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Post by ebook on Oct 5, 2007 15:40:42 GMT -5
Okay, our farm has some pastures full of tall fescue grass. The land just came out of CRP so there hasn't been much done on it except for a mow down after October each year. I have heard much about whether or not one should graze tall fescue and how they should go about if they do decide to graze it.
So, any Dexter owners have any thoughts on tall fescue?
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Post by fuzzy on Oct 6, 2007 10:21:21 GMT -5
Fescue is not a very good nutrition grass expecially if it is tall and old as your post seems to say that yours is. It would be better to burn it off or to cut it then pasture the new growth. Where are you located? There is a problem with pasturing fescue and that it a disease which old timers called Hollow Tail. This is where the animal is eating a lot but is getting no nutrition out of the forage and the tail will loose so much of the muscle that the bone will be showing through the skin.
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lsg
member
Posts: 247 
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Post by lsg on Oct 6, 2007 20:16:35 GMT -5
Our cattle had trouble with their feet while on fescue pasture. They had what we thought was foot rot.
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Post by gene on Oct 6, 2007 20:46:31 GMT -5
my vet calls it fescue foot. apparently fescue has something in it that thickens the blood and causes poor circulation to the extremities. that would explain the foot and the tail problems.
i know that fescue is really bad for pregnant horses.
gene
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Post by Cloverbell on Oct 7, 2007 9:08:22 GMT -5
Fescue has been called the best friend and the worst enemy of a cattleman. It is good cool season forage and a solid stand of perennial fescue will last a long time without much more than some nitrogen and a good mowing. But, the endophyte that exists inside the grass (endo mean inside) can develop "fescue toxicity" symptoms in your cattle and horses. There is lots of information about this condition on the internet and I would recommend checking your state and county extension websites or services for whether it is a problem in your area. Where are you?
Here in Tennessee fescue toxicity is blamed for lower conception rates in cattle and miscariage in horses among other things. Fescue foot and rough hair are other symtoms. Our neighbor had a mare lose a foal, classic fescue toxicity to blame - overdue foal, placenta so thick the foal could not struggle out.
Last fall we re-seeded all pastures with an endopyte free seed. Trouble will that is it is not as vigorous and the old Kentucky 31 will choke it out eventually. The endophyte does not spread, the tainted grass is just stronger. It did not do well but with the conditions we've had who knows if it had a chance./
Now with pasture completely, and I mean COMPLETELY, non-existent due to our exceptional drought this year I got a pasture plan from the University of Tennessee pasture/grazing specialist. He recommended to re-seed (with a no till drill) for quick winter grazing with annual rye grass (yes, rye grass) and some pastures in what we're referring to as "cereal rye" - the heavier perennial rye. Then move half the pastures into native warm-season grasses starting in the spring (so we'll have something in case of another drought) and then come fall of 2008 re-do the rye pastures with and "endophyte friendly" (new term) fescue Max Q and clovers.
Now if it would just rain....
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Post by Cloverbell on Oct 7, 2007 9:14:09 GMT -5
Sorry to keep blabbing here...
If I were you I would clip your fescue pastures, give it some nitrogen (40-60 pounds per acre is what is recommended for our area) and keep the cows off it for a couple months to stockpile it for the winter. Thanksgiving would be the time I would put them in it or later if possible.
On a typical year, the price of doing this is half the cost of buying hay according to extension reports. In a drought year like we've had in Tennessee stockpiling is one fourth the cost of hay.
Even if you're not hurting I would clip it to get rid of the old tough stems and give it a light application of nitrogen.
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Post by ebook on Oct 7, 2007 19:59:16 GMT -5
Thank you everyone for your responses. We have quite a bit stockpiled, but it hasn't been mowed since last winter (We are in Iowa, but test drive mowers, so everthing gets mowed and remowed all year long except for the fescue because it was in CRP). My dad would like to plow it under, plant soybeans, and then come back with some alfalfa or ryegrass and clover. Do you think we need to be that drastic, or could we do something else? Also, we were thinking about grazing them this winter there ... any thoughts? Good idea or bad idea?
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Post by ebook on Oct 7, 2007 20:55:41 GMT -5
We took the CRP out. We didn't re-up contract! This is a good thing for the farm.
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