Animal health and trace element nutrition should also be considered as an aspect of grass quality.
Grazing animals have different requirements for trace elements to those that are required for grass growth so it is important to ensure these elements are present in the grass in sufficient levels to meet the animals’ nutritional requirements.
Sodium and selenium are both essential for animal health but are not required by plants and guidelines for other trace elements such as magnesium, zinc and copper are higher in grazing animals than present in grass.