Rough and ready Tall fescue

摘要

Managed well, this hardy and persistent grass offers high gains. We had a grazing tour pass through the Nappan Experimental Farm this past summer, and we discussed our pasture finishing trials, comparing Red clover and Tall fescue. Up to that point inthe trials we had found there was a slight advantage in animal gains with the Red clover, though both species were producing gains exceeding 3.5 Ibs per head per day. That's pretty decent by anyone's standards, whether you're talking about a pasture ora forage-based feedlot. Yet as we were looking at the Tall fescue sward, a member of the group asked, somewhat incredulously, "You wouldn't actually recommend that a farmer grow this grass, would you?" It is not hard to understand where this comment came from. Tall fescue (not to be confused with its much milder cousin Meadow fescue) has physical qualities that put its suitability in question.