Fescue for hay?

[A&Mfarms]

My farm is in NE Alabama and I have 25 acres to sow for hay. Need to get it going as quick as I can, b/c we lost other land we were renting. Is fescue/orcardgrass ok to sow in the spring and maybe get 1 cutting this year?

 

[dun]

Yes, and if you get a little rain you can probably get a second cutting, mostly fescue, in the fall.

dun

 

[Nowland Farms]

A&MFarms

What type of fescue are you planting?

I would suggest you consider planting the MaxQ Jesseup brand so you won't have to deal with Fescue Fungus problems.

I believe the planting dates for fescue where late September/early October along Interstate 20 in NE Alabama.

 

[stocky]

If you are going to sow it this spring, I would sow a cover crop, like oats, with it to add to the quantity and quality of the first cutting of hay. After you take off the oat hay, the fescue and orchardgrass should be ready to take off

 

[Crowderfarms]

A&MFarms

What type of fescue are you planting?

I would suggest you consider planting the MaxQ Jesseup brand so you won't have to deal with Fescue Fungus problems.

I believe the planting dates for fescue where late September/early October along Interstate 20 in NE Alabama.

You'll get best results sowing Fescue in the months that end in 'ER". However it will still come up in the Spring.

 

[dun]

A&MFarms

What type of fescue are you planting?

I would suggest you consider planting the MaxQ Jesseup brand so you won't have to deal with Fescue Fungus problems.

I believe the planting dates for fescue where late September/early October along Interstate 20 in NE Alabama.

You'll get best results sowing Fescue in the months that end in 'ER". However it will still come up in the Spring.

In this area it's recommended to seed fescue and OG in March and April. In the past we've drilled it in January and didn;t have a problem. I just finished drilling a bunch of it in yesterday so I'm hoping for the same results as in the past. The benefit of drilling it this early is that it will germinate and get started growing along with the stuff that's already there.

dun

 

[denoginnizer]

Does most of the endophyte disapate in the hay bale after it is rolled?

 

[dun]

Does most of the endophyte disapate in the hay bale after it is rolled?

Some but not most. Stickpiled fescue after it's gone dormant is the lowest in endophyte.
We've never had ours tested, but most of it has been in the groound since the 30s-40s era. Most of our pastures have a little OG and a goodly amount of clover. We hay it and have never noticed a problem with the cows during the hay feeding periods. But, our cows have been raised on the stuff and are acclimated to it so don;t seem to show much affect. The get fat in the winter eating just stockplied or baled fescue. I'ld hate to see how fat they'ld get if there wasn;t any endophyte in the stuff.

dun

 

[LonghornRanch]

Fescue is not good for horses.

 

[Crowderfarms]

Fescue is not good for horses.

Fescue is not good for Bred Mares, can cause a thickening of the Uterus.

 

[MikeC]

I think all the stuff about endophytes is in a way hogwash. Yeah it supposedly makes cattle not perform as they should and want to lay around in the shade in hot weather. I have even heard it causes calving problems. I have never had calving problems. That is why I think for one endophytes causing that is hog wash. Secondly let me put it to you this way. If it was 95 degrees and the humidity was like at 70 percent and you were outside constantly wouldnt you want to lay around in the shade and stay cool? I know I would. In the summer when it is that hot i have no trouble getting my cows up I simply call them and they come running. I dont buy the endophyte causing problems at all. In fact endophytes in the fescue is what helps the grass resist drought and cold weather better than it would if it did not have the endophyte.

I have seen cows FEET and TAILS rot off from "Fescue Foot". Yes there are ways to manage it (like clover, etc.) but it is definitely not hogwash. The new fescue has an endophyte but is it not toxic.

 

[norriscathy]

In all my years of raising cattle I have never seen this. Maybe I was lucky perhaps? Or maybe those cattle are mismanaged that it happened to? Who knows. All I know is that It has never caused a problem for me and I have never run low endophyte or endophyte free fescue.

I'm starting to wonder if you have any cows at all! Everyone that I know of that grazes infected fescue has had cows lose tail a hoves. It is CERTAINLY a problem!

 

[dun]

In all my years of raising cattle I have never seen this. Maybe I was lucky perhaps? Or maybe those cattle are mismanaged that it happened to? Who knows. All I know is that It has never caused a problem for me and I have never run low endophyte or endophyte free fescue.

I'm starting to wonder if you have any cows at all! Everyone that I know of that grazes infected fescue has had cows lose tail a hoves. It is CERTAINLY a problem!

We've never lost feet or tails, but when we added clover the weaning weights went up significantly. But, I'll only buy cows from fescue areas that are already adapted. A friend of ours bout 42 head from a big place up in SD, the first winter they lost feet and tails, by the second winter they only had one cow left from the original 42, she got fat on the stuff. That was 5-6 years ago and she's still there and still going strong.

dun

 

[dun]

Clover does increase weaning weights from what I have heard. I have a stand or 2 of clover as well. The cows seem to love it.

Maybe, just maybe it's because it dilutes the endophyte. What a concept

dun

 

[alabama]

I am not sure that fescue is your best option in a new pasture. A quick call to your county agent should be your best bet.
Q'max mixed with clover may be what you need but I don't think it will do well in mid summer in middle Alabama 'too hot'. However, in the spring and fall you should get good growth.
I have a small hay field (about 7 acres) that is mostly Bahia grass but it was once a fescue winter pasture. I get a cutting of fescue in April and fills in nice when winter hay is running low. The fescue seems to all but disappear in the summer and I get two cuttings of Bahia and then a mixed cutting in the late fall. This is the first and last patch I cut every year. I don't own this patch so it does not get much except a good dose of fertilizer about June. Well I take that back, several years ago when I very low on hay I fertilized it in early March and got a good cutting that April.

 

[rgv]

Dun -

Are you saying they lost 41 head due to not being adjusted to our MO fescue pastures?

On another note - I put in 20 acres of the Max Q, 2 years ago.
So far it is holding up. If it is new pature - why not?

I don't think I wouald tear any old pasture up just replace the old fescue with the new stuff.

RGV

 

[dun]

Dun -

Are you saying they lost 41 head due to not being adjusted to our MO fescue pastures?

On another note - I put in 20 acres of the Max Q, 2 years ago.
So far it is holding up. If it is new pature - why not?

I don't think I wouald tear any old pasture up just replace the old fescue with the new stuff.

RGV

That's pretty much it. Wouldn;t breed back, poor condition, calving problems, losing misc parts...........

I used to correspond with a lady that moved her cattle from CO to the bootheel and almost lost everyone. The vet came out and said it was fescue toxicity. She started buying in hay and kept them out of the pasture and they came around and did fine. Turned them out and they started having problems again. She ended up selling them and buying local cows

dun

 

[rgv]

Ouch -

Some of the cow sales I have been to this year, had big bunches or bred heifers that came from out west. Guess these would not be good idea.
I have always bought local cows, never realized that this could be so severe.

RGV

 

[dun]

Ouch -

Some of the cow sales I have been to this year, had big bunches or bred heifers that came from out west. Guess these would not be good idea.
I have always bought local cows, never realized that this could be so severe.

RGV

If they aren;t brought in during the winter they seem to do better. Takes about 2 years for them to adapt to the stuff and fall in line with the adapted cattle.

dun

 

[LonghornRanch]

Fescue is not good for horses.

Fescue is not good for Bred Mares, can cause a thickening of the Uterus.

Crowderfarms, thanks for explaining my odd comment. Sometimes I forget to explain myself.