Technical Abstract: Forages play an important role in the production of meat and dairy throughout the world. Forages are not only an integral part of human protein production, but they can also improve row crop production management systems, play a role in reducing the dependence on fossil fuels and mitigate environmental concerns such as greenhouse gas emissions and soil erosion. There has been a renewed appreciation for use of forage legumes to enhance soil nitrogen fertility within pasture or harvested biomass systems. Some grass forages are currently being used in sod-based rotations to help mitigate soil-borne diseases and nematodes that attack traditional row crops, while conditioning the soil for improved production of annuals. Some high yielding grasses and legumes are being considered for use as dedicated bio-energy feedstocks. Switchgrass, elephant grass, and forage sorghum are among species that are being genetically altered to increase conversion efficiency to renewable fuels. Alfalfa is being altered to produce higher stem biomass for use as a feedstock while maintaining the leaves as a high protein supplement for livestock. All of these new uses require more research to optimize the benefits that are being discovered. Pasture and agricultural land owners can benefit from research to determine more sustainable production and alternative uses of grass or legumes forages.