Work of the Earth

Tall fescue transformed agriculture across much of the eastern United States—but the endophyte that helps the plant survive can also harm the animals grazing it.In this third and final episode of our tall fescue series, we turn to the practical question: What can farmers do about toxic tall fescue?At Purdue University’s Southern Indiana Purdue Agricultural Center, Jason Tower demonstrates how grazing management, stockpiling, legumes and pasture diversity can reduce the challenge while preserving the strengths of the grass. At the University of Kentucky, forage specialist Ray Smith explains ergovaline testing, risks to cattle and broodmares, and when an old Kentucky 31 pasture should be replaced with endophyte-free or novel-endophyte tall fescue.The choices fall into three broad approaches—avoid it, improve it or replace it—and each begins with understanding the animals, the pasture and the farm.University of Kentucky Forage Extension: Tall Fescue UK publications and resources on tall-fescue establishment, management and toxicity. UK Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory: Ergovaline Sample Collection Guidelines Instructions for collecting, preserving and submitting tall-fescue forage for ergovaline analysis. UK Horse Pasture Evaluation Program Comprehensive pasture evaluations that can include plant composition, endophyte infection and ergovaline concentration. The program is especially useful for farms managing broodmares. Fescue Toxicosis in Cattle — University of Kentucky A practical overview of the endophyte, ergot alkaloids, animal symptoms and management strategies. Sampling for the Tall Fescue Endophyte in Pasture or Hay Stands — University of Kentucky Guidance for collecting samples when testing for endophyte infection. Tall Fescue Novel-Endophyte Varieties and Establishment — University of Kentucky Information on selecting and establishing novel-endophyte tall fescue for livestock and horse farms. Pasture renovationAlliance for Grassland Renewal Education and resources on replacing toxic tall fescue with novel-endophyte varieties. Tall Fescue Replacement and the Spray–Smother–Spray Protocol A practical outline of the renovation method discussed in the episode. Other testing laboratoriesAgrinostics Offers endophyte-detection and ergot-alkaloid testing services. Be specific about which analysis you need. University of Missouri VMDL: Ergot/Fescue Alkaloids in Feedstuff Quantifies ergovaline along with several other ergot alkaloids. Oregon State University Endophyte Service Laboratory Tests plant and feed materials for ergovaline, lolitrem B and other ergot alkaloids. From the episodeSouthern Indiana Purdue Agricultural Center The Purdue research and education farm managed by Jason Tower and featured throughout the episode. 

Tall fescue had become one of the most important forage grasses in the eastern United States—but its remarkable persistence came with a hidden cost. Once researchers connected livestock problems to a fungus living inside the plant, they began searching for ways to preserve the grass without sacrificing animal performance.In Episode 2 of the tall fescue series, Dr. Joe Bouton helps me trace that search. From improving toxic fescue pastures with red clover, to removing the endophyte, and ultimately replacing it with a nontoxic strain, this is a story of persistence, failure, and extraordinary natural variation—and of the researchers who found a way to separate the wondergrass from its curse.Resources and acknowledgments:• Archival oral-history recordings courtesy of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.

Tall fescue transformed agriculture across the eastern United States. It covered eroded hillsides, filled gullies, and provided farmers with a tough, dependable forage that seemed able to survive almost anything.In Episode 1 of our tall fescue series, we meet up with Dr. Garry Lacefield to trace the discovery of Kentucky 31 in the hills of Menifee County, Kentucky, and follow its rise from an overlooked patch of grass to the celebrated “Wondergrass.” It is a story of soil erosion, agricultural change, and a plant whose extraordinary persistence would reshape farms throughout the region.But the same qualities that made tall fescue remarkable would eventually reveal a darker side—one that farmers and researchers were only beginning to understand.Resources and acknowledgments:• The Wonder Grass: The Story of Tall Fescue in the United States, by Don Ball, Jimmy Henning, Garry Lacefield, and Carl Hoveland: Auburn University• Archival oral-history recordings courtesy of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.