Introduction to Farming Course and Materials : New Farmer Glossary

New Farmer Glossary

Acre: An acre is a unit of measure and is a square approximately 209 feet per side. It is also about the size of a football field. Farmland is usually measured and spoken of in acres. 43,681 square feet in size.
acreage allotment: An individual farm's share, based on its previous production, of the national acreage needed to produce sufficient supplies of a particular crop.

Acreage Reduction Program (ARP): A voluntary, unpaid land retirement system in which farmers reduce their planted acreage from an historical "base-acreage" level. Usually required for participation in other agricultural programs. This program expired with passage of the 1996 Farm Bill.
Agribusiness: a way of farming that combines agriculture and business and usually involves large amounts of land, animals, and expensive technology; support industries that assist farmers in completing their work - breeders, mechanics, feed salesmen, consultants, etc.

Artifact: a historical object made by humans

Augers: Long tubular pieces of equipment to move grain. Augers have a spiral shaft up the middle which pushes the grain from the lower end to the top end and into or out of storage units. They are usually powered by tractors, electric motors or hydraulic motors and can be a dangerous piece of equipment if alertness and safety precautions are not used.

Bacteria: microorganisms that live in the soil and convert nutrients into forms usable by plants

bilateral agreement: A two-country agreement for the exchange of a given volume of specific products during a specified period of time.

Bins: Round concrete or corrugated metal covered structures which are used to store grains. They can be found on farms and at commercial storage businesses. Some are equipped with fans to move air through the grain to keep it in good condition. Some are equipped with fuel-fired burners which can be used to dry the moisture in grain down to proper storage levels.

biosolids: Organic waste by-products from ag production and municipal sewage treatment plants that are spread on farm fields as a natural fertilizer or soil amendment.
biotechnology: The use of microorganisms-plant cells, animal cells or parts of cells, such as enzymes-to produce products or carry out processes.
Bovine: cattle

Breed: to produce offspring by giving birth or by hatching

Bull: a sexually mature male bovine

Bushel: a measurement of capacity or size; A unit of volume measure used as dry measure of grains and produce. A bushel of wheat or soybeans weighs 60 pounds, a bushel of corn or milo weighs 56 pounds, and a bushel of sunflowers weighs 25 pounds.

Canal: a waterway built to let boats navigate the waters
carryover: The inventory of a farm commodity not yet used at the end of a marketing year. Marketing years generally start at the beginning of the new harvest for a commodity.
Cash crop: what a farmer raises, crop or livestock, to sell for money

Cellulose: component of plant cell walls that is not digestible by most animals (lignin)

Cereal grains: Usually refers to small seeded grains such as wheat, barley, rice, and oats.

checkoff programs: Research and promotion programs authorized by law and financed by assessments. The programs are paid for by specified industry members (producers and handlers).
Cob: the large round mass of an ear of corn where kernels grow

Combine: a machine used for harvesting grain; A large self-propelled machine which harvests grain crops. It has various attachments called headers designed for use in harvesting specific crops. Wheat is harvested using the reel-type header; corn is harvested using a corn head; soybeans are harvested using a bean head.

Commodity: an agricultural good

Compaction: the compression of air spaces in the soil by heavy machinery. A problem when driving on wet soil.

Corn Ears: the part of a corn plant containing the corn cob, husk, and kernels

Corn Husk: the leaf like layer on the outside of corn ears, also known as a "shuck"

Cradle: a tool used for gathering a crop once it is finished growing

Crops: Crops are plants that can be grown and harvested or picked to eat or to sell. Crops are grains (wheat, corn, milo, soybeans, sunflowers, oats), cotton, fruits (apples, oranges, peaches, pears), nuts, vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes), and Christmas trees, and many more.

Cultivate: to improve the land by plowing and fertilizing

Custom Harvester: An individual, a family or a group of individuals whose business is to hire out to harvest crops for farmers. They provide the equipment such as combines, grain trucks, semi-tractor trailer trucks, grain carts and tractors to bring the mature crops in and to deliver them either to the farmer's storage facility or to a commercial facility such as a grain elevator. Many custom harvesters have a regular harvest route that begins in the south (such as Texas) and advances north to Montana, North Dakota and Canada. During fall harvest season they return to a more southerly location to provide their harvesting services. Farmers pay the harvesters an agreed upon rate for cutting and hauling the crop depending on acres cut, yields, distance to be hauled, fuel costs, etc.

Disk: to prepare the soil for planting by cutting the soil with rotating metal disks; A piece of farm equipment pulled behind a tractor to prepare soil, cut up vegetative matter in fields. It is used in preparation of fields prior to planting and also to keep weeds under control.

Domesticate: to tame and breed for human use

Drill: A piece of equipment for seeding that is pulled behind a tractor. The drill is used to plant wheat and other small seed crops. It makes a long groove in the soil, drops the seeds into it and then covers and firms the soil above the seed.

Ecology: the study of the environment and how living things interact with it

Ecosystem: a community of living and non-living things that interact by exchanging matter and energy

Elevator: A long piece of equipment which is powered by a tractor and moves items such as small hay bales to be stored under cover such as in the upper levels of a barn called a hayloft or in a hay shed.

Environment: physical surroundings; all that is around you

Enzymes: proteins that start a chemical reaction

Erosion: to wear away topsoil by water or wind and can be caused by intensive farming and overgrazing

Ethanol: a form of natural gas that can be produced from corn

Excrete: to get rid of waste, such as manure

Expense: cost or charge of money

Extension Agency: an outreach arm of an agricultural university which provides educational programs on farming and does research

Fallow: left without tilling or sowing after plowing

Farm Bureau: a non-governmental political agency that works for farmers' rights

federal crop insurance: A voluntary risk management tool, available to farmers since the 1930s, that protects them from the economic effects of unavoidable adverse natural events. In 1980, federal crop insurance was expanded to include more crops and to cover multiple hazards. Administrative costs are appropriated by Congress, and premium costs are federally subsidized.

Feed: a mixture or preparation used for feeding livestock; The cracked, ground, or processed grains usually fed to animals including hay such as alfalfa or silage. Feed is often mixed with added nutrients for better animal health.

Feeder cattle: cattle, ready to be finished for market, weighing 550-650 pounds or heavier

Feed grains: Usually refers to coarser grains such as corn, milo, and soybeans.

Feed Lots: a small area where cattle are confined and fed carefully mixed, high-concentrate feed
to fatten them

Fertilizer: organic or inorganic nutrients that are added to the soil to help the growth of crops

Finances: management of money affairs

Findley Payment: A portion of the deficiency payment, usually paid at the end of the marketing year. The payment is intended to compensate producers for any loss of income if the Secretary of Agriculture invokes his authority to lower loan rates in order to make U.S. prices competitive in the world market.
Fixing: in the nitrogen cycle, it is the process of nitrogen changing into a less mobile and more usable form by combining with hydrogen to make ammonia

Flail: a wooden bar with a wooden handle used for removing grain or seeds from stalks

4H: an agricultural club for children that features hands-on learning

Future Farmers of America (FFA): an educational organization for young adults who plan to have a career in agriculture teaching leadership, teamwork and opportunity.

Gene: the DNA code in the cells of all living things; they determine physical characteristics such as fur color

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT): An agreement negotiated in 1947 among 23 countries, including the U.S., to increase international trade by reducing tariffs and other trade barriers. This multilateral agreement provides a code of conduct for international commerce. GATT also provides a framework for periodic multilateral negotiations on trade liberalization and expansion.

Grade: classification system of food quality

Grain Elevator: A commercial storage facility used for storing grains.

Grange: an organization of farmers that provides support and plans social functions

Grass: a type of plant with jointed stems, slender flat leaves and spike like flowers such as corn and wheat

Grit: the inside of a corn kernel exposed after the outer covering, or hull, is removed

Groundwater: water held underground that has seeped through soil layers and bedrock

Harvest: to gather a crop when it is finished growing; The process of threshing or picking a grain crop by a large machine called a combine. It can also refer to picking vegetable and fruit crops by hand.

Hay: Product such as alfalfa and certain grasses which are cut, baled and fed to animals.

Herbicide: a type of pesticide that kills weeds

Hock: back leg of cattle

Homestead: the place where a family makes its home

Humus: sticky, brown part of the soil that comes from dead plants and animals and contains many nutrients

Hybrid: an offspring of two animals or plants that are of different breeds, varieties or species

Hydroponic: grown in water without the use of soil

import quota: The maximum quantity or value of a commodity allowed to enter a country during a specific period of time.

Income: a gain in money usually as a result of business or labor

Inputs: the amount of energy and money put into a farm in order to make a product

Insecticide: a type of pesticide that kills insects

Intensive grazing: the practice of rotating livestock between pastures to reduce overgrazing

international trade barriers: Regulations used by governments to restrict imports from, and exports to, other countries. Examples are tariffs, embargoes, import quotas and unnecessary sanitary restrictions

Inventory: a list of current goods that you have or own

Kernel: the seed of a grain plant

Legume: any plant that grows seeds in a pod such as peas and beans, alfalfa.

Livestock: any animals raised on the farm; Livestock are farm animals, such as beef cattle, dairy cows, sheep, hogs, chickens and turkeys.

loan rate: The price per unit (bushel, bale, pound) at which the government will provide loans to farmers and processors to enable them to hold their commodities for later sale. The 1996 Farm Bill established minimum loan rates for wheat, feed grains, dairy products and rice. Also set soybean and cotton rates by a formula reflecting an average of previous years' market prices.

Manure: animal waste from stables or barnyards

Market: where products are sold and exchanged

marketing loan: A variation on the standard nonrecourse commodity loan. The mechanism allows producers to repay their loans at the lower of the prevailing world market price or the original loan rate.
marketing quota: Under certain agricultural programs, the quantity of a commodity that will provide adequate and normal market supplies. When marketing quotas are in effect (only after approval by at least two-thirds of the eligible producers voting in a referendum), growers who produce in excess of their farm acreage allotments are subject to marketing penalties and are ineligible for government price support loans. Quotas are used for domestically-consumed peanuts. For certain tobacco varieties, a poundage limitation is applicable as well as acreage allotments.

market transition payments: Seven-year contractual agreements between farmers and the federal government whereby farmers receive payments based on past production of program crops. Sign-up for these contracts was offered to all program participants on a one-time basis in 1996 as part of the 1996 Farm Bill.

Matter: the material which makes up something

Mill: a machine used to grind grain for food

Microorganisms: tiny living things that can only be seen with a microscope

Monoculture: planting the same crop in a field year after year with no crop rotation

multilateral agreement: An agreement or program involving three or more countries . . . such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and North American Free Trade Agreement.
net farm income: The money and non-money income farm operators receive from farming as a return for labor, investment and management after production expenses have been paid.
No till: a method of growing grain when the farmer does not plow the field before planting

Nodule: a swelling on the root of a legume that contains bacteria that fix nitrogen from the air

nonrecourse loan: Price support loan to farmers to enable them to hold their crops for later sale, usually within the marketing year. The loan is nonrecourse in that farmers can forfeit without penalty the loan collateral (the commodity) to the government as settlement of the loan.

non-point source pollution: Pollution that cannot be detected from a specific point or any specific land use. It's usually pollutants that are on the ground and get washed into lakes, streams and ponds when it rains.

normal crop acreage: The acreage on a farm normally devoted to a group of designated crops. When a set-aside program is in effect, a farm's total planted acreage plus the set-aside acres cannot exceed the normal crop acreage if the farmer wants to participate in the commodity loan program or receive deficiency payments.

Nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and minerals that plants need to grow

Offal: the inedible parts of a butchered animal removed in dressing it

Organic farming: producing foods without the use of laboratory made fertilizers, growth substances, or pesticides

Organic matter: the dead plants, animals and manure converted by earthworms and bacteria into humus

parity price: Price per bushel, pound or bale that would be necessary today to buy the same quantity of goods (from a standard list) that a bushel would have bought in the 1910-1914 base period at the price then prevailing.

Pastures: land or a plot of land used for the grazing of animals

payment limitation: A limitation set by law on the amount of money any one individual may receive in farm program payments, such as market transition payments and disaster payments, each year under the USDA programs. The limitation does not include the value of any government price-support loans received.

permanent legislation: The statutory legislation upon which many agricultural programs are based for the major commodities, principally the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 and the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1949. Although these laws are frequently amended for a given number of years, they would once again become law if current amendments, such as the 1996 Farm Bill, were to lapse or new legislation not be enacted.

Pesticide: a substance that kills any pest, including insects, fungi, and weeds

pH: a value that indicates the acidity of the soil

Photosynthesis: the process by which green plants use light energy from the sun to produce sugar from water and the air

Planter: A piece of equipment for seeding that is pulled behind a tractor. The planter is used to seed coarser grain seeds such as corn, soybeans, and sunflowers. Instead of the long seed box that a drill has, planters have individual seed boxes, one for each row the planter will plant. Planters are often designated as 6-row or 12-row planters.

Plow: to work the soil by turning over the top layer; the machine used to turn the top layer of soil
point-source pollution: Pollution that can be detected from a specific point, such as an outlet pipe emptying into a river from a wastewater treatment plant or a factory.

program yield: A term designating the average historical yield established for a particular farm or area. Program production would be the program acreage planted in a commodity multiplied by the program yield.

Pollinate: to fertilize by transferring pollen from the anther to the stigma of a flower

Pork bellies: meat from the belly area of a pig; used for bacon

Port: a town or city where ships are loaded with products to be shipped overseas

Public Law 480: Enacted in 1954 to expand foreign markets for U.S. agricultural products, combat hunger and encourage economic development in developing countries. Makes U.S. commodities available through low-interest, long-term credit under Title I of the Act and as donations for famine or other emergency relief under Title II. Under Title I, the recipient country agrees to undertake agricultural development projects to improve its own food production or distribution. Title III authorizes "food for development" projects.

Rendering plant: a place where lard, tallow, and oil are extracted from animal parts

Row Dividers: the large points on the end of a combine used to pick-up corn

Rotation: the changing of the specific fields used for one crop year to year

Rumen: the first large compartment of the stomach of a bovine and other ruminant animals; its bacteria and protozoa break down cellulose. The other compartments are the reticulum, omasum and the abomasum. Other ruminants include sheep, goats, llamas, and camels.

runoff: Rainfall or snow melt water that moves across agricultural or nonagricultural land into a nearby lake, stream or river. This water may contain sediment or other pollutants when it reaches the water body.

Scythe: a blade with a long handle used to cut grass, grain, and other crops

set-aside: This program expired with passage of the 1996 Farm Bill. The program limited production by restricting the use of land.

Shear: the act of cutting hair or wool

Shock: a pile of grain that is set up like a cone

Silage: a mixture of raw chopped materials such as field corn, sorghum, grass, or clover that is converted into winter feed for livestock through a process of fermentation. Feed can be stored for several years with little loss of nutrients.

Slaughterhouse: a place where animals marketed for meat are killed humanely and processed

Soil Conservation: careful preservation or protection of soil. See NRCS and SWCD.

Species: a group of living things that share common biological characteristics

Steer: a bull that has been castrated for better meat production

Stewardship: an individual's responsibility to exercise care over possessions entrusted to him or her

Straw: The stems of the wheat or oat plants which are cut and baled and often used for animal bedding. Sometimes, straw is fed to animals.

Sub-division: a piece of land to be divided into smaller lots, typically for housing

target price: Most target price programs expired with passage of the 1996 Farm Bill. This was a commodity price goal established by law for wheat, feed grains, rice, and cotton. If the market price fell below this level, a direct government payment was made to producers for the difference between the target and the price support loan level or market price, whichever was higher.

tariff: A system of duties imposed by government on both imported and exported goods.

Technology: instruments, tools or inventions developed through research to increase efficiency

Tenant: a person who pays rent to live on someone else's land

Terrace: A raised bank of earth having vertical and sloping sides. Terraces are constructed to follow the contour of the land and to enable rain and snow water to remain on the land rather than run down slopes and cause soil erosion. Terraces are a conservation practice to keep soil and water on the land.

Thresh: to beat out a grain or seed from a stalk by treading, rubbing or striking with a flail, or with a machine

Total Mixed Ration: a feed combination of hay, corn, barley, field grasses, cotton seed, and bakery or grocery by-products that is nutritionally balanced for the animals. The goal is that each bite of the mixture will be exactly the same as any other bite, allowing the farmer to provide a consistent diet to all animals.

Urbanization: the growth of the city into rural areas

USDA: United States Department of Agriculture, a Federal agency involved in all phases of agriculture. Oversees many regulations, agencies, pricing issues and grant opportunities.

Waterway: An earthen construction which is built to carry water off the land without losing soil or cutting ditches. All water has to go somewhere and if it comes faster than the soils can absorb, it will run-off. Waterways catch the water run-off and direct it to the bottom of the slopes where it goes into ponds, creeks or eventually makes its way to a river. The waterways are usually grassed to catch any silt that accompanies rainwater or snow melt. Waterways are an important component of a terracing system and soil conservation plans.

Weed: any unwanted plant, especially those that crowd out more desirable plants

Work ethic: qualities of character believed to be promoted by work

Yield: the amount of a crop produced in a given time or from a given