What is the toxin in fescue that everyone talks about?
Fescue has a fungus that grows inside the plant that helps it reduce insect feeding and provides the plant with some drought tolerance. These funguses are known as endophyte funguses and have alkaloids in them that can be toxic to cattle if consumed in high quantities. A good manager can work around this problem with some grazing management and still profit from the availability of high quality green forage during the winter months.
