For most cattlemen, the most expensive part of owning cattle is feeding them hay or other materials during the winter when pastures are not providing adequate nutrition. Therefore, any technique that can be used to reduce the stored feed requirement for a herd of cattle will likely increase profit. Stockpiling of tall fescue is one such technique.

Fescue is a particularly good forage species to use for stockpiling because it retains its green color and forage quality even after cold weather occurs. Most other forages do not exhibit this characteristic to the same degree and, in fact, the forage of many warm season species deteriorates quickly once cold weather begins.

Steps Required

When fescue growth begins in autumn is the time to begin stockpiling forage for fall and winter use in Alabama . At this time a field to be stockpiled, should be clipped or grazed closely, then the cattle should be removed, any needed fertilizer should be applied, and the grass growth which results should be allowed to accumulate growth until November or December when hay feeding would otherwise need to be begun.

Before applying fertilizer, a soil test should be taken to determine the phosphorus, potassium, and lime needs of a field to be stockpiled. Nitrogen should be applied at the rate of 60-100 lbs/A when stockpiling is begun.

During the stockpiling period, other forages that may be available on the farm such as bermudagrass, bahiagrass, summer annual grasses, lespedeza, and grass-clover mixtures should be utilized. Immediately after frost, any accumulated growth from summer forages should be grazed first before livestock are moved to stockpiled fescue fields.

The timing of the nitrogen application is quite important. Applying nitrogen too early may encourage the growth of summer grasses crabgrass and subsequently reduce the production of tall

fescue . Applying nitrogen too late will reduce the quantity of forage, which is stockpiled. Early, mid- and late September is about the right time to apply nitrogen to fescue and begin stockpiling forage in north, central, and south Alabama, respectively.

Studies have shown that with wise use and timing of fertilizer, high production can be obtained from fescue during autumn and early winter (Table 1). The crude protein and digestibility of fescue is better at this time than at any other time of the year.

Utilization of Stockpiled Forage

After frost, stockpiled grass can be grazed as "standing hay." However, light stocking will result in a lot of waste as a result of trampling. To make most efficient use of the high quality feed in stockpiled fields, a stockpiled field should be "strip grazed," allowing animals access to a 3 to 7 day supply of pasture. To accomplish this, a temporary electric fence can be installed across the field, dividing it so that the area to be grazed first has a source of water and minerals. Once the animals have grazed this area off, the fence can be moved back, opening up a new strip. This system can be repeated until an entire field has been grazed.

Stockpiled grass is an excellent choice for fall-calving cows. It can be used after calving and during the breeding system when the nutritional needs of cows are greatest.

Spring-calving cows may benefit most from grazing stockpiled grasses if they are in thin body condition in autumn. They can regain condition while grazing and be in better shape going into the winter. Spring-calvers in mid-gestation that are in good body condition may not need as high quality feed and could use lower quality feed then. Over-conditioning cows in late gestation may increase the birth weight of their calves.

Several factors affect the gain of calves grazing autumn accumulated fescue, including the endophyte status of the grass and the length of the grazing period. The presence of the fescue

endophyte will decrease gain even with the cooler temperatures of autumn.

Calves grazing endophyte infected autumn accumulated fescue gained 1.49 pounds daily in a Kentucky trial and 1.85 pounds per day in an Oklahoma trial (Table 2). Calves on endophyte free

fescue gained 2.17 pound in the Kentucky trial and 2.47 in the Oklahoma trial. A third treatment, the addition of clover, was included in the Oklahoma trial. Clover increased gain by 0.17 pounds over infected tall fescue alone, but was 0.45 pounds less than non-infected fescue.

The extent of deterioration of the autumn accumulated fescue growth will also affect gains. Therefore, gains will generally be considerably better in November and December than in January or later. The relatively high quality of autumn stockpiled tall fescue provides good gain on both weaned stock and mature cows. These gains are in response to the high crude protein and digestibility of the autumn growth of fescue. In particular, the sugar content rises to very high levels in response to lower temperature and shortening day length. This nutritional change does not take place overnight once the first frost has occurred, but rather is spread over time.

In studies in several states, the gains of calves have ranged from 1 pound to 2 pounds per day on stockpiled fescue. The highest gains on stockpiled fescue occur from endophyte-free grass, but gains of 1.5 pounds or more have sometimes occurred when calves have grazed stockpiled infected fescue. The presence of a legume such as red clover with stockpiled fescue will further increase animal gains.

Unfortunately, some toxins produced by endophyte-infected fescue remain in stockpiled forage. However, the levels are lower in autumn than spring, and the reaction of livestock to the toxins is less severe during cool weather though fescue foot can sometimes be a problem. Stockpiled forage of endophyte-free or novel endophyte tall fescue contains no fungal toxins.

Summary

Assuming there is adequate rainfall to stimulate forage growth, stockpiling tall fescue is a wonderful management technique that has the potential of extending the grazing season, providing a good return of high quality forage for each pound of nitrogen fertilizer applied (providing other elements are not lacking and the nitrogen is applied early), and provides the beef cow herd an ideal place for wintering and calving. This is a technique that should be considered by producers who use fescue in their forage programs, as it has the potential for significantly reducing stored feed requirements.