Narrow-leaved plantain (ribgrass, Plantago lanceolata L.) has long been a common adventive species in managed grasslands globally. Its value as a livestock forage was enhanced with the development of productive and erect cultivars from the mid-1990s. Another major development has been the observation of its effect in reducing livestock urinary-nitrogen concentration. Low tissue dry matter content has been verifed as the main contributor to this, but studies also point to effects of plant characteristics on livestock nitrogen partitioning and reduced drainage and rate of nitrifcation in soils. This functionality provides a way of mitigating nitrogen losses to air and water in intensive, pasture-based livestock systems that is relatively simple to implement.