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Novel Fescue Opens Eyes
ELDON COLE
MT. VERNON, MO.
On numerous occasions, I’ve written in this letter or in news releases to the media about the improvement in beef cattle performance when they are put on the novel fescues. Whether you call them novel, friendly, cool or whatever the real payoff is when you see how animal gain and reproduction are improved.
Last week at the Mt. Vernon grazing school, we took the 40 attendees to three different places that have some type of grazing management system in place. Their systems involve backgrounding 700 lb. steers, running a beef cowherd and a combination of cows and yearlong stocker program starting with 300 lb. calves.
Each of these operations do many management practices to dilute the negatives of Kentucky 31 “hot” fescue. Dilution is helpful no doubt, but the question is, does the dilution cost less than the conversion of “hot” fescue to the “novels”? Conversion runs in the $200 per acre cost range. A host on the tour said conversion cost could run in the $250 range.
A big cost in the conversion is the year or so time you won’t get much production for your cattle in grazing or hay. We’ve accepted long ago after the novels were developed that not everyone would jump on the novel bandwagon. Quite a few have converted and report very positive outcomes. On the tour last week, one farm was cutting the novel brand, Texoma. It was established last fall and they couldn’t have been happier with the results. Estimates were the yield would probably be 5 to 6, 1100-pound bales of dry hay. That hay will go under roof and be very dry when baled. The target of moisture will be 15-16 percent.
If you plan to stay in the cattle business, long-term, and have a next generation coming into your business, think about the potential benefits of conversion. Weaned calf weights typically jump as much as 75 lbs. at 205 days. Cow pregnancy rates can approach the 90 percent + compared to 75 to 80 percent on Ky 31. Stocker gains will advance from 0.25 to 0.5 lb. per day compared to plain, old Ky31.
Use your converted acreages to the novels on your most needful classes of cattle whether it’s lightweight stockers or cows/heifers you may be trying to breed in hot weather. ∆
ELDON COLE: Extension Livestock Specialist, University of Missouri
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