fescue good or bad ?

[double v]

just wondering who out there has had or is having trouble raising good growing cattle on fescue grass??? just wondering, and how's it growing this year??

 

[alacattleman]

mine do fine,, hate too be without it and dallis grass both... ""here""

 

[dun]

We don;t have a problem with it, if it wasn;t for fesceu (high endophyte) there wouldn't be any beef cattle in this part of the country. It was growing great, started to slow down when the heat hit. Then the rains stopped so it's all brown and crunchy underfoot.

 

[double v]

was thinking of trying a warm season grass for haying and grazing. any ideals for here in missouri, up my way grass is still growing real good. we have had plenty of rain so far but i think it might be coming to an end, but second cutting is looking good this year

 

[dun]

Until early june it looked like we would get a second cutting, doesn;t look like it anymore. Our cows must be the oddbalss since they will barely eat WSG. The hay I put up from it is nothing but bedding as far as they're concerned. Find a bale of good WSG and see if they will eat it first before spending the bucks to get it established. Check also will your local NRCS office to see if they have a cost share for establishing it. The seed is pricey but the spraying and drilling adds up pretty quickly too.

 

[snakegap]

My cows didn't eat some really nice bermuida hay this winter but they are hunting down any johnson grass they can find right now.

 

[double v]

how much is johnson seed per pd, what kind of soil does it need?

 

[agmantoo]

My fescue is holding fine. We have hit on rather lengthy dry spell of about 3 weeks long then got a couple of good showers. I cut the seed heads off earlier and the fescue is trying to make another seed head rather than going dormant. As is I should have no problem making it thru the balance of Summer. As for as a warm season grass I have tried most grasses that I thought may have a chance here in zone 7 and to date Red River crab grass has done the best. I let it reseed the first year after planting and now it is on its second year and I have a stand that I am impressed with. The RRCG is good to interseed with fescue as they seem to compliment rather than compete. I took this pic about a week ago. This is a mix of fescue and sericea lespedeza. I have been holding off grazing this area as I want to get the root system well established and some energy stored in them.

 

[alacattleman]

My cows didn't eat some really nice bermuida hay this winter but they are hunting down any johnson grass they can find right now.

all will go to johnson grass,, but as far as bermuda hay never seen one >>>here<<<<< turn it down

 

[alacattleman]

how much is johnson seed per pd, what kind of soil does it need?

look at other sorgums like sudex and sudan grass

 

[tncattle]

the heifers I had and have now seem to do just fine on the Fescue I have. But my 28 acre pasture has just as much Johnson & Bermuda so they have a good mix. It also has some good clover patches. If I get to keep it for next yr. I'll seed some more clover.

 

[double v]

anybody having trouble with fescue foot (long toes), just wondering.

 

[dun]

anybody having trouble with fescue foot (long toes), just wondering.

Long toes is NOT fescue foot. Fescue foot is a swelling/painfull foot. A lot like footrot but antibiotics won;t do a thing for it.

 

[alacattleman]

anybody having trouble with fescue foot (long toes), just wondering.

Long toes is NOT fescue foot. Fescue foot is a swelling/painfull foot. A lot like footrot but antibiotics won;t do a thing for it.

ive lost a few tail switchs in the past,,,,,,, and yes these fell off

 

[smuff76]

how much is johnson seed per pd, what kind of soil does it need?

Johnsongrass is a prohibited weed in Missouri. You can't buy or sell it in the state and it is illegal to sell a bag of seed (a 50# bag of fescue, orchardgrass, whatever) if there is even 1 seed found in the test.

 

[alacattleman]

how much is johnson seed per pd, what kind of soil does it need?

Johnsongrass is a prohibited weed in Missouri. You can't buy or sell it in the state and it is illegal to sell a bag of seed (a 50# bag of fescue, orchardgrass, whatever) if there is even 1 seed found in the test.

personally although cows love it i could do without it,,i lost a calf to it a few years back

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Why not just add some lespedeza. just don't use the serecia.