Tall fescue | Photo: University of Kentucky's College of Agriculture

Anyone who has spent a considerable amount of time around livestock or forages knows tall fescue is a double-edged sword: The grass is hearty and generally grows well, but it can be infected with a fungus that can be dangerous to grazing livestock, including horses. So, University of Kentucky (UK) forage specialists are teaming up with the Alliance for Grassland Renewal to host a workshop aimed at teaching producers how to renovate their old tall fescue pastures with a novel endophyte variety.

The Tall Fescue Renovation Workshop will take place March 9, 2017, at UK’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and UK’s Spindletop Research Farm.

Producers have widely used tall fescue in pastures for decades, because it survives well under many conditions including drought, cold, overgrazing, insects, and diseases. However, the most common variety, KY-31, also contains toxins that can severely affect cattle and horses