch. Prior to the advent of factory farming, pasture was the primary source of food for grazing animals such as cattle and horses....
  • Grain
    GRAIN

    GRAIN is an international non-governmental organization based in Barcelona, Spain, which works toward sustainable agriculture. It was formed upon the realization that the genetic diversity of the world's food crops are being drastically eliminated....
  • Cannon fodder
    Cannon fodder

    Cannon fodder is an informal term for military personnel who are regarded or treated as expendable in the face of enemy fire. The term is generally used in situations where soldiers are forced to deliberately fight against hopeless odds in an effort to achieve a strategic goal....
     (metaphorical usage)
  • Factory farming
    Factory farming

    Factory farming is the practice of raising farm animals in confinement at high stocking density, where a farm operates as a factory — a practice typical in Industrial agriculture by agribusinesses....


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