Grazing animals don’t plan ahead. As a result, their behavior often results in impacts that are not in the best long-term interest of either forages or themselves. For example, if given access to a large amount of hay or a large amount of forage in a pasture, they will waste a great deal of it. If they have the opportunity to do a lot of selective grazing, they will focus on the most desirable plants and plant parts, which puts stress on productivity and competitive ability of these plants. If given the opportunity, they will graze young, tender forage in early spring or after a drought which reduces later forage growth. This is why management decisions by humans are so important to productivity and sustainability of a forage-livestock system. Forage-Livestock Quotes and Concepts, vol. 2 is available here.