Forage crops are grown primarily to feed which animals?

• A. Monogastric animals
• B. Ruminants
• C. Poultry
• D. Fish

Answer: (B)

Forage crops are grown to supply high-fiber feeds that ruminants can efficiently convert into energy. Ruminants—such as cattle, sheep, and goats—have a four-chambered stomach with a rumen where microbes break down cellulose from grasses and legumes into volatile fatty acids, providing most of their energy from roughage. This digestive setup makes forage crops the primary feed for these animals. Monogastric animals like pigs and poultry rely on readily digestible, energy-dense feeds and don’t utilize fibrous forage as efficiently, so forage isn’t their main feed. Fish, depending on species, are typically fed formulated diets rather than standard forage crops.