MONTGOMERY CITY, Missouri – Start stocking tall fescue in mid-August to have healthier, more profitable cattle, says Rusty Lee, agronomist with the University of Missouri Extension.

Storing fescue extends the grazing season and reduces the need for hay feeding. “Winter feed costs are the single largest expense for the rancher,” Lee says in a press release. The best way to reduce these costs is to let cattle graze longer and feed them hay for shorter periods.

Fescue is Missouri’s most popular forage. Growers prefer it for its durability, resistance to insects and diseases, and long growing season. When growth slows in mid-October, its forage value is maintained thanks to waxy cuticles that protect the leaves from the elements.

Stockpiling is all about managing the growth of new fescue plants, Lee says. The benefits are less labor, lower costs and less time. Compared to other stored forage crops, tall fescue contains more crude protein and energy. The new growth is also high in carbohydrates and least toxic in late winter.

Lee’s recipe for successful stocking is to start with 3-6 inches of foliage on pastures in August. Producers should remove cattle from pastures in mid-August and then fertilize 40-60 pounds of nitrogen per acre.

Keep your cattle out of pastures to allow grass to grow. The longer the plants grow, the better, Lee says.

When planted densely, each inch of fescue equals 300 to 400 pounds of forage, he says. Even sparse stands yield 150 to 250 pounds per inch of growth per acre.

Aim for one hectare of well-stored tall fescue per cow, Lee recommends. That should feed a 540 kg cow for 60 days or more.

Stop grazing fescue while new growth is emerging until growth stops in late November or early December. Add additional forage as needed, as the crude protein content in stored tall fescue decreases over the winter.

Resume grazing in December and practice strip grazing for optimal use. Use temporary high tensile electric fencing and stepping posts to section off paddocks. Move fenceless cows to a fresh paddock every one to three days to stretch the forage and get the best quality, starting with the paddock closest to the water supply.

Moving the fence takes about 30 minutes a day, whether you have 20 cows or 100, Lee says. It’s time well spent because feed costs drop from $1.56 to 50 cents per cow per day.

Move the wire to clear two to three days of pasture, he recommends. Calculate the herd’s daily needs and allow for 70% utilization when moving the wire every two days to calculate the strip size needed.

If you fertilize earlier than mid-August, the quality of the forage will be poorer and yields will not be significantly higher. If you delay stocking, you will get higher quality forage but lower yields, Lee says.

Storage also offers another advantage: manure is distributed more evenly across the entire pasture, rather than accumulating around feeding troughs or rings.

Lee says now is the time to order seed for frost planting, as seed is sometimes in short supply. In previous years, agronomists recommended frost planting in February, but Lee says weather and climate changes now suggest January is better.

Learn more by watching MU Integrated Pest Management’s YouTube video “Fall Forage Stockpiling” at https://youtu.be/oxs8pOFPwg4.