Computer-Based Forage Management Tools: Historical, Current, and Future Applications

Computer-Based Forage Management Tools: Historical, Current, and Future Applications

Forage management has been an important human activity since the beginning of civilization. By comparison, the personal computer has been available only in the immediate past. The software developed to deal with the complexity of climate, soil, plant, animal, and socioeconomic factors has seen huge changes in a few decades. Mainframe computers facilitated numerical calculations for exploring relationships among dozens of variables. Personal computers opened the door for more individual scientist creativity and routine communication. Web-based communication globalised the option for multidisciplinary teams to tackle problems. Forage-related computer applications abound, allowing farmers, ranchers, and others to more effectively manage the land. This paper describes historical, current, and future computer-based applications that improve understanding and efficiency leading to more economically and environmentally sustainable forage-livestock systems.