Forage is plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) 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. The term
forage fish refers to small
schooling fish that are preyed on by larger aquatic animals.