It has often been said that “grass is the cheapest and healthiest feed we can offer our farm animals.” There is a fairly good body of evidence and some consensus of opinion that grass is a cheap food (see J. R. Currie, 1948, J. Brit. Grassl. Soc, 3:27).

Grass fed in situ is cheap for us in Britain, because it is a crop which in terms of nutrients per acre either tops the list or is always in the higher yield group among our farm crops. This is true whether we base our comparison on starch equivalent or on nitrogen (expressed as crude protein). Productive grassland is always high in its comparative values.

The following table will serve to emphasise this point.

This table is based on data published in 1941 by Leeds University, and is an example of the sort of figures frequently given in respect of different crops.