Learn to Identify Key Forages

Weekly Newspaper Article for The News-Democrat, Carrollton, KY

(University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture)

Developing a grazing management plan for your pastures is a critical practice for livestock producers because pasture is the most economical and efficient way to feed your animals.

The first step in developing a grazing plan is identifying the forage species in your pastures.  During most of the spring and fall in Kentucky, we find cool season grasses along with some legumes.  The following descriptions are those forages we see most often:  tall fescue, orchardgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, white clover, and red clover.



TALL FESCUE

Tall Fescue (University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture)

Tall fescue is one of the most prominent forages in Kentucky.  An easy way to identify this grass is to feel the blades.  The blades of Kentucky 31 Tall Fescue, the most prevalent variety, are very rough and thick-feeling, particularly if you slide your hand down the plant towards the base.  The base is a rolled stem, with a prominent auricle where the leaf attaches to the stem.  Tall fescue is a bunch grass, and tends to grow straight up from the base of the plant.

Tall Fescue Seedhead (University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture)

Tall Fescue (University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture)

Additional Facts:

• Uses
• Pasture, hay, erosion control
• Advantages
• Ease of establishment into existing cool-season grasses.  High quality and high animal acceptance.  Long stand life.  Tolerant of wide range of soil and climatic conditions (especially cool and wet). Good seed production under grazing.
• Disadvantages
• Poor summer growth.  Low yielding.  Not good for hay.  Potential for bloat (especially in spring and with thick, lush stands).  Thick stands of established white clover can be extremely competitive with interseeded forages.
• Seeding
• Rate:  15-20 lb/a
• Depth:  1/3-1/2 in
• Primary Date:  Aug 15-Oct 1
• Secondary Date:  Feb 1-Apr 15
• Harvest
• Annual yield:  1-3 tons dry matter/

ORCHARDGRASS

Orchardgrass (University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture)

Orchardgrass is also a bunch grass, but it has a softer, smoother feel than tall fescue.  It is a more flexible and pliable grass.  It is also one of the few plants to have a flat stem at the base, making it easy to identify.  While color may vary slightly, orchardgrass looks more of a lighter gray/blue green, while tall fescue tends to be a darker green.  This species will typically only persist in a stand for 5 or 6 years, as it is less tolerable to heavy grazing.

Orchardgrass Seedhead (University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture)

Notice the Flat Stem of Orchardgrass (University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture)

 Additional Facts:

• Uses
• Primarily a hay plant, but may be used for pasture when a part of a mixture
• Advantages
• Large, first-cutting yields, high demand for hay either pure or in mixtures, grows well with alfalfa and/or red clover.  Good nutritive quality when first cutting made in boot to early head.
• Disadvantages
• Short stand life, low quality when cut late, little regrowth after first cutting.  Clumpy growth habit and sensitivity to hot temperatures limit its use in pasture.
• Seeding
• Rate:  3-6 lb/a
• Depth:  ¼-½ in
• Primary Date:  Aug 15-Oct 1
• Secondary Date:  Feb 1-Apr 15
• Harvest
• First harvest:  May 15-June 1
• Annual yield:  2-4 tons dry matter/a

KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS

Kentucky Bluegrass (University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture)

Kentucky bluegrass can be identified by its signature mark of the boat-shaped tip at the end of the blade.  It is a thin, upright grass that has a rolled stem at the base of the plant, and forms a dense sod, almost like a mat.  It may be noticed before other cool season grasses as it typically seeds sooner than orchardgrass or tall fescue.

Kentucky Bluegrass Seedhead (University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture)

Boat-Shaped Leaf Blade Tip of Kentucky Bluegrass (University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture)

Additional Facts:

• Uses
• Pasture, with limited use for hay.
• Advantages
• High quality, highly palatable, long-lived pasture plant.  Tolerates close, frequent grazing better than most grasses.  Forms tight sod.
• Disadvantages
• Low yields, low summer production, becomes dormant and brown during hot, dry summers.  More susceptible to grubs and insects than other pasture grasses. Slow to establish.  Limited adaptation area (central, northern, and northeastern Kentucky).
• Seeding
• Rate:  10-15 lb/a
• Depth:  ¼-½ in
• Primary Date:  Aug 15-Oct 1
• Secondary Date:  Feb 1-Apr 15
• Harvest
• First harvest:  May 1-May 15
• Annual yield:  1-3 tons dry matter/a 

PERENNIAL RYEGRASS

Shiny/Glossy Leaf Blades of Perennial Ryegrass (University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture)

Perennial ryegrass can look similar to tall fescue, but the grass has a smoother, thinner leaf.  Also, this grass tends to have a glossy sheen at times.  This grass is less persistent than most cool season grasses, as it is less winter hardy and not very drought tolerant.

Perennial Ryegrass Seedhead (University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture)

Perennial Ryegrass (University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture)

Additional Facts:

• Uses
• Fall and winter pasture, hay, erosion control.
• Advantages
• High nutritive quality and palatability, excellent seedling vigor, reseeds itself easily, tolerates close grazing.

• Disadvantages
•  Not always winter-hardy. Low quality after heading. Can be overly competitive in mixtures. Reseeds prolifically and can be a troublesome weed in crop fields.
• Seeding
• Rate:  20-30 lb/a
• Depth:  ¼-½ in
• Date:  Aug 15-Oct 1
• Harvest
• First harvest:  Apr 20-May 15
• Annual yield:  1-3 tons dry matter/a 

WHITE CLOVER & RED CLOVER

White clover and red clover, both legumes, can appear very similar at first glance but they actually have very distinguishable features setting them apart.  While both are clovers with true trifoliate leaves, white clover produces a white flower while red clover produces a red flower.  Red clover has hair on the stem, and white clover does not.  White clover tends to grow smaller leaves closer to the ground, while red clover will grow a bit more upright, producing larger leaves.  White clover has stolons, or underground runners, which allow the plant to grow more horizontally and cover more surface area.

White Clover Flower (University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture)

White Clover Stolons (University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture)

Additional Facts for White Clover:

• Uses
• Pasture and wildlife. 
• Advantages
• Ease of establishment into existing cool-season grasses.  High quality and high animal acceptance. Long stand life.  Tolerant of wide range of soil and climatic conditions (especially cool and wet).  Good seed production under grazing. 
• Disadvantages
• Poor summer growth.  Low yielding.  Not good for hay.  Potential for bloat (especially in spring and with thick, lush stands).  Thick stands of established white clover can be extremely competitive with interseeded forages. 
• Seeding
• Rate:  1-3 lb/a
• Depth:  ¼-½ in
• Primary Date:  Feb 1-Apr 15
• Secondary Date:  Aug 1-Sep 15 
• Harvest
• Annual yield: 1-3 tons dry matter/a  

Red Clover Flowers (University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture)

Upright Growth and Tap Root of Red Clover (University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture)

Additional Facts for Red Clover:

• Uses
• Hay, pasture, haylage.
• Advantages
• Widely adapted, good seedling vigor, complements tall fescue and other cool-season grasses.  Established easily, high yields. 
• Disadvantages
• Shorter stand life than alfalfa and white clover.  Heavy first cuttings are difficult to cure. Hay is dusty.  Overmature second cutting red clover hay may have a fungus that causes animals to slobber. 
• Seeding
• Rate:  8-12 lb/a
• Depth:  ¼-½ in
• Primary Date:  Feb 1-Apr 15
• Secondary Date:  Aug 1-Sep 15 
• Harvest
• First harvest:  May 1-May 15
• Annual yield:  2-5 tons dry matter/a 

For those forages that you have questions about their identity, please feel free to bring a sample to the Extension Office to be identified.