Tall Fescue

Tall Fescue

Tall Fescue is a popular grass because of its relative ease of establishment, heat, drought and grazing tolerance, and long grazing season compared to other cool-season grasses. However, research has proven that many of these traits that make KY-31 tall fescue so desirable are due to the presence of a fungus that lives inside the plant. The fungus is transmitted through the seed and produces a toxin that negatively impacts livestock performance, and is estimated to cost the cattle industry $1 billion dollars in losses each year. Novel endophyte and even endophyte-free fescue varieties do not carry this toxicity or negative impacts to the livestock.

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  • Two men standing in a field talking

    BarOptima Plus E34

    As one of the long-standing novel endophytes on the market, BarOptima is a proven contender in the novel endophyte sector. It is a soft leaf tall fescue with improved palatability and graze-ability.

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  • cajun ii

    Cajun II

    A high yielding, early heading endophyte-free tall fescue, Cajun II is rugged and tough for the southeastern market.

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  • Cows grazing on Martin 2

    Martin II Protek

    It’s the novel endophyte we’ve been waiting for—Martin 2 Protek delivers the toughness that our southern climate demands.

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  • tower

    Tower Protek

    Tower II is a late-maturing, novel endophyte, soft leaf variety. A soft and palatable grass, animals prefer to eat Tower II over ryegrass at trial sites.

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