Clipping Fescue Seed Heads
ELDON COLE
MT. VERNON, MO.
Cattle for some strange reason like to strip fescue seedheads. Ironically, they do it at a time when ergot alkaloids are increasing in the fescue seedhead which could set the cattle up for toxicity issues later in the year.
The fescue plants this year began heading out in early May just like most years. By the time you read this, I’m sure you’ll see cattle stripping seedheads and they’ll continue doing it into early June. If the seedheads they’re stripping are from a novel variety it shouldn’t be much of a problem unless the true ergot is present in the plant and apparently that can happen.
Wet weather and true ergot seem to go hand-in-hand so if you have novel fescue fields, please observe them to see if the black, seed-like ergot bodies appear in the seedheads shortly after June 1. Of course at the same time look your Kentucky 31 fields over for those “mouse” droppings in the seedheads. I’ll bet you will see several this year. ∆
ELDON COLE: Extension Livestock Specialist, University of Missouri