Cajun II

Endophyte-Free Forage Tall Fescue

An affordable alternative to novel-endophyte tall fescue.

Cajun II is an affordable alternative to both toxic KY-31 and novel-endophyte tall fescues. With high yields and extended longevity, it produces an abundance of non-toxic forage for many years. Combat productivity and profit losses caused by fescue toxicosis with Cajun II.

Find a dealer

Features

Horse-Friendly Fescue

Cajun II is safe for all livestock, including horses. Enjoy the benefits of tall fescue without worrying about the health of your horses or for that matter any of your livestock.

Better Animal Performance

Cajun II is not only high yielding, but also provides nutritious grass year-round. Grazing livestock will spend more time grazing and less time in the shade or in the ponds. This means faster weight gains and more profits.

Additionally, increased cattle reproductivity can be expected when grazing Cajun II as compared to toxic KY-31 tall fescue.

Hot and Cold Tolerant

Cajun II is a special crossing of European-type and Mediterranean-type fescues. This unique breeding gives it a greater range of adaptation and the ability to perform well in hot, humid climates, as well as colder climates.

Producers are finding Cajun II an excellent performer throughout both the Northern half of the US as well as down through the Transition zone and Upper South.

High Yielding, Early Maturing

Cajun II is bred for high yields. In addition to high first cutting yields and early spring growth, Cajun II provides extended fall production. Cajun II is eleven days earlier than Kentucky-31.

Matching grazing/cutting dates to this early maturity characteristic means higher yields, increased stocking rates, and greater gains.

Versatile

Cajun II can be planted as either a straight stand, or used in mixtures with other grasses, including orchardgrass, perennial ryegrass, timothy, and festulolium. Cajun II also works well with cool season legumes. The use of a white clover, such as Renovation, will produce a high-performance pasture ideal for beef, dairy, and other livestock.

Persistance

Persistence is one of first questions asked about forage tall fescues. Producers are used to toxic KY-31 tall fescue lasting for decades. Persistence is the main benefit of KY-31. But it comes at a price. Poor animal health, lower reproductivity cost the cattle industry billions of dollars each year. If persistence is the most important priority, planting toxic KY-31 would be our recommendation. If, however, animal performance is your chief goal, then Cajun II should be on your short list of tall fescue options.

So how does Cajun II persist, especially as compared to toxic KY-31 and novel endophyte fescues? The short answer is very well under managed grazing and hay operations. Under continuous grazing, however, toxic KY-31 will outlast both Cajun II and novel endophyte fescues simply because the toxicity of the plants normally prevents grazing animals from overgrazing toxic KY-31. Plants that are not toxic are subject to overgrazing. Overgrazing will result in stand loss and reduced persistence.

In managed grazing and hay production, Cajun II has demonstrated very similar persistence to both novel fescues and KY-31. Data shown below from the University of Kentucky charts a 99% stand over four years of managed grazing. Penn State reported over 95% stands after 3 years of hay production. In Tennessee, 3-year hay trial totals for Cajun II were equal to that of both Jesup MaxQ and Texoma MaxQ II. Mississippi State has shown Cajun II with equal yields to Texoma MaxQ II for the reported two years of the study (2013-15).

University of Kentucky

Managed Cattle Grazing Trial (% Stand)

Lexington, KY

2018-2022

Variety	October 2019	October 2020	October 2021	October 2022
Lacefield MaxQII	91	91	92	92*
KY31+	93	93	92	92*
Jesup MaxQ	89	90	91	91*
Cajun II	86	88	88	88*
Bull	86	87	87	87*
BarOptima PLUS E34	84	84	84	84*
LSD,0.05	8	9	11	11
Sown Sept 5, 2018.
*Not significantly different from the highest numerical value in the column, based on the 0.05 LSD.

University of Kentucky

Managed Cattle Grazing Trial (% Stand)

Lexington, KY

2015-2019

Variety	Oct 2015	Oct 2016	Oct 2017	Oct 2018	Oct 2019
Select	99	100	100	100	100*
BarOptima PLUS E34	98	100	100	100	99*
Jesup MaxQ	99	100	100	100	99*
Lacefield MaxQII	99	100	100	100	99*
Cajun II	96	99	99	99	99*
KY31	99	100	100	100	99*
SS-705TFSL	99	100	100	100	99*
Dominate	98	97	100	100	99*
Drover	98	99	97	97	98
Baguala	98	98	99	99	98
FSG402TF	98	99	98	98	98
LSD,0.05	3	1	1	1	1
*Not significantly different from the highest numerical value in the column, based on the 0.05 LSD.
Sown Sept 3, 2015.

Yield Data

Cajun II is a high-yielder. In trials throughout the country, Cajun II either out-performs or yields equal to other tall fescue options. In many cases, Cajun II shows higher yields over both toxic KY-31 fescue as well as novel endophyte varieties. Below are numerous trial results from multiple states.

Mississippi

Mississippi State University

Hay Trial (2-Year Avg. Total DM/A)

2015 - 2017

Variety	Starkville	Newton	Holly Springs	3–Location Avg.
Cajun II	5848	2613	3921	4127
Dominate	5419	2023	4439	3960
Tower Protek	4725	2649	3971	3782
Texoma MaxQ	4798	2046	3907	3584
KY-31	4304	2550	3533	3462
Martin2 Protek	3625	2838	3911	3458
Planted October 1-7, 2015
Experimental varieties not listed; complete trial data available upon request.

Kentucky

Kentucky Trial Results

Lexington, KY

2018-2021

	Maturity¹	% Stand	Yield (Tons DM/A)
Variety	5/6/2019	10/22/21	2019 Total	2020 Total	2021 Total	3-Year Total
Cajun II	56.5*	100*	3.37*	3.87*	4.17*	11.41*
KY-31	55.5*	100*	3.23*	3.66*	4.23*	11.12*
Lacefield MaxQII	55.5*	100*	3.07*	3.65*	4.27*	10.98*
Estancia Arkshield	56.5*	100*	3.15*	3.47*	4.29*	10.91*
Jesup MaxQ	56.5*	100*	2.95*	3.56*	4.02*	10.53*
BarOptima Plus E34	52.0	100*	2.60	3.73*	3.51*	9.84*
Kentucky 32	56.0*	100*	2.65*	2.88	3.11	8.65
LSD, 0.05	1.6	12	0.72	0.82	1.02	2.18
Planted Sept. 4, 2018.
¹Maturity rating scale: 37=flag leaf emergence, 45=boot swollen, 50=beginning of inflorescence emergence, 58=complete emergence of inflorescence, 62=beginning of pollen shed.
*Not significantly different from the highest numerical value in the column, based on the 0.05 LSD.
Complete trial data available upon request.

Kentucky Trial Results

Lexington, KY

2017-2020

	Maturity^¹	% Stand	Yield (Tons DM/A)
Variety	5/8/2018	10/27/20	2018 Total	2019 Total	2020 Total	3-Year Total
Cajun II	52.5*	100*	5.29*	2.19*	3.49*	10.98*
Jessup MaxQ	54.0*	100*	5.38*	1.69*	3.13*	10.67*
KY-31	46.3	100*	5.32*	1.60	3.46*	10.38*
Lacefield MaxQII	46.3	100*	4.77*	1.59	3.26*	9.61*
Ranchero	52.5*	93*	4.49*	2.01*	2.90*	9.40
BarOptima Plus E34	45.0	100*	4.59*	1.78*	2.84*	9.21
LSD, 0.05	3.0	11	1.11	0.50	0.80	1.78
Planted Sept. 8, 2017.
¹Maturity rating scale: 37=flag leaf emergence, 45=boot swollen, 50=beginning of inflorescence emergence, 58=complete emergence of inflorescence, 62=beginning of pollen shed.
*Not significantly different from the highest numerical value in the column, based on the 0.05 LSD.
Complete trial data available upon request.

Kentucky Trial Results

Princeton, KY

2015-2017

	Seedling Vigor ¹	Maturity ²	% Stand	Yield (Tons DM/A)
Variety	10/15/15	05/04/16	10/25/17	2016 Total	2017 Total	2-Year Total
Lacefield Max QII	4.4*	56.0	100	7.83*	3.35*	11.18*
Cajun II	4.1*	58.0*	100	7.24*	3.85*	11.09*
Hymark	2.9	57.5*	100	7.46*	3.53*	10.99*
Bronson	3.0	57.0*	100	7.32*	3.64*	10.95*
Select	3.6*	57.0*	100	7.15*	3.39*	10.54*
Dominate	4.0*	58.0*	100	7.08*	3.43*	10.50*
Jesup MaxQ	2.5	58.0*	100	7.06*	3.35*	10.40*
Baguala	2.9	57.5*	100	6.61	3.62*	10.24*
BarOptima PLUS E34	3.1	54.0	100	6.79	3.44*	10.22*
KY31		55.0	100	6.74	2.99*	9.74
lsd	1.1	1.5	0	0.88	0.78	1.34
Planted Aug. 25, 2015.
¹ Vigor score based on scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most vigorous seedling growth.
² Maturity rating scale: 37=flag leaf emergence, 45=boot swollen, 50=beginning of inflorescence emergence,58=complete emergence of inflorescence, 62=beginning of pollen shed.
*No significant difference from highest numerical value in columm.
Complete trial data available upon request.

Kentucky Trial Results

Lexington, KY

2013-2016

	Maturity¹	% Stand	Yield (Tons DM/A)
Variety	05/08/14	10/17/16	2014 Total	2015 Total	2016 Total	3-Year Total
Cajun II	55.0*	93	3.46	2.91*	2.58	8.94*
Goliath	56.0*	98*	3.99*	2.59	2.22*	8.85*
KY31	49.8	100*	3.96*	2.62*	2.16*	8.75*
BarOptima PLUS E34	48.0	99*	4.19*	2.50*	1.98	8.66*
Bronson	55.5*	97	3.26	2.84*	2.32*	8.43*
Lacefield MaxQ II	50.8	99*	3.74*	2.35*	2.13*	8.21*
Select	55.0*	99*	4.08*	2.27*	1.86	8.21*
Jesup MaxQ	56.0*	99*	3.66*	2.50*	1.74	7.91*
LSD, 0.05	3.8	2	0.70	0.68	0.57	1.58
Planted Sept. 5, 2013
¹Maturity rating scale: 37=flag leaf emergence, 45=boot swollen, 50=beginning of inflorescence emergence,58=complete emergence of inflorescence, 62=beginning of pollen shed.
*Not significantly different from the highest numerical value in the column, based on the 0.05 LSD.
Complete trial data upon request.

Kentucky Trial Results

Princeton, KY

2010-2012

	Seedling Vigor ¹	Maturity ²	% Stand	Yield (Tons DM/A)
Variety	11/19/10	04/18/12	10/29/12	2011 Total	04/18/12	06/19/12	10/29/12	2012 Total	2-Year Total
KY31	4.3	46.0	100	2.60	0.94	0.70	0.63	2.26	4.86*
Cajun II	3.5	54.0	100	2.34	0.98	0.68	0.55	2.21	4.55*
Jesup EF	3.5	55.0	98	2.42	1.03	0.63	0.47	2.13	4.55*
Jesup MaxQ	3.4	52.5	100	2.26	0.85	0.62	0.57	2.05	4.31
Goliath	3.3	52.0	99	2.18	0.87	0.67	0.56	2.10	4.28
Bronson	3.6	52.5	100	2.03	0.88	0.64	0.59	2.11	4.14
Cowgirl	3.9	52.5	100	2.15	0.81	0.62	0.53	1.97	4.12
Kentucky 32	3.4	48.3	100	2.31	0.75	0.58	0.47	1.80	4.11
BarOptima PLUS E34	2.6	46.0	95	2.10	0.70	0.63	0.66	1.99	4.09
Select	2.6	51.3	99	2.08	0.84	0.64	0.49	1.97	4.05
BarElite	3.3	39.0	97	1.72	0.67	0.60	0.58	1.85	3.57
LSD, 0.05	1.0	4.1	2	0.39	0.16	0.13	0.12	0.23	0.53
Planted Sept. 16, 2010
1 Vigor score based on scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most vigorous seedling growth.
2 Maturity rating scale: 37=flag leaf emergence, 45=boot swollen, 50=beginning of inflorescence emergence,58=complete emergence of inflorescence, 62=beginning of pollen shed.
Complete trial data available upon request.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Trial Results

Rock Springs, PA

1995-1998

	Yield (Tons DM/A)				Ground Cover Stand Oct. '98
Variety	1996 Total	1997 Total	1998 Total	3-Year Avg.	Ground Cover Stand Oct. '98
Cajun II	7.28	5.25	4.86	5.80	95.80%
Stargrazer	7.16	4.89	4.40	5.54	95.00%
KY-31	6.89	5.48	4.24	5.54	98.00%
Fawn	6.90	4.95	4.55	5.48	95.00%
Barcel	6.91	4.11	5.10	5.37	96.50%
Montebello	6.47	4.81	4.70	5.33	93.80%
Barcarella	6.97	4.88	4.15	5.33	95.00%
Johnstone	6.35	4.84	3.75	4.98	95.80%
Lsd 0.05	0.78	0.65	0.86	0.62	6.50%
Sown April 25, 1995.
Complete trial data available upon request.

North Carolina

North Carolina Trial Results (Total DM/A)

Wake County, NC

1994-1995

Variety	1994 Total	1995 Total	2-Year Avg.
Stargrazer	6951	9033	7992
Cajun II	6673	9045	7859
AU Triumph	6592	9043	7818
KY-31	6572	8802	7687
Enforcer	6612	8566	7589
Georgia 5	6506	8569	7538
Cattleclub	6054	8497	7274
Lsd 0.05	540	839	678
Complete trial data available upon request.

Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin

Forage Trial (Tons DM/A)

Arlington, WI

2014-2015

Variety	2015 Total	2014 Total	2-Year Total
KY 31	7.28	7.28	14.56
Cajun II	6.99	6.99	13.98
Cowgirl	6.86	6.86	13.72
Lipalma	6.80	6.80	13.60
Teton II	6.66	6.66	13.32
TF705SL	6.58	6.58	13.16
TF0402	6.66	6.38	13.04
TF0401	6.22	6.23	12.45
NFT 1370	5.69	5.70	11.39
NFTF 1051	5.65	5.65	11.30
NFTF1044	5.46	5.46	10.92
LSD (P=.05)	0.84	0.71

Tennessee

University of Tennessee

Tennessee Hay Trial (Tons DM/A)

Greeneville, TN

2020-2023

Variety	2021 Total	2022 Total¹	5/22/2023	7/12/2023	2023 Total	3-yr Total
Estancia	6.72*	2.16*	1.12*	1.65*	2.77*	11.65*
Cajun II	6.54*	2.30*	1.07*	1.43*	2.50*	11.34*
BAROPTIMA PLUS E34	6.72*	2.07	1.00	1.34*	2.34	11.13*
FSG 402 TF	6.27*	2.21*	1.08*	1.50*	2.58*	11.05*
Kentucky 32	6.25*	2.24*	1.02*	1.37*	2.39*	10.88*
Teton II	5.59	2.33*	1.23*	1.57*	2.81*	10.72
ARMORY	6.00	2.27*	1.04*	1.32	2.36	10.63
Jesup MaxQ II	5.81	2.19*	1.04*	1.49*	2.52*	10.51
Texoma MaxQ II	5.44	2.25*	1.19*	1.62*	2.81*	10.50
Kentucky 31	5.85	2.17*	1.07*	1.34*	2.41*	10.43
STF43	5.49	2.28*	1.02*	1.63*	2.64*	10.41
Martin 2 Protek	5.64	2.16*	1.05*	1.43*	2.47*	10.27
Palatine	5.41	1.77	0.84	1.13	1.97	9.175
LSD ( P=.05)	0.60	0.23	0.23	0.31	0.42	0.86
Planted September 23, 2020.
Experimental varieties not listed.
*Yielded statistically the same as the top-yielding entry.
¹Extreme hot early spring temperatures and drought in 2022 affected yield and limited harvest to only one cut.
Fertilization: Soil amended when required for Lime, P, and K. Nitrogen Application: 60 lb/acre at green-up, 30 lb/acre after first cut.
Complete trial data available upon request.

University of Tennessee

Tennessee Hay Trial (Tons DM/A)

Milan, TN

2009-2011

Variety	2009 Total	2010 Total	2011 Total	3-Year Total
TF-25 (Goliath)	3.38*	2.68*	2.18*	8.23*
Cajun II	3.04*	2.46*	2.58*	8.08*
Texoma MaxQ II	3.02*	2.60*	2.41*	8.03*
Select	2.99*	2.65*	2.35*	7.98*
Jesup Max Q	2.89	2.35*	2.20*	7.44*
Cowgirl	2.97*	2.41*	2.00	7.38*
LSD ( P=.05)	0.52	0.48	0.43	1.02
Planted September 29, 2008.
Experimental varieties not listed.
*Yielded statistically the same as the top-yielding entry.
Complete trial data available upon request.

Michigan

Michigan State University

Forage Yield Trial (Tons DM/A)

East Lansing, MI

2014-2017

Variety	2017 Total	2016 Total	2015 Total	3-Year total
Tower	4.14*	4.37*	5.32*	13.83*
Dominate	4.30*	4.29*	4.92*	13.51*
Cajun II	4.03*	4.14*	4.48*	12.64*
BarElite	3.78*	4.16*	4.59*	12.53*
Bariane	3.24	3.51	4.43	11.17
LSD	0.60	0.35	0.73	1.33
Planted May 24, 2014.
Experimental varieties not listed.
Yielded statistically the same as the top-yielding entry.
Complete trial data available upon request.

Forage Quality

New York

Forage quality data from Cornell University shows good NDF and NDF digestibility at both the boot and first cut stage.

Cornell University

Northern New York Hay/Forage Quality Trial

Chazy, NY

2011-2012

	Tons DM/A	NDFD Forage Quality
Variety	3 Cuttings	1st Cutting May 18	2nd Cutting Jun 13
Best score	4.34*	76.30*	67.80*
Cajun II	4.03*	73.40	63.90
Bronson	3.91*	72.50	65.10
BarOptima PLUS E34	3.84	75.20*	64.00
Jesup MaxQ	3.80	73.90	65.30
Kora	3.79	75.20*	67.70*
KY-31	3.41	75.00*	65.90*
Kentucky 32	3.26	76.20*	66.00*
Lowest score	3.10	71.40	63.50
LSD	0.47	2.25	2.25
*Statistically equal to the best score
NDFD - Neutral Detergent Fiber Digestibility
Sown Spring 2011 - complete results available upon request.

Missouri

Ozark Empire Fair Hay Contest

Dry Hay Class - Cool-Season Grasses

Multiple Locations

2023

Entry	Location	Cut Date	RFQ	RFV	ADF	NDF	NEL	TDN	CP
Cajun II Fescue	Clever, MO	4/11/2023	208.00	156.00	22.00	42.75	0.72	69.82	20.60
Persist Orchardgrass	Purdy, MO	4/28/2023	166.00	123.00	28.22	50.52	0.66	64.68	13.50
Kentucky 31 Fescue/Orchardgrass	Aurora, MO	7/15/2023	132.00	114.00	29.78	53.75	0.64	63.39	13.80
Kentucky 31 Fescue	Verona, MO	5/20/2023	110.00	97.00	34.86	58.93	0.60	59.20	11.40
Kentucky 31 Fescue	Billings, MO	5/20/2023	109.00	96.00	34.74	59.91	0.60	59.30	10.60
Smooth Brome Mix	Strafford, MO	5/24/2023	107.00	96.00	34.39	59.94	0.60	59.59	10.10
Cow Pro Fescue	Sheldon, MO	6/13/2026	106.00	95.00	35.23	60.03	0.59	58.86	7.80
Annual Ryegrass/Orchardgrass	Verona, MO	5/30/2023	91.00	87.00	37.32	64.26	0.57	57.17	9.00
Kentucky 31 Fescue	Jenkins, MO	5/24/2023	87.00	83.00	40.00	64.38	0.55	55.00	9.30
Kentucky 31 Fescue	Sheldon, MO	6/14/2023	81.00	79.00	39.86	67.84	0.55	55.07	9.40
Average - 10 entries			120.00	103.00	33.64	58.23	0.61	60.21	11.50
See full results.

Testimonials

Horses grazing in a field of Cajun 2 Tall Fescue

"The horses love it, and I like it for them. Particularly compared to grazing Kentucky 31. I start grazing about 10 inches height, and take them off at about 4 inches. It has excellent regrowth. The germination was excellent, producing a thick stand, such that we got a cutting of hay in May 2017 following the September 2016 planting. I was not expecting that."

Doug Brown Cedar Grove, NC – June 2018

Cajun II Gallery

Field of Cajun II endophyte free tall fescue in Eastern PA.

Planting

Cajun II can be seeded at a rate of 30-40 lbs/acre depending on the mix or purpose. For best results, plant in the early spring and fall. Ideal seeding depth: 1/8–3/8 inches.

Seeding Rate - new pastures	30–40 lbs/ac
Seeding Rate - overseeding	10–15 lbs/ac
Planting Dates	early spring and fall
Planting Zones (map)	green
Planting Depth	⅛–⅜"
Optimal pH Range	5.8–7.0
Germination	7–14 days

Find a Dealer Tech Sheet Tech Sheet (Spanish)

Contact Us

Unable to find a dealer? Have a question? Drop us a note using the form below.

We know that your time is valuable and are committed to responding promptly. That said, it may take us a day or two. In order to expedite your request, we may send your inquiry directly to one of our distributors or industry experts. Thank you!

Cajun II

Endophyte-Free Forage Tall Fescue

An affordable alternative to novel-endophyte tall fescue.

Features

Horse-Friendly Fescue

Better Animal Performance

Hot and Cold Tolerant

High Yielding, Early Maturing

Versatile

Persistance

Managed Cattle Grazing Trial (% Stand)

Managed Cattle Grazing Trial (% Stand)

Yield Data

Mississippi

Hay Trial (2-Year Avg. Total DM/A)

Kentucky

Kentucky Trial Results

Kentucky Trial Results

Kentucky Trial Results

Kentucky Trial Results

Kentucky Trial Results

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Trial Results

North Carolina

North Carolina Trial Results (Total DM/A)

Wisconsin

Forage Trial (Tons DM/A)

Tennessee

Tennessee Hay Trial (Tons DM/A)

Tennessee Hay Trial (Tons DM/A)

Michigan

Forage Yield Trial (Tons DM/A)

Forage Quality

New York

Northern New York Hay/Forage Quality Trial

Missouri

Dry Hay Class - Cool-Season Grasses

Testimonials

Cajun II Gallery

Planting

Contact Us

More Forage Solutions