Photo courtesy of Meredith Ellis, G Bar C Ranch
GRASS
It’s More than Forage Article by STEVE NELLE
A
sk any cattleman what they first think when they see a pasture full of good grass. Most will get a big smile and think about how many cows it will feed and for
how long. To the cattleman, grass is forage and forage is money. That is one valid way to look at the value of grass, but it is not the only way. Even the most cow-centric rancher knows there is a lot more to grass than just its value as feed, but forage is what gets them excited.
40 T E X A S W I L D L I F E
APRIL 2021
When thinking about grass there is plenty to get excited about, and we can all broaden our knowledge and appreciation of this important family of plants. There are more than 700 species of grass in Texas with perhaps 200 species that are prevalent; a ranch in any given region is likely to have 30 to 60 grass species. The different grass types, sometimes called functional groups, are just as important as the number of species. The functional groups include: cool season grasses, warm season grasses, bunch
