Pasture management challenges in clover-endophyte free tall fescue mixtures

Tall fescue is a major pasture species in the eastern USA, covering over 35 million acres. Overseeding clover into endophyte infested (E+) tall fescue pastures has been shown to improve beef cattle weight gain and animal performance. However, grass growth must be removed or stands thinned in order for no-till clover overseeding to be successful, and grass regrowth following clover establishment must be controlled by careful pasture management. Animal performance when grazing endophyte free (E-) tall fescue is considerably superior to that on EC pastures, with or without clover. It has not been established whether the presence of clover in E- tall fescue stands improves animal performance. When E- tall fescue pastures were overseeded with clover, steers preferred grass forage over clover growth, to the extent that clover leaflets overshadowed tall fescue growth. Data are presented which illustrate management challenges in E- tall fescue and clover pasture mixtures.