E-614 06/12

Hay Purchases: Grasses Not Adapted to Texas Vanessa Corriher*

Drought often causes hay shortages which Several cool-season perennial forages that are not prompt Texas producers to buy hay from other states well adapted to Texas but are widely used in other to support their livestock. These cool-season grasses regions of the United States include the following: can offer more nutritive value than warm-season Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) is used perennial forages such as bermudagrass (Cynodon primarily for pasture because it is relatively short and dactylon L.) or bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum much of its production is close to the soil surface. Flueggé). Feeding success with these forages may However, it can be harvested for hay. Its crude protein tempt us to establish these species for pasture and/or (CP) levels commonly range from 15 and 20 percent. hay production here. Kentucky bluegrass does not tolerate drought However, some cool-season perennial forages used or high temperatures and prefers mean monthly in other parts of the United States are not well adapted temperatures below 75°F. The production season is to Texas conditions. Forage species are adapted to primarily in the spring and fall, when the weather is specific soil types, rainfall, temperatures, and other cool and soil moisture is available. environmental conditions. Cool-season perennial Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) is more grasses are adapted to northern, midwestern, and sensitive to drought and poor drainage than is tall eastern regions of the United States, which have colder fescue. The production season, in areas suited for this winters and milder summers than Texas. grass, is March to July. All forages, whether warm-season or cool-season, Crude protein levels vary from 6 to 10 percent, decline in nutritive value as they mature through depending on when it is harvested. It is commonly the growing season. Have the forage analyzed to part of a forage mixture that contains other cool- determine the nutritive value of hay you purchase or season grasses and legumes, such as alfalfa, red produce. clover, lespedeza, and white clover. If you buy hay from unknown sources or Orchardgrass grows in grasslands throughout locations, you may introduce weeds onto your the adjoining 48 states, except Florida, Louisiana, property. Scout your pastures early every growing and Texas. In Alabama, Georgia, North and season to determine whether weed infestations South Carolina and Virginia, it is present only in warrant herbicide application. mountainous regions. Because temperatures above 80 to 85°F greatly reduce its growth, orchardgrass is *Assistant Professor and Extension Forage Specialist, The Texas A&M University System not a forage option for Texas. Reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) is damage the livestock that graze infected pastures or distributed across the northern United States and consume hay cut from infected stands. southern Canada along creek banks, pond margins, Cattle that consume infected tall fescue may drainage ways, and roadside ditches. It can be used suffer lower conception rates, decreased weight gain, for pasture, silage, or hay. Although reed canarygrass decreased milk production, constricted blood flow, has high nutritive value (10 to 20 percent CP) at slightly elevated body temperatures, heat intolerance, immature stages; its animal performance can be excessive nervousness, and failure to shed winter inconsistent. This inconsistency may be partly coats in the spring. because high alkaloid concentrations make the grass The toxins can also affect horses, most bitter and somewhat unpalatable. New low-alkaloid prominently in mares which have reproductive varieties are available. Reed canarygrass is not a problems during the last trimester of pregnancy. forage option for Texas. The fungus enables the tall fescue plant to resist Smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis L.) is pests, tolerate drought, and survive grazing. MaxQ or grown throughout the northern half of the United Texoma MaxQ II are endophyte-free cultivars. These States and into Canada. Disease problems render and nontoxic endophyte cultivars are available and it poorly adapted south of 40°N latitude in North are safe for livestock. South of the Missouri River, America. Smooth bromegrass produces 80 percent of endophyte-infected cultivars persist better than those its forage before June, and if harvested before the seed that are disease free. Assume that tall fescue it is head develops, crude protein levels can exceed 12 infected unless you know otherwise. percent. It is often used in mixed stands with legumes Timothy (Phleum pretense L.) is primarily used such as alfalfa or clover. Smooth bromegrass has no for hay production. This grass grows well in the cool, alkaloid or other quality problems. humid regions in the northeastern United States. It Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) is is grown from Missouri to the Atlantic coast and into used for grazing and hay production. The western southern Canada. boundary includes eastern Nebraska, Kansas, and Kentucky is considered the southern edge of Oklahoma; it grows well all the way to the Atlantic the Timothy production area. Crude protein levels coast. The western and southern limits for this grass between 7 and 17 percent are common, depending on are determined principally by availability of moisture. stage of maturity. Prolonged heat, sporadic drought, and soil with low water-holding capacity limit tall fescue persistence. This grass can perform well in the clay For more information soils of the blacklands and bottomlands of East Texas. E-272, Hay Production in Texas Most tall fescue pastures are Kentucky 31 and are E-148, Sampling Hay Bales and Pastures for Forage infected with the fungus Neotyphodium coenophialux. Analysis This fungus (endophyte) grows inside the plant, is Both are available at Texas AgriLife Bookstore at transmitted in the seed, and produces toxins that http://agrilifebookstore.tamu.edu.

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