Tall fescue versus orchardgrass
Tall fescue may be just as good a grass for irrigated pastures as the more traditional orchardgrass, according to research at the Agriculture Canada range research station in Kamloops.
The area of tall fescue in the lower mainland of B.C. has increased greatly in recent years. It produces up to 20 percent more dry matter than orchardgrass, it is nutritious, long-lived and tolerates heavy traffic. Tall fescue and alfalfa flower at almost the same time, so, in a mix, both can be cut for hay at close to the ideal stage. New varieties of tall fescue, such as Courtenay, are hardy enough to survive in the interior of B.C.
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To compare the two grasses, researchers at Kamloops seeded two tall fescue and two orchardgrass pastures on irrigated land in the spring of 1990.
In the seeding year, hay yield from the two harvests was 11 percent more from orchardgrass than from fescue (3.6 vs 3.2 tons/acre).
The following year, an early hay harvest from fescue was 45 percent greater (2.9 vs 2.0 tons/ac) and cattle rotationally grazing from July 3 to Sept. 27 gained slightly more on tall fescue than on orchardgrass (280 vs 245 lb/ac.)
In 1992 and 1993 cattle rotationally grazed both grasses from late April to mid-September. During this grazing period tall fescue provided more animal-days of grazing 463 vs 410 days per acre per year, but slightly less gain per day than orchardgrass (average daily gain of 1.28 vs 1.44 lb. or 0.58 vs 0.65 kg).
Overall, tall fescue produced more dry matter per acre than orchardgrass. Both grasses produced similar amounts of beef per acre since the cattle’s average daily gain on fescue was slightly lower than on orchardgrass. This may have been due to tall fescue’s lower palatability.
Management can reduce the chance of fescue toxicity, a potential problem on tall fescue pastures. Fescue toxicity, also known as summer slump, is due to a fungus that lives in the base of the grass.
The fungus, called endophyte, cuts gain, and in severe cases causes sloughing of hoofs, and feet and leg injuries. Planting endophyte-free seed prevents fescue toxicity – the fungus apparently doesn’t invade the grass except at the seed stage. Seed certified to be endophyte-free is commercially available.
– Agriculture Canada
