Fescue Toxicity Syndrome

Abstract

Tall fescue is the predominant cool-season grass in a large section of the United States bounded approximately by a line south from Topeka, KS to Tyler, TX, east to Macon, GA, northeast to Philadelphia and west to Topeka. Most of the estimated 35 million acres of tall fescue in that area is the Kentucky 31 (KY 31) cultivar. It is a persistent grass, adapted to a wide range of soil and climatic conditions. Tall fescue is a near perfect plant for soil conservation. It yields a lot of forage and responds well to nitrogen application. The chemical composition compares favorably to orchardgrass, timothy and bromegrass.