Iron

Iron (Fe) plays a major role in the production and functioning of haemoglobin, a red blood cell protein which carries oxygen in the body from the lungs to each of the cells. Iron is also a constituent of myoglobin, a protein responsible for muscle oxygenation.

The iron content of forages is highly variable but most forages contain from 70 to 500 mg Fe/kg. Much of the variation in forage iron is probably caused by soil contamination.