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Cool-Season Grasses for Beef Cattle

Cool-season grasses grow in spring and fall and slow down in summer heat. They anchor pastures across much of the northern and upper southern United States, and they come with a few management and health points worth knowing.

How cool-season grasses grow

These grasses grow best in cooler temperatures, with a flush in spring, a slump in summer heat and drought, and a second burst in fall. Many stay green into winter, which helps with grazing late in the year.

Their feed value is usually high when plants are leafy and young. Quality drops as they head out and mature, so timing of grazing or hay cutting matters.

Many pastures hold a mix of species, so learn what you actually have before you decide what to change.

Common types

Common cool-season grasses include tall fescue, orchardgrass, bromegrasses, timothy, ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass and wheatgrasses. Each has strengths and weaknesses in drought tolerance, winter hardiness, palatability and grazing tolerance.

Which species work depends on your region and soils. Ask your extension office for local recommendations.

Keep notes on which pastures perform well in a dry summer. Those fields are your best bets in future dry years.

• Check winter hardiness and summer tolerance
• Compare grazing tolerance
• Pick varieties suited to your soil and moisture
• Ask about companion legumes

Grazing and hay management

Cool-season grasses recover best when not grazed too short and when given rest. Starting grazing too early in spring can damage plants, and overgrazing in summer stress can thin a stand. Many ranchers use rotation to keep plants vigorous.

For hay, cutting earlier usually gives higher feed quality at the cost of yield. Test the hay and let your nutritionist balance rations on the result.

Hay fields differ from grazed pastures in how they should be managed, and a stand that does well in one use may struggle in the other.

Fescue and endophyte awareness

Some tall fescue stands carry a fungus living inside the plant, called an endophyte, that can produce compounds harmful to cattle. Signs can include poor gains, rough coats, heat stress, reduced fertility and, in some cases, problems with the feet or tail ends in cold weather. Novel or friendly endophyte varieties exist.

Ask your extension agent and veterinarian how to test your stands and manage this issue. Do not diagnose it on your own, and call your veterinarian if cattle show sore feet, lameness or heat stress.

Because endophyte effects are worse in heat, cattle on infected fescue may do much better in cooler months, and a plan that moves them or changes feed in summer can help.

Grass tetany and mineral concerns

Lush, fast-growing cool-season pasture in spring is linked with grass tetany, a magnesium-related problem that can cause staggering, convulsions and sudden death in lactating cows. Prevention is about mineral management, and it must be planned with your veterinarian and nutritionist. Call your veterinarian immediately if cows are down or staggering on spring grass.

Keep clean water and minerals formulated for the spring season available at all times, and watch lactating cows closely when growth is fast.

Fertility, legumes and weeds

Soil tests guide fertilizer and lime. Adding clover or other legumes can help feed quality and fertility, though some legumes bring bloat risk that needs a plan. Weed control starts with a thick stand and good grazing, with labeled herbicides as needed.

Always follow label directions and grazing restrictions on any product.

Overseeding thin stands with legumes can improve a pasture without a full renovation, but timing and method matter, so ask your extension agent.

Common mistakes and what to ask

Mistakes include grazing too early or too short, ignoring fescue problems, skipping mineral planning for spring pasture and cutting hay too late. Another is letting summer drought wear out the stand with no rest.

Ask your extension office which grasses suit your area, how to check for endophyte and what mineral plan fits spring grazing. Talk to your veterinarian about local health risks.

Walk pastures in late summer to see how stands came through the heat, since thin spots are easier to repair in fall than after winter.

• Starting grazing too early in spring
• Overgrazing in summer stress
• No mineral plan for lush spring grass
• Cutting hay after quality has dropped

More in Nutrition, Forage & Grazing

• Native Range Management
• Improving Pasture Fertility
• Soil Testing on Ranches
• Lime and Fertilizer Decisions
• Weed Control in Pastures
• Brush Management on Ranches