b'A Rich History From a hillside in Kentucky to a research lab at the Noble Research Institute,the future of fescue is still being written to provide a resilient grazing solutionfor marginal pasture acres.Laura Handke laurahandke117@hotmail.comA HARDY PLANTdiscovered on a steep Kentucky hillsideforage source. Farmers, ranchers and even the lawn-care indus-in 1931 has made its mark on the United States, both as a turftry recognized the drought tolerance and hardiness of the grass and forage option, covering more acres than any other grass.to withstand different environmental and livestock imposed Today, there are 35 million reported acres of tall fescue grow- pressures.ing in the United States.K31 is still popular today and can be found and as pastures Since the 50s, demand for tall fescue has increased tre- from coast to coast in the United States, where temperatures mendously, says Craig Roberts, professor of Plant Sciencesfluctuate greatly from summer to winter.and state forage specialist at Penn State. We are at 35 millionRoberts shares that for agronomists, K31 fills two vital roles: acres in the United States and we have seven million acres of tallit is both persistent and has a long growing season and it is very fescue in Missouri pastures alone. But we have at least that muchgood for agronomy because of the soil stabilization it provides. planted on roadsides, on sports turf, in lawns and invading nativeI served on a statewide committee after the 1993 flood. grasslands. The question that was trying to be answered was, What do we From humble beginnings, the history and present day appli- plant on these saturated, broken levees after they are repaired? cation of the persistent perennial that covers so many acres is anRoberts says. There were several different options but, in the interesting one, rich in science and innovation.end, the committee came back with tall fescue, because it is so tough. We knew that it would hold the soil in place, year after Getting Started year, through droughts, freezing and thawing, insect infestation. Although tall fescue has been in the U.S. since the 1800s, itK31 can survive both categories of stressors, abiotic and wasnt until 1931 that University of Kentucky professor E.N.biotic, making it a popular choice amongst livestock producers Fergus learned of the resilient grass growing on the Suiter farmand the turf industry. in Menifee County, Kentucky, and saw the benefits such a spe-cies could provide.Not the Perfect ForageAs shared by the University of Kentucky, Fergus observed theWhile tall fescue is still the most widely used forage crop within erosion and grazing qualities of the grass, noting that even in theits namesake, the Fescue Belt, it does have a significant down-winter months, the grass was still green. The professor obtainedside for livestock producers. seed from the field and planted it on the University of KentuckyMost of the tall fescue throughout the Fescue Belt is infected Experiment Station farm in 1932, naming it Kentucky 31 (K31)with a fungal endophyte that produces compounds (ergot after the year it was discovered.alkaloids) that are toxic to grazing animals. Acting as a defense By 1942, the first K31 seed was released commercially, andmechanism for the plant, the endophytes prevent overgrazing throughout the following decade, large numbers of acres wereand allow the grass to persist, even in harsh conditions. seeded in hopes of controlling erosion and creating a more hardyOnly a few years after vast acreages were sewn to K31, 68/ SEEDWORLD.COMOCTOBER 2019'