>> Our best forage
>> to stockpiling under snow or into winter is tall fescue, perhaps meadow
>> fescue would stockpile well also, but don't have enough experience with
>> that.
> --------------I've yet to meet a tall fescue I like here in WI. The
> promises of "soft-leaved" TF are exagerated, to say the least. Yes,
cattle
> will eat stuff if they absolutely have no alternatives but critter
> performance suffers.
> And you're devoting valuable real estate to growing TF when there are far
> more productive cool season grasses. (I'm not going to say that others
> should not find merit in TF but our pasture walk group's experiences
aren't
> positive on TF for cattle).
Our experiences are very different. Both cattle and sheep prefer the
Barolex TF over low alkaloid Reed Canary grass at all stages.
Orchard and brome are indeed more palatible, given the choice. Our TF
orginally was seeded with alfalfa, as that played out I've now established
some Kopu II in it. Yield wise, TF is pretty darn close to the RCG but
they consume much more of the TF hay.
Smooth brome and orchard are behind this in yield. I've yet to lose any TF
to winter kill but routinely lose orchardgrass, never lost smooth brome. I
haven't seen any rust on the TF, but do on the orchard grass.
Through fall and winter TF loses the least quality left in the field.
If your going to try grazing through winter, TF is going to be part of the
mix.
Gene Schriefer
Shepherd
Dodgeville, Wisconsin USA
Commercial Texel-x and Charollais-x Sheep
Red Poll Cattle
