Tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus) is a perennial cool-season grass widely cultivated across the United States. Producers value this grass for its hardiness and ability to tolerate diverse soil and climate conditions, making it a reliable source of livestock feed. Identifying fescue hay, whether growing or dried, requires attention to specific botanical characteristics that distinguish it from other common forages. Recognizing these physical traits helps assess the hay’s texture, maturity, and suitability for various animal diets.
Identifying Fescue as a Growing Plant
Tall fescue is a bunchgrass that forms thick, coarse tussocks rather than spreading uniformly across a pasture. The leaves are typically wide, often measuring up to half an inch across, and display a dark green color. The leaf blades are noticeably ribbed or ridged on the upper surface, giving them a rough texture.
A precise identification cue is the collar region, where the leaf blade meets the stem. Fescue possesses small, ear-like appendages called auricles here. These auricles are short and blunt, sometimes clasping the stem without fully encircling it. The plant’s overall stiffness causes the blades to be held sharply angled away from the stem.
When mature, the plant produces a distinctive seed head, which is a branched, open structure called a panicle. This panicle often appears dense and somewhat spiked before fully opening. The spikelets containing the seeds are oval-shaped with pointed tips. The prominent, thick stems supporting these seed heads are characteristics that carry over into the appearance of the cured hay.
Visual Characteristics of Cured Fescue Hay
Once cut, dried, and baled, fescue hay retains many physical attributes of the mature plant. The overall color of cured fescue is often a duller green or tan compared to the brighter greens seen in legumes or grasses harvested earlier. While color depends on the curing process, the species’ inherent coarseness remains its most recognizable trait in the bale.
Fescue hay is characterized by thick, stiff stems that feel less pliable and more bristly than many other grass hays. This rigidity is due to the natural structure of the tall fescue plant, which develops substantial stems to support its height. The hay often exhibits a low leaf-to-stem ratio, especially if harvested late. This means the bale contains a greater proportion of coarse stalks.
A close inspection of the cured forage often reveals numerous persistent seed heads embedded within the bale. These dried panicles contribute to the hay’s texture and can feel sharp or scratchy. The combination of thick stems and prominent, stiff seed heads makes fescue hay noticeably coarser and less soft compared to finer grass forages.
Differentiating Fescue from Other Common Hays
Distinguishing fescue hay from common counterparts like Timothy, Orchardgrass, and Alfalfa relies on differences in texture, stem structure, and seed head shape. Timothy hay is identified by its relatively thin stems and a single, dense, cylindrical seed head resembling a bottle brush. Fescue stems are thicker and stiffer, and its seed head is a more open, branched panicle rather than a compact cylinder.
Orchardgrass hay is leafier and softer, featuring a more pliable texture than fescue. The seed head of Orchardgrass is also a panicle, but it tends to be more open and less dense than fescue. The spikelets are clustered loosely at the ends of the branches, giving it an airy appearance. Fescue’s stems are generally round, while Orchardgrass stems often have a slightly flattened base, though this is harder to discern in cured hay.
Alfalfa is a legume, not a grass, and its visual difference from fescue is apparent. Alfalfa hay consists of fine-textured, trifoliate leaves (three leaflets per leaf) and thick, hollow stalks. Fescue, conversely, is composed of solid stems and long, straight grass blades. Because alfalfa leaves are prone to shattering during haymaking, a high-quality alfalfa bale looks leafier and has a higher proportion of smaller, finer material than a fescue bale.
Understanding the Role of Endophytes in Fescue
Accurate identification of tall fescue is important due to its association with an internal fungus, the endophyte Epichloë coenophiala. This endophyte lives symbiotically within the plant tissues and is not visible, meaning visual inspection cannot confirm its presence. The fungus produces toxic ergot alkaloids, such as ergovaline, which protect the grass from pests and improve drought tolerance.
When livestock consume endophyte-infected fescue hay, these alkaloids can lead to fescue toxicosis, negatively impacting animal health and performance. Symptoms in cattle include poor weight gain, rough hair coats, and heat intolerance. Pregnant mares are especially vulnerable, experiencing issues like prolonged gestation, thickened placentas, and lack of milk production. The primary concern is with the older, commonly infected variety, Kentucky-31.
Due to these health risks, specialized alternatives have been developed. These include “endophyte-free” fescue varieties that lack the fungus and “novel endophyte” varieties, which contain a non-toxic strain. While these newer varieties maintain the grass’s hardiness without the toxic effects, they are visually indistinguishable from the toxic strains. Relying solely on the physical appearance of the hay is not a substitute for knowing the source or having the hay tested for alkaloid levels.