Fescue has been the backbone of the cattle industry in southeast Kansas for a long time. Without it we could not have the robust cattle industry that we do. Fescue is very productive, tolerates heavy grazing very well, is drought tolerant, cold tolerant, wet tolerant and has a long growing season. It sounds perfect and nearly is.
So what could be wrong? One not-so-small problem is the fungus that grows inside the plant and produces toxins that has some negative affects on cattle including fescue foot, summer slump, reduced conception rates and decreased milk production. This all adds up to fewer pounds of beef weaned each year.
This endophyte is a fungus that depends on the fescue to provide it with the nutrients it needs to thrive. On the other hand, the endophyte makes fescue far more productive. The fungus produces toxins that slow and limit grazing pressure by suppressing the appetite of cattle grazing on it. These toxins also make fescue much less susceptible to insect attacks and attacks by other diseases. A fact of life is that most of the fescue grazed here in Crawford county has levels of the endophyte high enough to cause problems with performance.
At one time, producers were being encouraged to destroy their fescue and seed pastures back to fescue that did not have the fungus in it. This sounded like a good idea at the time, but most producers never did that. This may be a good thing since the varieties of fungus free fescue available at that time were not very productive, probably because they didn’t have the fungus protecting them. So, as it stands now, we really aren’t very far ahead of what we were twenty years ago.
One recommendation that producers have followed through on is the seeding of legumes in their fescue. The basis for this practice is to dilute the total amount of fescue the animals are grazing which should lower the amount of toxin the animals are receiving. This has turned out to be a good idea and I think a lot of producers are taking this option very seriously.
If you are trying to manage your fescue pasture with legumes then you need to reduce the amount of nitrogen applied and make sure that these legumes have adequate phosphorous and potash available. This will reduce the competitive edge that the fescue has when large amounts of nitrogen are applied.. Phosphorous and potassium levels should be determined through a soil test. This will guarantee that the proper amount of P and K are being applied.. In this system, the nitrogen application should kept down to around fifty pounds of actual nitrogen per acre.
The other key to the success of this practice is to use the right legumes. In a grazing situation, Ladino clover and lespedeza work the best with red clover being less important because of cattle’s tendency to rapidly grub it out. However, red clover works very well in fescue being managed for hay. Once again, be sure to keep nitrogen applications down while maintaining P and K at levels that will make the clover more competitive.
If you are thinking about seeding new fescue this spring or fall, you need to check out an improved variety of fescue called MaxQ. This fescue has what is called a “novel endophyte” that protects the fescue plant but does not cause toxicity problems in cattle. It is very productive and livestock performance on this grass is much better than on the endophyte containing fescue that we are used to here in southeast Kansas. The seed is expensive but, once established, this fescue should stay indefinitely.
Give me a call at 724-8233 if you have questions about this.
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Fescue has been the backbone of the cattle industry in southeast Kansas for a long time. Without it we could not have the robust cattle industry that we do. Fescue is very productive, tolerates heavy grazing very well, is drought tolerant, cold tolerant, wet tolerant and has a long growing season. It sounds perfect and nearly is.
So what could be wrong? One not-so-small problem is the fungus that grows inside the plant and produces toxins that has some negative affects on cattle including fescue foot, summer slump, reduced conception rates and decreased milk production. This all adds up to fewer pounds of beef weaned each year.
This endophyte is a fungus that depends on the fescue to provide it with the nutrients it needs to thrive. On the other hand, the endophyte makes fescue far more productive. The fungus produces toxins that slow and limit grazing pressure by suppressing the appetite of cattle grazing on it. These toxins also make fescue much less susceptible to insect attacks and attacks by other diseases. A fact of life is that most of the fescue grazed here in Crawford county has levels of the endophyte high enough to cause problems with performance.
At one time, producers were being encouraged to destroy their fescue and seed pastures back to fescue that did not have the fungus in it. This sounded like a good idea at the time, but most producers never did that. This may be a good thing since the varieties of fungus free fescue available at that time were not very productive, probably because they didn’t have the fungus protecting them. So, as it stands now, we really aren’t very far ahead of what we were twenty years ago.
One recommendation that producers have followed through on is the seeding of legumes in their fescue. The basis for this practice is to dilute the total amount of fescue the animals are grazing which should lower the amount of toxin the animals are receiving. This has turned out to be a good idea and I think a lot of producers are taking this option very seriously.
If you are trying to manage your fescue pasture with legumes then you need to reduce the amount of nitrogen applied and make sure that these legumes have adequate phosphorous and potash available. This will reduce the competitive edge that the fescue has when large amounts of nitrogen are applied.. Phosphorous and potassium levels should be determined through a soil test. This will guarantee that the proper amount of P and K are being applied.. In this system, the nitrogen application should kept down to around fifty pounds of actual nitrogen per acre.
The other key to the success of this practice is to use the right legumes. In a grazing situation, Ladino clover and lespedeza work the best with red clover being less important because of cattle’s tendency to rapidly grub it out. However, red clover works very well in fescue being managed for hay. Once again, be sure to keep nitrogen applications down while maintaining P and K at levels that will make the clover more competitive.
If you are thinking about seeding new fescue this spring or fall, you need to check out an improved variety of fescue called MaxQ. This fescue has what is called a “novel endophyte” that protects the fescue plant but does not cause toxicity problems in cattle. It is very productive and livestock performance on this grass is much better than on the endophyte containing fescue that we are used to here in southeast Kansas. The seed is expensive but, once established, this fescue should stay indefinitely.
Give me a call at 724-8233 if you have questions about this.
