Does fescue make good hay for cattle?

Does fescue make good hay for cattle?

One is forage quality. While fescue out-produces many other grasses, it is somewhat coarser. However, for cow-calf production, fescue can almost be considered ideal. Cows do not need to gain appreciable weight, and a grass that provides large amounts of forage most of the year is just what is needed.

What is Max Q hay?

Max Q is the name trade-marked by Pennington Seed for a new non-toxic endophyte technology. This non-toxic endophyte inserted into tall fescue furnishes the excellent animal performance of endophyte-free tall fescue varieties but has the toughness and stand persistence of toxic endophyte-infected varieties.

Why is fescue bad for cows?

The very thing that makes fescue so hardy and tough makes it toxic to livestock. In the late 1970s, researchers in Georgia found fescue hosts an endophyte (fungus) that can produce toxic compounds called ergovaline, responsible for livestock disorders such as fescue foot, bovine fat necrosis and fescue toxicity.

Can cows eat tall fescue?

In fact, some tolerate it quite well and live long, healthy lives grazing it daily. Tall fescue affects different species, different breeds and even individual animals in different ways. Cattle, horses, sheep and goats all can be affected in some way by the toxins the endyophyte produces.

What grass makes the best hay for cattle?

Alfalfa
Alfalfa- It is probably the best high quality feed for livestock and as a cash crop but it requires deep, well drained soils and high fertility for high yields. While it can be used for grazing, it is best adapted for hay or silage.

What grass is bad for cows?

Sorghum, Sudans, Millets and Corn. Four main categories of sorghum and millets are grain sorghum, forage sorghum, sudangrass and sorghum-sudan-grass hybrids. These all put grazing cattle at risk for prussic acid HCN poisoning. Curing removes prussic acid from sorghum hay but leaves nitrates as a risk to cattle.

What is endophyte free fescue?

Endophyte-free tall fescue varieties do not contain the fungal endophyte making them non-toxic, but this compromises the plant survival characteristics of wild-type endoph. yte infected tall fescue.

Is fescue good for hay?

Growing three to four feet high, tall fescue can produce an abundance of hay or silage material when well managed. Hay should be harvested in the early maturity stage when the grass produces the best quality and rate of digestibility. After the first harvest, cut re-growth 4-6 weeks later.

What grasses are bad for cows?

Is tall fescue bad for lawn?

Tall fescue is one of the more important cool season grasses. Of all the types of grass, this is one of the few cool season grasses that can do well in areas outside of what is considered its normal adaptation zone. It even does well in the dry heat of southern California, where it is a popular turfgrass.

What grass makes the best hay?

Kentucky bluegrass, orchardgrass and timothy are all examples of common grasses used for hay. Benefits: Grass hay is lower in protein and energy than legume hay — but it’s also higher in fiber, which can make it a good choice for many horses.

Do cows prefer grass or hay?

Hay is the staple forage in most cattle operations. Hay is forage (grass and alfalfa) that has been cut, dried, and made into bales. It would be similar to us eating dried fruit, for example.

How does MAXQ tall fescue grass see help cattle?

MaxQ Tall Fescue Grass See is a breakthrough technology combining a non-toxic fungus with an endophyte free tall fescue pasture grass. MaxQ is a healthy forage for cattle, horses and sheep – no concerns of fescue toxicities MaxQ is a financial boost for cattle farmers: more pounds of beef per acre

What kind of grass is MAXQ cool season?

MaxQ™ is a cool season tall fescue perennial pasture grass with friendly endophytes. MaxQ is completely natural and is produced with no chemicals or genetic engineering. The data is in about the benefits of MaxQ Tall Fescue Grass for pastures.

Is the tall fescue grass harmful to horses?

Traditional tall fescue pasture grasses are persistent, yet can be toxic to horses, cattle, sheep and other livestock. Traditional (Kentucky 31) Tall Fescue grass would cause lower weaning rates, poor cattle performance, and low birth rates.

What kind of grass is best for cattle?

See our Tall Fescue Grass Resources section below for detailed information about endophytes, fescue toxicity, friendly endophytes, and MaxQ tall fescue grass for pastures. MaxQ™ enhanced tall fescue provides excellent permanent pastures for cattle, sheep and horses.