Panelists (from left) Scott Flynn, Dow Agrosciences; Jason Locke, Circle A Angus; Glen Aiken, USDA researcher; Raymond Stegeman, veterinarian; and Pat Burch, Dow AgroSciences shared information on using Chaparral herbicide to suppress fescue seedheads and reduce the toxicity of fescue pastures.
Fescue Toxicity Weapon
Mitigate fescue toxicity by stopping seedheads via herbicide.
With fescue toxicity costing the U.S. cattle industry an estimated $1 billion annually, management methods to mitigate this issue are continually sought. One solution now being evaluated with success is application of Chaparral™ herbicide to suppress fescue seedheads.
“It’s not a new herbicide, but a new benefit we’ve found from Chaparral,” explained Casey Onstot during a special seminar to share Dow AgroSciences field research to support the claim. The event was hosted at the 2017 Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville, Tenn. Onstot is range and pasture portfolio marketing leader for Dow AgroSciences.
Dow AgroSciences field specialists have been looking at the use of Chaparral to suppress fescue seedheads since 2009. They and producers are noting that early application of the herbicide — in April and early May — not only suppresses fescue from setting seed, but also still provides good control of late-emerging weeds from June through August.
Scott Flynn, Dow AgroSciences field specialist, explained that fescue seedhead suppression minimizes the toxicity issue to cattle because seedheads contain three to six times more ergot alkaloids than the plant’s leaf tissue. Another benefit: Fescue plants maintain higher quality later in the growing season when they don’t set seed. A fescue plant’s crude protein can be as high as 40%. Researchers and producers are finding the improved forage quality, in turn, increases dry-matter intake by cattle, which can equate to better daily gains and improved pregnancy rates.
Another benefit cited from the use of Chaparral to curb seed onset includes an eventual increase in other grass species within fescue pastures, because less fescue seed is being produced.
Circle A Angus at Iberia, Mo., has been using the Chaparral protocol on fescue pastures for four years. Manager Jason Locke attests to the improved forage quality, daily gains and improved pregnancy rates. Particularly in their operation, the boost to pregnancy rates has been worth the investment in the herbicide application, Locke shared. He’s also seen buckbrush and other weeds nearly disappear in the treated pastures.
The suggested protocol for using Chaparral for fescue seedhead suppression is as follows:
- Apply Chaparral at 2.0 ounces (oz.) per acre. The granular product can be mixed with water and applied, or applied with 28% or 32% UAN (fertilizer).
- Time the application within three weeks of fescue seedhead emergence — typically mid-April to early May — and up to the boot stage. Flynn explains that later timings closer to the boot stage are preferred as it allows the vegetative parts to maximize growth, and it will give that dual benefit of longer herbicide control later into the grazing season.
- Do not apply Chaparral with additional herbicides such as 2, 4-D, and do not apply this protocol to thin or weak fescue stands.
- Anticipate fescue to slightly yellow for one to two weeks after being sprayed. However, 80%-100% seedhead suppression can be expected for the remainder of the year.
Flynn cautions that because of the increased forage quality of fescue stands when fescue seedheads are suppressed, grazing pressure will increase and, thus, some special management attention will be needed. Animals may need to be rotated off the pasture sooner or stocking rates may need to be adjusted. He also suggests that to combat potential thinning of pastures from the increased grazing pressure to only treat 50% of total fescue acres with Chaparral within the growing season. Then alternate and treat the other 50% the following year.
Implementation of rotational grazing, fall fertility applications, and a spring fertility program to maximize growth before spraying may also be beneficial, he said.
Read more about one producer’s real-world experience with applying Chaparral for mitigating fescue toxicity at http://bit.ly/2kcZobB. You can access a product fact sheet at http://bit.ly/2k77f8o.
Editor’s Note: Field Editor Kindra Gordon is a freelance writer and cattlewoman from Whitewood, S.D. This article was written as part of Angus Media’s coverage of the 2017 Cattle Industry Convention.