Why Forage Quality Matters: How Soil, Grass, and Grazing Practices Influence Beef Quality

When you hear ranchers or livestock nutritionists talk about forage quality, they aren’t just discussing “how green the grass looks.” Forage quality is one of the most important factors that determines animal health, growth rate, beef nutritional profile, and ultimately meat quality and consistency on your plate. In fact, forage quality matters not just for cattle performance but for the sustainability and economics of beef production as well.

In this post, we’ll explore what forage quality actually means, why it matters so much in beef production, how soil health and grass species affect it, and how grazing management practices make all the difference.

What Is Forage Quality?

At its simplest, forage quality refers to the nutritive value of pasture plants and other forages that cattle consume. It determines how well cattle can meet their nutritional needs when grazing or eating stored forage. Forage quality is often measured in terms of factors like:

• Crude protein (CP) — measures nitrogen and protein content. Higher protein generally supports better growth and milk production.

• Digestibility — how much of the forage the animal can break down and absorb. Forages with high fiber and lignin are harder for cattle to digest.

• Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) — an estimate of available energy. Higher TDN generally supports greater performance. 

Why these matter: cattle are ruminants — their digestive systems are built to break down fibrous plants. But not all fibrous plants are created equal. Quality forage allows for better feed intake, nutrient absorption, and animal performance with less supplemental feed. (Source: The Beef Site)

Forage Quality Matters — Because It Drives Animal Performance

Cattle that graze high-quality forage don’t have to expend as much energy digesting low-nutrient feed, which leads to:

• Improved weight gain and growth rates

• Better overall health and immune function

• Better reproductive performance

• More efficient feed conversion, meaning more weight gained per unit of feed. 

For example, cool-season grasses early in the grazing season can have significantly greater crude protein and digestibility compared to mature or late-season grass, directly affecting cattle productivity. (Source: beef.unl.edu)

Conversely, when forage quality declines — due to maturity, drought, or other factors — animals may eat less (because the digestibility is poor) and struggle to meet their energy and protein requirements. (Source: Ask IFAS - Powered by EDIS)

Forage Quality Matters: The Biological Basis

Forage quality is not subjective — it has chemical and physical foundations:

1. Crude Protein (CP)

Crude protein is essential for muscle development, immune function, and overall metabolism. Legumes (like clover and alfalfa) generally have higher protein levels than most grasses, making them higher-quality forage when managed well. 

2. Fiber Content and Digestibility

Forage fiber — especially lignin and cellulose — cannot be digested well by rumen microbes. As plants mature, fiber increases and digestibility drops. This means older, stemmy grasses provide less usable energy to cattle. 

3. Energy Availability (TDN)

Energy in forage comes from digestible carbohydrates and proteins. Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) is a key indicator of this energy. Young, leafy forage tends to have higher TDN — meaning cattle extract more usable energy per pound of feed.

These components are tightly linked: higher crude protein and digestibility = higher TDN = more animal performance.

Soil Health: The Foundation of Forage Quality

Healthy soil = healthy grass = healthier beef.

Just like human crops, forage plants rely on soil to supply nutrients, water, pH balance, and microbial activity. Poor soil health produces poor forage quality, regardless of the grass species planted.

Why Soil Health Matters

• Soil nutrients influence plant nutrient content. For example, nitrogen deficiency reduces plant protein — a direct hit to forage quality. Phosphorus and potassium help regulate carbohydrate and energy levels. Micronutrients like zinc and copper support animal immune systems when passed through forage. 

• Soil biology affects nutrient cycling. A vibrant soil microbiome helps break down organic matter, releasing nutrients that forage plants need to be nutritious and palatable. 

• Soil structure, pH, and organic matter influence plant growth. Poor soil structure or incorrect pH can limit nutrient uptake by grasses or legumes, reducing forage quality. (Source: MDPI)

In short: Even the best forage varieties cannot reach their nutritional potential if the soil underneath them is depleted or imbalanced.

Grass Species and Forage Quality

Different grass types and other forage species have very different nutritional profiles.

Cool-Season vs. Warm-Season Grasses

• Cool-season grasses (like ryegrass, fescue, orchardgrass) generally have higher nutritive value — more crude protein and better digestibility — when grazed at the proper stage.

• Warm-season grasses (like bermudagrass and bahiagrass) are typically lower in digestibility and crude protein, especially as they mature.

Legumes vs. Grasses

Legumes such as alfalfa and clover are usually higher in protein and TDN than grasses because they fix nitrogen in the soil and have different plant chemistry. Animals usually perform better on mixed grass-legume pastures than on grass-only pastures.

Mixed Pastures Improve Forage Quality

Mixed pasture systems (legumes + grasses) often deliver more balanced nutrition than monocultures because:

• Legumes boost crude protein

• Grasses provide structural energy

• Diversity supports more steady intake and nutrient balance

This can lead to better animal performance and healthier cattle.

Seasonal and Environmental Impacts

Forage quality isn’t static — it changes with seasons and weather:

Weather Conditions

• Drought can accelerate plant maturation, decreasing crude protein and digestibility more quickly.

• Excess moisture can promote rapid growth but dilute nutrient concentration, also lowering forage quality.

Plant Maturity

As plants age past their vegetative stage, their fiber content increases and digestibility declines sharply — limiting nutrient availability to grazing cattle. 

This is why many high-performance cattle operations time grazing or hay harvest to target the sweet spot before maturity and seedhead formation.

Grazing Management: How Practices Affect Forage Quality

Good grazing management can make all the difference.

Rotational Grazing

Rotational grazing means moving cattle through multiple paddocks, allowing forage to regrow between grazing periods. Benefits include:

• More consistent access to young, leafy, high-nutrient forage

• Less selective grazing and over-utilization

• Improved root systems and soil organic matter

• Reduced erosion and more even manure distribution

Research shows cattle on rotationally managed forage often maintain better body condition and performance than cattle on continuously grazed pastures. (Source: Penn State Extension)

Stocking Density and Timing

If cattle graze too long in one area, they eat the best forage and leave behind mature, low-quality grass. Timing grazing to harvest plants at the right stage maintains higher average forage quality across the pasture.

Forage Sampling

A good rancher regularly tests pasture and hay quality to understand what nutrients are available and what supplements might be necessary. This is especially wise when forage is the primary feed source so animals consistently meet their nutritional needs. 

Forage Quality’s Effect on Beef Quality

We know forage quality affects how much cattle eat and how well they grow — but does it change the beef that ends up on your table?

Research indicates that forage quality influences:

Fatty Acid Profiles

Animals that consume high-quality forage absorb more beneficial compounds like omega-3 fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins (e.g., carotenoids and vitamin E), which can translate into subtle differences in beef nutritional profiles. (Source: Nature)

Metabolites and Antioxidants

Higher forage quality has been linked with greater concentrations of certain phenolic compounds — plant-derived chemicals that act as antioxidants and may affect metabolic pathways in cattle (and potentially in humans, though research is ongoing). 

Growth and Marbling

Better forage quality supports consistent weight gain and muscle development, which in turn affects carcass composition — including marbling and tenderness — especially when forage is the main feed source. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is forage quality less important if cattle are grain-finished?

No — even if cattle are finished on grain, the nutritional status they build throughout life is determined largely by forage quality. Good forage during growing phases sets the foundation for metabolism, immune function, and performance that affects final product quality.

Can poor forage quality be fixed?

Yes — through:

• Soil amendments and fertilizer

• Changing pasture species

• Improved grazing practices

• Strategic forage supplementation

• Forage testing and balanced nutrition planning 

Bottom Line: “Forage Quality Matters”

Forage quality is far more than a buzzword — it’s the biological core of cattle nutrition that drives animal health, production efficiency, sustainability, and beef quality. Soil fertility, grass species selection, and thoughtful grazing practices are interconnected pillars of forage quality that directly influence how animals grow and what nutrients ultimately make their way into the beef you serve at home.

By understanding and managing these factors, producers can deliver better nutrition, healthier animals, and more consistent beef — while consumers can make more informed choices about the beef they buy and enjoy.