Seed harvest marks the beginning of fescue cycle

There are not many crops out there that allow producers to continuously make money on throughout the year, but such a crop does exist in Vernon County. It's fescue. The beauty of fescue is in its continuous yield. During midsummer, it's topped to collect the seeds, then it's swathed and rolled into hay and during the fall and in the winter it can be used as pasture. Wayne Prewitt, West Central Region Farm Management Specialist for the University of Missouri Outreach and Extension office, said "People cuss fescue, but fescue generates a tremendous amount of income for this area." There are two ways to harvest fescue seed. One method is to combine it, just like grain. Otherwise a farmer can swath the top, let it lay for a few days and then pick it up with a combine. The advantage to letting the seed dry out is buyers are willing to pay more for dry seed. This year, fescue seed has averaged a yield of 200 pounds per acre and is valued at 8 cents per pound wet and 20 cents per pound dry. There are five buying stations serving fescue farmers located throughout Vernon County. The buying station in Walker was about the size of the football field. Divided in half, one side was filled to a height of an estimated 15 to 20 feet. The other side is about half full. Air ducts and large blowing fans are set up to blow air through the piled seed. This serves several purposes. First, it speeds up the drying process, which takes anywhere from 60 to 90 days. Air circulation also serves to disperse heat buildup so the seed pile won't catch on fire. In addition, Roy Cunningham, of Sheldon Seed, said it's important to keep the fescue seed as cool as possible -- heat can kill the germination capabilities of the seedlings. Cunningham reports that most of southwest Missouri's 50 million to 60 million pounds of fescue seed will end up going back east to become lawn seed. People like fescue because it will green up quicker in the spring and maintains its color longer throughout the season. Fescue also has advantages as a cool weather pasture grass, That's because the level of sugars present in fescue increases, while most plants loose sugars when the weather cools. University of Arkansas scientists are also working on a new strain of novel-endophyte tall fescue they are calling ArkPlus. Endophyte is a toxic fungus that makes the plant more resistant to disease and stress but also inhibits weight gain in grazing animals. A press release from the University of Missouri Extension office claim that while ArkPlus shows disease resistance and increased weight gain in cattle it is susceptible to overgrazing.