Switchgrass may be a few years away from being used in
cellulosic ethanol production, but its growth curve could make
it an option today as a forage companion to tall fescue,
according to research at the University of Tennessee, presented
at the Milan No-Till Field Day in Milan, Tenn.  Gary Bates,
professor, Extension coordinator, University of Tennessee Plant
Sciences, said the growth curve of tall fescue shows good
development in the spring and the fall, but the plant is not
adapted to high temperatures and periods without rainfall, so
forage production slumps during the summer.  But warm-season
grasses such as switchgrass have the opposite growth curve, he
says. “When fescue is starting to slump in June, July and
August, switchgrass grows best. So animals could graze on the
switchgrass during this time and you could rest the fescue. Last
year was perfect example. If you just had fescue to graze, you
really struggled.”  Bates says quality objectives for
switchgrass are different for forage than for biofuel.