How will animals perform on novel endophyte-infected tall fescue?
Cow-calf performance data on novel tall fescue is limited, but weaning weight responses are promising. In the first two years of a study conducted in northwest Georgia, cows grazing novel endophyte infected tall fescue tended to have higher body condition scores and weights than cows that grazed toxic tall fescue. Steer and heifer calves grazing novel tall fescue also had approximately 50 and 60 pounds greater weaning weights, respectively, than contemporaries grazing toxic tall fescue (Figure 3). Results from the third year of this study indicate similar improvements in weaning weight for calves grazing MaxQTM. Cattle numbers were too small to determine if reproductive characteristics were positively affected; however, performance of cow-calf pairs on MaxQTM tall fescue appears to be excellent.
