Maximizing Fall and Winter Grazing of Beef Cows and Stocker Cattle

Bulletin 872-98

Fescue Hay

Fescue hay has a reputation as being low-quality hay. Most of the reason is the haymaker and not the grass. Most hay is made at or after seed maturity. Anytime a cool-season plant matures, quality drops rapidly (Kilgore et al., 1980). Crude protein will drop 0.5% per day from boot stage to mature seed stage. Research in southern Ohio (Sulc et al., 1997) indicated that endophyte-free and endophyte-infected fescue mixed with orchardgrass had crude protein levels between 11 and 12% on May 31. The secret to fescue hay production is adequate fertility and early cutting. Early grazing of hayfields prior to plants maturing to boot stage can delay maturity and still maintain acceptable yields. Since hay quite often is not harvested until June, the first cutting of hay can be considered a "second cutting." Make hay when fescue starts to show a few seed heads.

Table 7. Management Practices for Utilizing Established Tall Fescue for Winter Grazing

1. Graze or mow the fescue down to two to three inches during July-August depending on location, yield, and quality desired. Overgrazing slows recovery while undergrazing allows low-quality growth to carry over into winter.

2. Topdress with 50 lbs. of nitrogen per acre during July-August. This is also a good time to apply nutrients according to soil tests. Do not permit the pH to fall below 6.0. Nitrogen may be reduced or omitted if an excellent stand of clover is present. Applying nitrogen each year is likely to cause the pH to drop, so lime will need to be applied more often than on less intensively managed pastures.

   The phosphate and potash application should be applied when needed. If only a small amount is needed, one could apply a two-year supply every other year.

3. If the fescue is used both spring and fall, nitrogen should be applied spring and fall. Spring-applied nitrogen does not carry over for fall growth, and fall applications of nitrogen do not increase spring performance (Kilgore et al., 1980). However, spring applications can reduce legume populations.

4. Keep livestock off until the fall growth of other pastures is grazed (usually November or December), then turn the cows on the tall fescue utilizing strip-grazing techniques.

5. If a legume is desired, overseed with 2 lbs. each of ladinoand red clover per acre in February or March after the tall fescue is grazed down. This may be done by broadcasting seed and depending on freezing, thawing, and cattle trampling to cover the seed. If seeding cannot be done before spring growth starts or if the fescue thatch is heavy, better results are obtained with a sod seeder and a contact herbicide (Decker et al., 1985). Depending on how much clover you want in your fescue, seed about one-fourth of the acreage each year at this time.

6. Tall fescue usually starts spring growth earlier than other grasses, so graze the tall fescue-clover in the spring. If controlled grazing is used, grazing may be continued until August.

7. If some of the tall fescue is used for spring grazing, a hay cutting may be made when the plants are in early head. This provides hay for deficient periods and improves the quality of the tall fescue for summer grazing or second cutting hay.