Fescue Toxicity

An Overview

Abstract

Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) is the most important cool-season grass grown in the United States providing the primary ground cover on approximately 35 million acres. It is a versatile plant used for livestock feed, lawns, turf and conservation purposes, and is adapted to a wide range of soil and climatic conditions. Tall fescue is relatively easy to establish, persistent, relatively free of disease and insect pests, produces high dry matter yields when properly fertilized and compares favorably to many other cool-season grasses when analyzed chemically. Despite all the many positive attributes of this grass, animal performance on Kentucky 31 has been erratic and oftentimes less than desired by producers and reseachers.