Uses
The fescues contain some species which are important grasses for both lawns (particularly the fine-leaved species, highly valued for bowling greens) and as pasture and hay for livestock, being a highly nutritious stock feed. Fescues are also quite common on golf courses of the coastal U.S. and the U.K., usually beyond the second cut in the rough. Fescue is easily established on bare ground, out-competing other plants and persisting over several years, and so is often used in soil erosion control programs, most notably tall fescue, one cultivar of which, Kentucky 31 (Festuca arundinacea), was used in land reclamation during the dust bowl period in the 1930s in the US.
Fescue is sometimes used as feed for horses. However, fescue poisoning, which results from ergot alkaloids produced by an endophytic fungus, is a risk for pregnant mares. Occurring in the last three months of pregnancy, fescue poisoning increases the risk of spontaneous abortion, stillbirths, retained placenta, absent milk production, and prolonged pregnancy. Fescue toxicosis of livestock can require a farmer to seek costly treatment for his/her animals. Incorporating legumes into the fescue can be a way to increase livestock gains and conception rates, even if the fescue is infected.
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