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C2-Lancast«r Farming, Saturday, November 29,1986
Fungus Infested Fescue Can Hurt Livestock Performance
BY JULIE GOCHENOUR
Virginia Correspondent
STEELES TAVERN, Va.
Cold, wet weather didn’t dampen
the enthusiasm of farmers at
tending a field day at the VPI
Shenandoah Valley Research
Station recently. A part of Walnut
Grove Farm where Cyrus Mc-
Cormick invented the first
mechanical reaper, the VPI
facility specializes in sheep, beef
cattle and forage research. One
area of particular interest to sheep
and cattle producers, as well as
dairymen and horse breeders, is
research on fungus-free fescue.
And no wonder. There are more
than one million acres of fescue
used for hay and pasture in
Virginia, and strong producer
opinions for and against the
forage. Stands of the cool-se. son
perennial grass are easy to
establish and maintain, and work
well in livestock operations.
Farmers can count on the grass to
begin growing early in the spring
and produce strong yields of high
quality forage and hay if managed
properly. Fertilized with nitrogen
and stockpiled, fescue makes
excellent late fall and winter
grazing. Many producers who use
this practice, for example, do not
begin feeding hay until late
January.
But fescue also causes livestock
producers quite a few headaches.
Although as nutritious as or
chardgrass fescue does not yield
consistent animal performance.
Animals grazing fescue in mid
summer tend to lag behind those
on other grass pastures. Milk
production in lactating animals on
fescue is also reduced during this
period, contributing to lower
weaning weights in young stock
coming off the pastures. Fur
thermore, other problems
livestock experience on fescue are
increasingly attributed to a fungus
discovered in the plant 10 years
ago.
Sampling in Virginia has shown
that 75 percent of fields checked
around the state had fungus in 50
percent or more of the plants with
all fields showing some degree of
infestation. This infestation has
been clearly linked to poor animal
performance and impaired
reproduction. A fungus level of 40
percent or more can produce
moderate to severe effects in
livestock, although no level of the
fungus in fescue can be considered
completely safe, researchers
believe.
Pregnant dairy heifers and dry
cows grazing fescue in late sum
mer and fall have been reported to
produce less than anticipated
amounts of milk after freshening.
Yearling cattle have been reported
to gain 0.1 pound per day less for
each 10 percent increase in the
level of fungus infestation in a
given fescue pasture. There is also
some evidence of reduced
reproduction in sheep grazing
Pictured are winners and buyers at Franklin County's
Capon Roundup. Francis Upperman (left) of Surge Dairy
Farm Equipment, bought Lee Golden’s reserve champion.
Wayne Myers sold, his grand champion to Phillip Lobaugh of
Agway.
infested fescue during the breeding
season.
In addition to generally poor
performance, other problems are
directly associated with the intake
of infested tall fescue, including
fescue foot. Fescue foot generally
occurs in cold weather and symp
toms include a rough hair coat,
excess blood in the band at the top
of the hoof and sourness in the hind
legs that results in limping.
Eventually the hooves can slough
off from loss of blood circulation
due to swelling if the problem is not
taken care of.
However, the presence of the
fungus in fescue has been most
closely linked to the summer
syndrome occuring in cattle during
the hotter summer months when
temperatures go above 80°.
Symptoms include low pasture
gains or reduced growth, lowered
milk production and poor con
ception/reproductive per
formance. Severely affected
animals also have a rough coat,
higher body temperature and
respiration rate, excessive
salivation and seek out shady or
wet spots in the pasture to stand.
It is generally believed that the
fungus causes the fescue to
produce certain unknown
chemicals that are toxic to animals
eating the plants. An endophyte,
the fungus is found only between
the cell walls, usually in the stem
and seed stalk, of the fescue. As the
seedhead develops, the fungus
invades the developing seeds and
spreads when these infected seeds
germinate. The appearance of the
plant is not affected by the fungus
and the endophyte can only be
detected through tissue analysis.
Researchers call the discovery
of the fescue fungus “a significant
break through” in forage research,
although they’re quick to note the
endophyte has always been
present in fescue. Having pin
pointed the cause of fescue
toxicosis is more than half the
battle they claim, and good
management practices will go a
long way in controlling the
problem. By including legumes in
existing fescue pastures,
producers can greatly reduce the
adverse effect that eating infected
plants may have on cattle.
Another recommended
management practice is con
trolling the spread of infested
fescue into areas where it is not
already present. This simply
means clipping pastures before
seeds mature, not allowing cattle
grazing mature fescue or those
that are fed rescue hay with viable
seed in it to graze in other pastures
so it cannot be spread through
manure and, finally, not feeding
fescue hay containing viable
mature seed in areas where fescue
is not wanted.
Grazing cattle on pastures
containing limited amounts of
fescue in mid-summer will reduce
or eliminate the effects of the
summer syndrome. If symptoms
are observed in cattle they should
be moved to another pasture with a
lower concentration of fescue. If
this isn’t possible the fescue intake
should be diluted by feeding
another forage or grain to reduce
the severity of the adverse effects,
experts recommend. Do not graze
sheep on fescue during breeding
season if at all possible.
There are currently several
fungus-free varieties of fescue
seed on the market that are well
adapted to the climate of the Mid-
Atlantic region, but establishing a
new stand of fungus-free fescue
can be expensive to impossible on
rolling pastureland. Overseeding
fescue stands with clover has
become a popular practice with
some producers as it reduces both
the effects of fungus infested
fescue and nitrogen costs for
fertilizing the forage and improves
their summer forage.
Before overseeding fescue with
clover, soil samples should be
taken and the fields fertilized
accordingly. The fescue must also
be grazed down close enough to
pass the shoe sole test before
seeding, and early fescue growth
should be grazed or clipped in the
spring to reduce competition for
the emerging clover.
If the fescue is to be used for both
hay and pasture, Virginia
agronomists recommend over
seeding with four pounds of red
and one pound of ladino seed per
acre and five pounds of red clover
if the field will be hayed only. In
either case, however, they note,
producers can still expect to have
to overseed every three to four
years to maintain 25 percent levels
of legumes in the fescue stands—
even under ideal situations. Any
lower percentage will not reduce
the adverse effects of infested
fescue.
Researchers agree that it will be
many years, if ever, before fungus
free stands are common. In the
meantime, they emphasize, fescue
toxicosis is not a reason for panic.
Proper management of fields and
pastures, and an awareness of
symptoms, are all most producers
need to stay on top of the situation.
Judging Tender Gaps Is Tough Job For Poultry Specialist
BY GINGER SECRIST MYERS
Adams Co. Correspondent
CHAMBERSBURG - Wayne
Myers, Chambersburg, got an
early Christmas present at the 16th
Annual Franklin County 4-H Capon
Club Round-up and Sale held
Tuesday, Nov. 18 at Wilson
College. Myers’ 10-pound capon
bested the competition from
among 29 project birds displayed
by the county’s 11 Capon Club
members to be designated grand
champion of the show. The show
and the sale that followed were
sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of
Chambersburg.
A second-year capon club
member, Myers said that he was
surprised at his winning score of 95
out of a possible 100 points. Agway
of Chambersburg purchased the
Champion bird for $8 per pound.
Farm Credit of Chambersburg
presented Myers with a plaque for
displaying the champion bird.
Wayne plans to use the proceeds
from his capon’s sale to buy
Christmas gifts for his family.
Reserve grand champion honors
went to an 11%-pound bird
displayed by Lee Golden,
Greencastle. Auctioneer John
Kohler sold this bird for a final bid
of $7 a pound from Francis Up
perman, representing Surge Dairy
Farm Equipment, Chambersburg.
All the remaining project birds
were sold in the $2.25 to $3.75 per
pound range.
Serving as judge for the show
was Herb Jordan, poultry
specialist from Penn State. Jordan
noted that, “This show is a little
better than the average county
n;sc
(right) Jtyat. ginia
Polytechnic Institute's Shenandoah Valley Research Station
field day.
Testing Your Pastures
To determine the infestation
level of a pasture, it is
necessary to obtain a good
plant tissue sample for
analysis. The fungus is con
centrated in tillers, stems that
bear the seed head, and, later
m the season, in the seed it
self. A minimum of 30 tillers is
required for each sample
taken from the lowest four
inches of the plant, and tillers
should not have bolted or
include roots or soil. Mature
stands of fescue will consist of
crowns from which only a
single tiller should be taken.
Samples should be collected
at random points throughout
the field, taking care to avoid
fencerows, ditches and other
areas not typical of the
pasture as a whole. More than
one sample is suggested for
pastures larger than 30 acres.
Producers should also be
careful not to collect ryegrass,
show. I gave out more blue ribbons
than reds or whites. These birds
are a little bigger than average. In
fact, I had to really look for things
to judge down on.”
Directing his comments to the
4-Hers in the audience, Jordan
explained that when judging
capons he checks if the birds have
been chilled properly, checks if the
breast is tender or rigid, and
whether it will make a 10-pound
dressed carcass. He noted that he
judges for pinkness in the skin due
to retained blood, pin feathers and
over-scalding of the birds. He
stressed to the youth that, “Penn
sylvania is always one, two or
For Fungus
orchardgrass or other grasses
that could possibly be con
fused with fescue when im
mature.
The ideal packaging method
is to place the samples in a
slightly damp (not wet) paper
towel, seal in a plastic bag and
mail to the laboratory in a
padded envelope. Farmers
interested in determining the
level of fungus infection in
existing pastures can send
samples, clearly marked, to;
Fescue Toxicity Diagnostic
Center
Plant Disease Laboratory
Auburn University, AL 36849
A $25 fee is charged for each
plant sample, $3O for each
seed sample. Samples should
be mailed first class or
priority mail on Monday
morning to keep mailing time
at a minimum. Checks can be
made out to the Fescue
Toxicity Diagnostic Center.
three in the nation for 4-H capon
projects.”
County Capon Club leader Doris
Meyers explained to the Kiwanis
Club members, “We may not be a
major club in the county, but when
it comes to profits, we can really
crow.”
Past leaders Sam Barkdoll, the
founder of the county club, and Ed
Brake, a leader for 14 years,
echoed Meyers, commenting that
the Capon Club got its start in the
county as a project where the kids
could make a profit. They agreed
that even outside the round-up
sale, Capon Club members can
command at least $1.50 per pound
for their birds.