Perennial Forage Grass • Pasture • Hay

Tall Fescue

Fawn

Festuca arundinacea

Fawn is a deep-rooted, cool-season perennial forage tall fescue selected for strong establishment, dependable pasture performance, grazing tolerance, and adaptation across a wide range of Western forage systems.

Cool-Season Perennial Forage-Type Tall Fescue Endophyte-Free Pasture & Hay Deep Rooted
Variety Fawn
Seeding Rate 20–25 lb/acre
Planting Depth ¼–½ inch
Primary Uses Pasture • Hay • Erosion

About Tall Fescue

A persistent forage grass built for grazing, traffic and variable conditions.

Tall fescue is a long-lived, cool-season perennial bunchgrass used extensively in pasture, hay, conservation, erosion-control, and agricultural seed mixtures.

Its deep root system and durable growth habit give tall fescue good persistence under grazing and make it adaptable to a broad range of soil and moisture conditions.

Compared with many cool-season forage grasses, tall fescue is particularly useful where traffic, grazing pressure, summer heat, or variable soil conditions are important considerations.

Fawn Tall Fescue

An Oregon-Developed Forage Variety

Fawn was developed through the Oregon State forage breeding program and released in 1964.

The variety was selected for improved seed and forage performance and became one of the traditional forage tall fescues used throughout the Pacific Northwest and other Western production areas.

Fawn is an earlier-maturing forage type with good seedling vigor and regrowth characteristics. It is well suited to pasture, hay, conservation plantings, and forage mixtures where a durable perennial grass is needed.

Variety Fawn
Origin Oregon
Release 1964
Growth Type Cool-Season Bunchgrass
Rooting Deep Root System
Endophyte Status Endophyte-Free

Forage Characteristics

Why Plant Fawn Tall Fescue?

Fawn combines perennial persistence with a durable growth habit suited to grazing and forage systems.

Grazing Tolerance

Fawn can tolerate managed grazing and livestock traffic, making it useful in durable pasture systems.

Deep Rooting

Tall fescue develops a deep root system that contributes to persistence and access to moisture deeper in the soil profile.

Heat & Dry-Period Tolerance

Tall fescue generally maintains better tolerance of heat and dry conditions than many other cool-season forage grasses.

Long-Lived Perennial

Once established and properly managed, tall fescue can persist for multiple years in pasture and forage systems.

Traffic Tolerance

Its durable crown and root system allow established plants to withstand livestock traffic and repeated use.

Broad Adaptation

Tall fescue can perform across a wide range of soils and moisture conditions when properly established and managed.

Establishment

Establish Fawn in a Firm, Well-Prepared Seedbed

For a full stand, Fawn tall fescue is typically seeded at 20–25 lb/acre. Rates should be reduced when tall fescue is used as one component of a pasture or forage mixture.

Plant seed shallowly, approximately ¼–½ inch deep, into a firm seedbed with good seed-to-soil contact. Avoid placing the seed too deeply.

New stands should be allowed to develop adequate roots and tillers before heavy grazing. Grazing young plants too early can reduce stand persistence.

Variety Fawn
Species Festuca arundinacea
Seeding Rate 20–25 lb/acre
Planting Depth ¼–½ inch
Life Cycle Perennial
Growth Habit Bunchgrass
Season Cool Season
Approx. Seeds/lb 227,000

Where Fawn Fits

Pasture, Hay & Conservation Applications

Irrigated Pasture

A persistent perennial grass for productive irrigated grazing systems and pasture mixtures.

Hay Production

Can be used for grass hay or in mixtures with compatible forage legumes and perennial grasses.

Grazing Systems

Well suited to managed livestock pasture where persistence and traffic tolerance are priorities.

Erosion Control

Persistent roots and perennial cover make tall fescue useful in waterways, conservation plantings, and erosion-control mixtures.

Pasture Management

Manage for Persistence & Forage Quality

Tall fescue is durable, but good management still improves stand life, forage utilization, and livestock performance.

Forage quality declines as plants become mature and produce seed heads, so timely grazing or hay harvest is important when feed quality is a priority.

Endophyte-Free Forage Type Endophyte-free forage tall fescue avoids the livestock health problems associated with toxic endophyte-infected tall fescue.
Allow Establishment Avoid heavy grazing until new plants have developed enough roots and tillers to withstand use.
Graze Before Maturity Forage quality and palatability generally decline once tall fescue becomes mature and heads out.
Works in Mixtures Fawn can be combined with legumes and other pasture grasses when building diverse forage systems.

Fawn Tall Fescue Seed

Need Tall Fescue for Pasture, Hay or a Custom Mix?

Contact Weaver Seed for current Fawn Tall Fescue availability, wholesale quantities, pricing, and custom pasture or forage mixtures.