All mythes about tall fescue can be set aside

What did you investigate?

“Our research focused on offering climate‑adaptive strategies to livestock farmers for their grassland cultivation. The study was mainly centred on drought. In recent years, we have seen that drought leads to lower forage yields and reduced forage quality. As a result, the cost price of a litre of milk increases. Altogether, this is not sustainable. We therefore explored drought‑tolerant grass species such as tall fescue, cocksfoot and festulolium; a hybrid between meadow fescue and Italian ryegrass. Only for tall fescue did we conduct both cultivation trials and feeding trials, comparing it with perennial ryegrass, because tall fescue shows the greatest potential.”

What are the conclusions?

“Tall fescue is superior in yield. This is something we already knew from the literature, but it has now been confirmed once again through recent field research with the newest varieties. We did four years of research. In dry years, tall fescue produces 45 percent more dry matter than perennial ryegrass, and in wet years around 20 percent more. The combination of tall fescue with red clover is very promising.”

What makes the combination of tall fescue and clover so special?

Tall fescue is often said to have lower digestibility and lower intake. However, when tall fescue is combined with enough red clover, dry‑matter intake and milk production remain equal to perennial ryegrass. For this, you should think of 30 to 40 percent red clover in the silage.

 

Integrating tall fescue into the cropping plan is a smart insurance strategy.

Maarten Cromheeke - ILVO

How would you translate this conclusion to the farm level?

“In our research, we grew a monoculture of tall fescue and a monoculture of red clover. We then mixed in different proportions of clover. In practice, of course, this works differently: red clover is added to a mixture containing tall fescue. Clover has a spring dip and a summer peak: in spring there is about 20 percent clover present in the sward, rising to as much as 80 percent in summer. This is why a 'lasagne silage', where all cuts are layered in the clamp, is a very good solution. When feeding, this gives you the ideal balance between tall fescue and red clover.”

How would you apply tall fescue on a dairy farm?

“Including tall fescue in the cropping plan is a solid form of insurance; its roots grow more than a metre deep into the soil. As a livestock farmer, you know exactly which fields are most prone to drought. By sowing those fields with tall fescue, you make your farm more climate‑adaptive. It offers both ecological and economic benefits, especially when combined with red clover. Pure grass requires 300 to 360 kilos of nitrogen per year, whereas a grass‑clover sward can manage with 140 to 170 kilos of nitrogen. That is a major advantage.”

Does tall fescue continue to deliver high yields over the years?

“After sowing, tall fescue puts most of its energy into developing a strong root system, which leads to lower yields initially, especially for the first and second cuts in the first year. After that, it levels out. In the second year, tall fescue surpasses perennial ryegrass by a wide margin, and this trend continues in the following years. It is also striking that the crude protein content of tall fescue is equal to or higher than that of perennial ryegrass. Given the high dry‑matter yields, you would expect a dilution effect, but this does not occur. When tall fescue is grown with clover, the crude protein content is on average even higher than in pure grass.”

Over the course of a full growing season, tall fescue often absorbs more nitrogen than is applied through slurry and fertiliser. We did not investigate the exact cause of this, but we do expect nutrient leaching to be lower with tall fescue due to its deep root system. As a result, very few minerals are lost. My personal conclusion is that tall fescue also utilises the atmospheric nitrogen deposition — whether dry or wet — that falls onto the pasture. This would explain why it takes up more nitrogen than is applied mechanically.

The combination of tall fescue and red clover shows strong potential

 

Maarten Cromheeke - ILVO

Tall fescue is said to be less palatable. Cows would eat less of it and produce less milk. Can this myth be dismissed?

“Absolutely! Dairy farmers have no reason at all to be afraid of using tall fescue. In the rations we examined — consisting of 60 percent dry matter from grass‑clover, 30 percent dry matter from maize and 10 percent dry matter from pressed pulp — we saw no differences in intake. What remains are only the ecological and economic benefits of tall fescue in combination with red clover. I can confidently say that all myths about tall fescue can be thrown overboard.”

What tips do you have for harvesting tall fescue?

“When tall fescue is mown, it lies loosely on the field, causing the leaves to dry quickly. It’s important to take this into account when mowing. If you need to mow several fields, for example those with perennial ryegrass, mow the tall‑fescue field last. There is no need to ted, and the tall fescue should be raked just before the forage harvester arrives. This prevents the crop from becoming too dry before it goes into the silage clamp. The rapid drying of tall fescue also makes the combination with clover more attractive, as red clover dries more slowly. This results in an ideal dry‑matter content. Another tip is to mow the very first cut of tall fescue early. Since tall fescue establishes slowly after sowing, early mowing is recommended to suppress weed pressure, even though the first cut will not yet be at full yield.”

Is there an optimum amount of tall fescue to have on your farm?

“This naturally depends on the specific farm situation, but my feeling is that tall fescue can make up 30 to 50 percent of the total grass area on a farm. It fits very well alongside modern, fast‑digestible, high‑sugar ryegrasses. Tall fescue provides a healthy share of NDF in contrast. In addition, I believe that for every dairy farmer the same advice applies: add clover to achieve the highest possible economic and ecological benefit.”

Is there still room for further breeding progress in tall fescue?

“I believe so. Breeding progress in perennial ryegrass is already well advanced, but tall fescue still offers clear potential. Companies like Barenbrug are actively working on this.”

What is NutriFibre?

NutriFibre® technology combines grasses with a strong, deep root system and nutritious, protein‑rich leaves. As a result, mixtures with NutriFibre outperform conventional grasses on four key points.

Mineral efficient because NutriFibre uses minerals very efficiently,

Healthy cows because NutriFibre has leaf material rich in structural fibre,

Highest protein yield because NutriFibre delivers a high (protein) output,

Climate resistent because a NutriFibre peforms excellently under extreme drought as well as prolonged wet conditions.

Grass seed mixtures with NutriFibre provide optimal forage for the modern dairy farmer. The NutriFibre technology offers farmers a reliable solution for their farm management under a wide range of conditions. Across Europe, many dairy farmers have already chosen NutriFibre. They feed this grass to their cows with great satisfaction.