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Striking a Balance With Fescue-based Pastures
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The drawbacks of fescue pastures are, unfortunately, very well known to many cattle producers, with fescue toxicity estimated to cost the beef industry $1 billion every year.1
“The problems we typically see are fescue foot and loss of blood flow to extremities, such as the tail switch,” says Kyle McClure, manager of Willard Asphalt Farm. “Losing the tail switch poses a real challenge for cattle, especially in the summer when the horse flies are out.”
But McClure knows that the pros of primarily fescue-based pastures can outweigh the cons, so he implements pasture management practices to strike a balance between fescue and beneficial white clover and annual lespedeza in his southwestern Missouri pastures.
The fescue starts growing in early spring and lasts McClure’s 1,200-head cow-calf herd until December most years.
“We live and die by fescue here. It’s a thick, resilient grass that helps us extend the grazing season,” he says. The operation grazes stockpiled fescue and supplements with silage rather than spending money on hay during the winter months. This helps keep cows in great condition without breaking the bank.
Planting the Seed, Literally
The lush, diversified pastures that the calves are raised on every year weren’t always this way.
“They call it the Ozark Hills here for a reason. We’ve had to clear timber with dozers and excavators to make new pasture ground,” McClure says. “It can be really challenging to get all the sprouts and weeds cleared out of new ground the first few years, but we have help from GrazonNext HL, Remedy and Tordon herbicides.”
Once pastures get to a point that they’re primarily fescue-based, he intercedes annual lespedeza and white clover.
“Those legumes add diversity to the pasture and dilute the fescue,” he says. “This helps reduce the effects of fescue toxicity in our cattle. The legumes also provide extra protein for the cattle in the summer months.”
McClure looks forward to adding NovaGraz™ herbicide to his pasture weed management program and how it can help protect the desirable forages he’s worked so hard to establish. In fact, he’s seen the benefits firsthand through trial and demonstration sites he’s hosted in the pastures he manages.
“NovaGraz will be a huge benefit to this whole fescue area, because we’ll be able to keep our white clover and annual lespedeza,” he says. “The herbicide will help control weeds without losing the all-important legumes.”
Pasture Work Pays Off Each Breeding Season
Unsurprisingly, the work doesn’t stop once cattle go out to pasture. McClure employs a strategic rotational grazing program to give the legumes ample rest and ensure cows get the nutrients they need for a successful breeding season.
“Like most legumes, white clover doesn’t handle overgrazing stress as well as the fescue does,” he says. “Pasture rotation allows time for legumes to come back in full force and balance out the fescue throughout the summer months. This helps keep cows in better shape and improves conception rates when it comes time for artificial insemination.”
That’s when the years of hard work, planning and making the most of fescue-based pastures really pay off.
1 Ball, D. M., et al. 2015. Understanding the Tall Fescue Endophyte. https://forages.ca.uky.edu/files/understanding_the_tall_fescue_endophyte.pdf
Tordon® 22K, Tordon® 101M and Tordon® K are Restricted Use Pesticides. GrazonNext® HL has no grazing or haying restrictions for any class of livestock, including lactating dairy cows, horses (including lactating mares) and meat animals prior to slaughter. Label precautions apply to forage treated with GrazonNext HL and to manure and urine from animals that have consumed treated forage. Consult the label for full details. GrazonNext HL and NovaGraz are not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. GrazonNext HL is not for sale, distribution or use in New York state and San Luis Valley of Colorado. State restrictions on the sale and use of Remedy® and Remedy® Ultra apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Always read and follow label directions.