Introductory Comments for the Forage Symposium

420-432, this issue) outlined the relevant literature for progress on understanding the interrelationships among forage nutritive value, quantity, and individual animal performance. Understanding the constraints for Dr. Evers (p. 403–409, this issue) gives a valuable overview of the available legumes and their unique role in forage systems. His work provides a basis for viable recommendations as future costs of nitrogen fertilizer fl uctuate and the need for high quality forages to maximize production in select animal classes become keys of profi table systems. Drs. Phillips, Horn, and Cole (p. 410-419, this issue) provide an excellent assessment of why we have the current confi guration of the beef industry and also provide an analysis of the likely impact of future production and transportation costs on local and grass-fed beef. In the last 50 years we have clearly reviewed the “many factors aff ecting the fi nal outcome” in feeding ruminant livestock. As these researchers have outlined, we have made progress on defi ning nutritive value, forage quality, and predicting animal performance in complex production systems. The many interactions present in forage systems will continue to provide challenges for future researchers. However, the progress of the basic science during this time has provided the background for the development of robust forage production systems that can be adapted to a changing environmental and economic milieu.