It also is used for reducing soil erosion, recycling nutrients from manure and biosolids, and turf. Since the early 1970s, tall fescue has been the predominant cool-season perennial grass in the United States, occupying nearly 35 million acres. Pasture Tall fescue commonly is grown in the Pacific Northwest and in irrigated pastures of the western intermountain valleys. Most frequent use is for beef cattle and horse pastures, although newer, improved varieities also are used for sheep and even dairy cattle pastures. The principal use of tall fescue in the United States is in cow-calf enterprises in the transition zone.
Tall fescue provides spring-born calves with abundant forage.
You also can overwinter dry cows on tall fescue pastures and supplement them with hay. Stockpiling In lower rainfall areas, you can stockpile summer and autumn vegetative growth for deferred grazing in late fall and winter. Stockpiled tall fescue loses less quality than other cool-season grasses. It remains relatively green and of acceptable quality into early winter in the east-central and southeastern United States. Stockpiling is less successful in the Pacific Northwest due to autumn rainfall.