Fieldwork for these trials was supervised by Gregory Cuomo and Russell Mathison. Results of tall fescue variety tests conducted by the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station. This report was prepared by Nancy J. Ehlke, agronomist, Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108. It establishes rapidly, withstands trampling, tolerates summer drought and produces fall season pasture when other grasses become dormant. Tall fescue is subject to winter injury, but may remain productive in areas with reliable snow cover.
Animal performance is better when the variety grown is endophyte-free.
Endophytes are fungi that invade plant tissues, reducing forage palatability and animal performance. The wheatgrasses are valuable, native forage species. They are especially suitable for growing in the northern Great Plains area of the United States. Wheatgrasses can produce excellent forage yields and sustained productivity under hay and pasture management systems either in monoculture or in mixtures with alfalfa or other suitable legumes. Recent releases of improved varieties have prompted interest in these species, especially in western areas of Minnesota.