1.

Abattior
2. abiotic - devoid of life; the nonliving components of any environment.
3. Abomasum: The fourth compartment of the stomach of a
ruminant animal.
4. Abortion premature expulsion of a non-viable foetus from the
uterus after 45 days of pregnancy and before the normal 282-
day term.
5. Accuracy (of selection) Correlation between an animal's
unknown actual breeding value and a calculated estimated
breeding value.
6. Acetonemia (or ketosis) a condition characterized by an
elevated concentration of ketone bodies in body tissues and
fluids. It is more common among high-producing animals in a
negative energy balance.
7. Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF) fibre measurement extracted with
acidic detergent in a technique employed to help appraise the
quality of forages. Includes cellulose, lignin, ADIN, and acid-
insoluble ash.
8. Acid whey fluid milk product obtained during the manufacture
of cheese, casein or similar products by separation from the
curd after coagulation of milk and/or of products obtained from
milk. Coagulation is obtained, principally, by acidification.
(Codex Alimentarius)
9. Acidity test milk quality test that measures lactic acid.
10. Acidosis: Below normal pH in the rumen caused by rapid
fermentation of grain and other concentrate feeds. Usually
caused when animals are not adapted to high concentrate
feeds in the diet
11. Acquired immunity antibody production as a result of
immunity acquired from previous exposure to pathogenic
microorganisms (as opposed to passive immunity).
12. Ad lib feeding No limit placed on amount of feed intake.
Self-feeding or allowing cattle to consume feed on a free-
choice basis.
13. Ad libitum (ad lib.) at pleasure. Commonly used to
express feed available on free-choice basis.
14. adaptation - process by which organism becomes adjusted to altered
environment.
15. Adductor--A muscle located in the hind limb of an animal
which makes up part of the top round.
16. Adjusted Weaning Weight (adj 205 day wt)- Weight of a calf at
weaning, adjusted to a standard 205 days of age and adjusted
for the age of the dam.
17. Adjusted Yearling Weight (adj 365 day wt) - Weight of a
calf as a yearling adjusted to a standard 365 days of age and
adjusted for the age of the dam.
18. Adulteration addition of other substances to milk which
reduces the quality of the milk (e.g. water).
19. Aerobic metabolism--Metabolism in the presence of
oxygen.
20. Aerobic requiring oxygen. For example, many
microorganisms require oxygen for the oxidation of food
materials.
21.aflatoxin - toxin produced by the
fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus.
22. Afterbirth: Tissues that surround a calf during a
pregnancy and which are expelled after the calf is born.
23. Agalactia failure to secrete milk following parturition.
24. Age at last calving age determined by subtracting the
cow's birth date from her most recent calving date.
25. Aging--A process by which which meat is held under
controlled temperatures for a period of time. 
26.agribusiness - a combination of the producing operations of a farm, the
manufacture and distribution of farm equipment and supplies and the
processing, storage and distribution of farm commodities.
27.agriculture - the science or art of cultivating the soil, producing crops and
raising livestock 
28. AI daughter female offspring of an artificially inseminated
dam.
29.albumen - a viscous protein that comprises most of the white of eggs.
30. Alcohol test milk quality test. It is used to screen and
rapidly assess acidity.
31. Alektorophobia - the fear of chickens
32. Allantois - a sac connected to the embryo's abdomen and involved in
embryo respiration
33. Alleles Alternate forms of genes. Because genes occur in
pairs in body cells, one gene of a pair may have one effect and
another gene of that same pair (allele) may have a different
effect on the same trait.
34. Alley a walking area for cattle within a barn.
35. Alliance – An organization in the beef industry (horizontal
or vertical) designed to improve profitability by improving
coordination of beef production, processing and/or
merchandising.
36. Ammonia a colourless pungent gas, NH3, composed of
nitrogen and hydrogen; its compounds are used as fertilizers.
37. Ammonium an ion (NH4+) derived from ammonia (NH3).
38. Amnion - a sac surrounding the embry filled with amniotic fluid which
protects the developing embryo from shock and provides a medium for the
develop embryo to exercise their muscles
39. Anaemia disease due to a deficiency in iron and (or) the
lack of red blood cells.
40. Anaerobic (bacteria) species of bacteria that live in the
absence of oxygen, which is toxic to them.
41. Anaerobic treatment lagoon a structure to treat animal
waste by predominantly anaerobic biological action using
anaerobic or facultative organisms, in the absence of air, for
the purpose of reducing organic matter in wastes.
42.analogue - a compound or product that is synthesized or manufactured to be
similar to a naturally occurring substance.
43.anamnestic response - the result of immunological memory. If a previously
sensitizing antigen is ever encountered again, antibody production is much
quicker and usually in greater amounts than that observed following the initial
encounter.
44. Anaplasmosis: Tick borne disease that destroys an
animal’s red blood cells.
45. Anatomy - the structure systems of an animal (skeletal, muscular,
digestive, etc.)
46.androgen - male sex hormones, associated with secondary sex characteristics.
47.Animal breeding
48. Animal Unit (AU): Unit used to describe 1,000 lbs. of
animal weight. Typically used in assessing the number of
animals to place on an acre of pasture.
49.annual consumption trends - the tabulation of the food products purchased
and consumed on yearly basis by a certain population.
50. Annual: Plants which live for only one year.
51.ante-mortem - before death.
52. Anthelmintic an agent that destroys internal parasites.
53. Antibiotic a metabolic product of one microorganism or a
chemical that in low concentrations is detrimental to activities
 of other microorganisms.  Penicillin, tetracycline, and
streptomycin are antibiotics.  Not effective against viruses.
54. Antibody proteins, found in the blood and other tissues,
synthesized in response to an infectious agent (antigen) and
capable of recognizing that particular agent in a subsequent
infection. Colostrum also contains large amounts of antibodies.
55. Antigen any foreign body that, once in the body,
stimulates the production of an antibody. The coat of many
bacteria and the structure of many toxin molecules are
antigens.
56.antioxidant - compounds that delay or slow the rate of oxidation of
autoxidizable substances e.g. BHA, Vitamin E.
57.antiseptic - compound that kills or inhibits bacterial growth, particularly those
agents applied to living tissue.
58.aquaculture - the production of fish.
59. Artificial Insemination: Placing semen into the
reproductive tract of the female with the purpose of producing
pregnancy.
60. As fed refers to feed as it is consumed by an animal,
including moisture.
61. Aseptic free from bacterial contamination, sterile; used to
describe a type of food processing and packaging characterized
by non-refrigerated storage and long shelf-life products (see
UHT and ultra-pasteurised).
62. Aseptic packaging method of filling packages without
allowing the entry of microorganisms.  Commonly used for
sterile milk products to provide improved keeping quality.

63. Atavism:The reappearance of a character after it has not

appeared for one or more generation.
64. Auction – A method of marketing for cattle through which
an auctioneer sells cattle to the highest bidder.
65. Auction market/auction barn – A facility to which cattle
producers bring cattle to be sold via auction. This is the most
common method of marketing cattle. Auction markets primarily
host live sales of cattle on the premises, while some auction
markets also host video sales.
66. Automatic take-off a device for sensing the end of milk
flow in the milking machine, for shutting off the milking
vacuum, and for retracting the milking unit from the cow's
udder.
67. Average daily gain (ADG) Measurement of daily body
weight change in animal on a feed test. Most tests for bulls are
140 or 160 days long.
68. Average: It is the sum of production divided by No. of
animals.
69. Avian Influenza (AI) - Virus that infects wild birds (such as ducks, gulls, and shorebirds)
and domestic poultry (such as chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese). There is flu for
birds just as there is for humans and, as with people, some forms of the flu in birds are
worse than others.
70. Axial Feathers (Key Feather) - Short feather between primary and secondary feathers
of the wing
71. Babcock test traditional method of measuring the fat
content of milk.
72. Baby Chick - Chick just hatched usually one to seven days old
73. Backcross The mating of a two-breed crossbred offspring
back to one of its parental breeds. Example: A Hereford-Angus
cross cow bred back to an Angus bull.
74. Backfat: Fat measurement taken under the skin and
between the 12th and 13th rib.
75. Backgrounding: The growing of calves after they are
weaned until they are ready to go into a feedlot for finishing.
During backgrounding, calves gain approximately 300 pounds.
The calves' feed during this time should be either pasture,
silage or hay.
76. Bacteria single-celled organisms living either
independently or in close association with other living
organisms; often referred to as microbes or micro organisms
because of their microscopic size. Some bacteria are beneficial,
but others cause infectious diseases.
77. Bactericide an agent or substance capable of destroying
bacteria.
78. Bacterin a suspension of killed or attenuated bacteria
(vaccine) used to increase disease resistance.
79. Bacteriostatic describes a substance that prevents the
growth of bacteria but does not kill them.
80. Balanced ration the daily food allowance of an animal
containing all the dietary requirements to meet the purpose for
which it is being fed.
81. Baldy: A dark-colored calf with a white face. A black baldy
is typically the result of crossing Angus and Hereford cattle.
82. Baled hay forage that has been compressed into a bale.
83. Banding - putting a tag or band with identification on it to the wing or leg of a bird
84. Bang’s Disease: Another name for brucellosis.
85. Bantam - a chicken breed that is one third to one half the size of a standard
breed.
86. Banti - a non-technical term sometimes used to mean 'bantam'
87. Barbicels - tiny hooks that hold a feather's web together
88. Barrel Cheese A form of packaging rather than a type of
cheese. The barrel is a plastic–lined cardboard container that
holds approximately 500 pounds of cheese. Barrel packaging is
typically used for bulk cheese that will be further processed.
89. Barren - Sterile female
90. Barring - alternate markings of two distinct colors on a feather
91. Basal metabolism (BM) the chemical changes that occur in
the cells of an animal in the fasting or resting state when it
uses just enough energy to maintain vital cellular activity,
respiration, and circulation as measured by the Basal Metabolic
Rate (BMR).
92. Base weight – The actual net weight of the animal before
any adjustment (shrink or slide) is made.
93. Basis – The difference between the cash market price and
the futures market price. Typically associated with the nearby
futures contract, but basis can be calculated for deferred
contracts as well.
94. Bay - light golden brown in color
95. BCS (Body Condition Score): System used to classify the
amount (or lack) of fat on an animal.
96. Beak - the hard protruding mouth part of a bird consisting of an uper and a lower
part
97. Bean - A hardened bean-like bulge on the upper portion of the bill
98. Beard - A tuft of coarse hair located on the breast of male turkeys.
99. Bedded pack housing system in which animals are free to
move around and rest in a common resting area in which
bedding is frequently added, but infrequently removed (see
also free stall housing).

100. Bedding - Material used to absorb moisture and provide

cushion. It is easily cleaned to provide a clean, dry surface and
reduce the incidence of mastitis. Possible bedding materials
include: straw, sawdust, wood chips, sand, ground limestone,
separated manure solids, shredded newspaper, corn stalks,
bark, peanut hulls, sunflower hulls and rice hulls.

101. Beef carcass data service A program whereby producers,

for a fee, can receive carcass evaluation data on their cattle by
 using a special "carcass data" eartag for their slaughter
animals. See your local MU Extension director, breed
representative, Beef Cattle Improvement Association
representative or area office of USDA meat grading service for
information.
102. Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) A federation of
organizations, businesses and individuals interested or
involved in performance evaluation of beef cattle. The purposes
of BIF are to bring about uniformity of procedures,
development of programs, cooperation among interested
entities, education of its members and the ultimate consumers
of performance evaluation methods, and to build confidence of
the beef industry in the principles and potentials of
performance testing.
103. Beef: The meat of- cattle past calf stage.
104. Beefy (beefiness) a term used to designate the desirable
physical conformation of a beef animal, as contrasted with a
dairy animal which is trimmer (not beefy) and more angular.
105. Bill - the 'beak' of waterfowl

106. Biosecurity - Any of a broad range of practices enforced at

a dairy farm to prevent transmittal of pathogens from other
sources by feed, cattle, people, or other animals.

107. Birth Weight - Weight taken in the first 24 hours of a

calf’s life.
108. Blackleg: Fatal disease of young cattle caused by a
Clostridial bacteria.
109. Bleat the vocal sound made by a goat.
110. Blend price the price paid to producers for market milk
when classified pricing is used. The blend price is an average of
class prices weighted by the quantity of milk used in each
class.

111. Blind Quarter - A quarter of an udder that does not

secrete milk or one that has an obstruction in the teat that
prevents the removal of milk. A nonfunctional mammary gland.

112. Bloat: Condition where the stomach becomes overly full of

gas which is produced during the fermentation process.
113. Block Cheese A form of packaging rather than a type of
cheese. The block is approximately 40 pounds of cheese. Block
 packaging, like barrel packaging, is typically used for bulk
cheese that will be further processed.
114. Blood plasma the liquid portion of blood in which the
corpuscles of blood cells are suspended.
115. Blood spot - blood in an egg
116. Bloom - An inclusive term used to describe the general
look of a healthy, clean, lustrous hair coat.
117. Blue whales
118. Bluetongue: Viral disease that is spread by a specific type
of gnat.
119. BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) an indirect measure
of the concentration of biodegradable substances in an
aqueous solution.  The degradation of organic matter uses
up dissolved oxygen.
120. Body measurement method
121. Bolus regurgitated food that has been chewed and is
ready to be swallowed; a large pill for dosing animals.
122. Bone meal animal bones that were steamed under
pressure and then ground.  It contains 1.5 to 2.5 percent
nitrogen, 12 to 15 percent phosphorus, and 20 to 34 percent
calcium.  It is used as a fertilizer and as a mineral supplement
for feeding farm animals.
123. Boner/boning utility – A moderate conditioned cull cow
with a body condition score of 5 or 6. Most well-conditioned
cows fall in this category.
124. Bos indicus
125. Bos taurus
126. Bovine growth hormone BST or Somatotropin.
127. Bovine: The species to which cattle belong.
128. Boxed beef cutout – Represents the estimated gross value
of a beef carcass, based on prices paid for individual beef items
derived from the carcass.
129. Boxed beef: Consistently sized retail cuts of beef that are
packaged and sold by the “box.”
130. Bran the seed coat of wheat and other cereal grains which
is separated from flour and used as animal food.
131. Branding: Identifying cattle permanently with a hot brand
or a cold brand.
132. BRD (Bovine Respiratory Disease): Several respiratory
diseases in cattle that decrease performance and increase
death losses.
133. Breaker – Highest conditioned cull cow, carrying heavy
flesh and having a high dressing percent. Body condition score
is generally 7 or higher.
134. Break-even Price: Minimum sale price that will cover all
expenses.
135. Bred - Applies to the female definitely safe in calf, or
pregnant; also used to refer to the mating process.
136. Breed average the average milk production of cows for a
given dairy breed.
137. Breed: A group of cattle with similar external
characteristics (color markings, size, body and shape, horns,
etc.) that are passed on from generation to generation.
138. Breeder: The owner of the cow (dam) of a calf at the time
she was mated.
139. Breeding bull – A sexually mature male bovine animal
used in reproduction.
140. Breeding program goals The objective, or "direction," of
breeder's selection programs. Goals are basic decisions
breeders must make to give direction to their breeding
program. Goals should vary among breeders due to relative
genetic merit of their cattle, their resources and their markets.
141. Breeding soundness examination - Inspection of a bull
involving evaluation of physical conformation and soundness
through genital palpation, scrotal circumference, and testing
semen for motility and morphology.
142. Breeding value (genetic value) the genetic ability or merit
of an animal for a given trait, for example, secreting milk. One-
half of this genetic ability is transmitted to offspring.

143. Brisket Board - A raised part of the freestall platform

about 6.5 feet in front of rear of the stall to keep cows
positioned properly while lying. Usually made of wood or
plastic, but occasionally concrete.

144. Broad-spectrum antibiotic an antibiotic that is active

against a large number of microbial species.
145. Broiler or Fryer - A young meat bird chicken of either sex butchered around four
to eight weeks of age
146. Broken mouth: Typically refers to older cows who are
missing teeth.
147. Broken Udder - Term used to describe an udder that is
loosely attached or pendulous.

148. Bronopol a non-corrosive milk preservative in tablet or

granular form (2-bromo-2-nitro propane-1,3 diol).
149. Broody - a hen that is sitting on eggs with the intent of hatching them
150. Browse small, woody plants with fodder shoots used as
feed by goats, sheep, and cattle.
151. Brucellosis: Highly contagious disease that causes profuse
sweating and join and muscle pain.
152. BST (Bovine Somatotropin) a complex, biologically active
protein secreted by the pituitary gland.  It stimulates body cell
growth and milk production available as a synthetically
produced product for use in cattle.  Sometimes called "growth
hormone" or BGH.
153. Buck a sexually mature male goat.

154. Bucket Milking System - A system in which the milk

coming from the cow is drawn into a bucket or pail and
manually transferred to a collection area or the milk house.

155. Buckling
156. Buff - orange-yellow color in feathers that is not shiny or brassy
157. Bulk milk Raw milk from a dairy farm, as stored in a bulk
tank; in contrast with packaged milk. Other bulk products, such
as condensed skim and cream, may also be transported in bulk
form.
158. Bulk milk tank a refrigerated stainless steel vessel in
which milk is cooled quickly to 2 to 4° C and stored until picked
up in a bulk tank truck.
159. Bull – An intact male bovine animal.
160. Buller: Cow always in estrus condition.
161. Bulling - a cow in heat.
162. Bullock: It is the castrated male of cattle used for work.
163. Butchering
164. Butter fatty product derived exclusively from milk and/or
products obtained from milk, principally in the form of an
emulsion of the type water-in-oil. (Codex Alimentarius)
165. Buttermilks there are two kinds of buttermilk. Natural
buttermilk is the by-product of churning cream into butter.
Cultured buttermilk is usually made from skim milk by adding a
starter culture and incubating until lactic acid develops to
 about 0.8 percent. Salt is usually added to accentuate the
flavour.
166. BVD (Bovine Viral Diarrhea): Viral disease that decreases
performance and increases death losses.
167. By - Designates the sire.
168. Calf – A young male or female bovine animal under 1 year
of age.
169. Calf Crop Percent -The percent of cows exposed to
breeding which subsequently wean a calf.
170. Calf crop The number or percentage of calves produced
within a herd in a given year relative to the number of cows
and heifers exposed to breeding.
171. California Mastitis Test (CMT) a mastitis screening test
useful for determining the somatic cell content in milk.
172. Calves: Young cattle of either sex, less than one year of
age.
173. Calving
174. Calving Interval: Period of time between when a cow
gives birth to one calf and when she gives birth to her next calf.
175. Calving season The season(s) of the year when the calves
are born. Limiting calving seasons is the first step to
performance testing the whole herd, accurate records and
consolidated management practices.
176. Can milk that milk placed in 10-gallon cans on the farm
for cooling and transportation to a dairy product manufacturing
plant.
177. Cancer Eye: Cancerous cell growth on eyeball, eyelid or
eye membranes.
178. Candle - to examine the contents of an intact egg with the use of a light
179. Candler - light used to examine the contents of an egg without breaking it
open
180. Candling - using a candler to check the contents of an egg
181. Cannibalism - when poultry eat the flesh of fellow flock mates
182. Cape - narrow feathers between a chicken's neck and back
183. Capon - A castrated male chicken with soft skin or tender flesh
184. Capriculture the study of goat keeping.
185. Caracalving
186. Carbohydrates: These are the elements in a feed that
provide energy for the animal.
187. Carcass evaluation Techniques of measuring components
of quality and quantity in carcasses.
188. Carcass grade: There are two grading systems used for
carcasses that relate to consumer acceptability (quality grade)
and expected amount of meat that a carcass will produce (yield
grade).
189. Carcass merit Desirability of a carcass relative to quantity
of components (muscle, fat and bone), USDA quality grade,
plus potential eating qualities.
190. Carcass quality grade An estimate of palatability based
primarily on marbling and maturity and generally to a lesser
extent on color, texture and firmness of lean. Days on feed and
fat thickness (of 0.25 inches or more) are comparable to
quality grade in estimating eating quality.
191. Carcass quantity Amount of salable meat (muscle) the
carcass will yield. Cutability is an estimate of this. (See
cutability.)
192. Carcass: What is left after the head, hide, feet and
internal organs have been removed from the animal.
193. Carrier - A heterozygous individual having one recessive
gene and one dominant gene for a given pair of genes (alleles).
For example, an animal with one gene for polledness and one
gene for horns will be polled but can produce a horned
offspring when mated to another animal carrying the gene for
horns.
194. Carrying capacity the number of animals that a pasture
can properly carry with feed for a certain period of time.
195. Casein The main protein constituent of milk. Casein is
obtained from skimmed milk by precipitation (curdling) with
acids or rennet. (FAOSTAT)
196. Castrate - to remove the testes of male cattle.
197. Cattle: Animal belonging to the bovine species.
198. Cellulose the principal carbohydrate constituent of plant
cell membranes.  It is made available to ruminants through the
action of cellulolytic bacteria in the rumen.
199. Central test A location where animals are assembled from
several herds to evaluate differences in certain performance
traits under uniform management conditions.
200. Centrifugal separation removal of one substance from
another mechanically by centrifugal force, as with cream which
is less dense than skim milk.
201. Certified milk milk produced and distributed under
conditions which conform with high standards for cleanliness
and quality.
202. Characteristics: A trait, property or marking that
distinguishes one breed from another.
203. Checkoff: Program that collects $1 per head each time a
beef animal is sold. Used to promote the marketing of beef.
204. Check-offs the practice of deducting a portion of the
payment to a farmer for his or her produce.

205. Chevon: The meat of goat

206. Chimney effect natural ventilation process by which warm
air rises and escapes a building through an open ridge on the
roof (see also wind effect).
207. Choice cutout – Represents the composite price of all beef
cuts produced by a finished animal with a quality grade of
Choice. (See, also, Boxed Beef Cutout)
208. Choice Grade: Slaughter grade of beef cattle which is
desired most by people. It tells us that the beef should be
tender, juicy, taste good and have little waste fat.
209. Choice: Quality grade that identifies a particular amount
of fat flecks in the ribeye of a carcass between the 12th and
13th rib.
210. Choice-select spread – The difference between the Choice
cutout price and the Select cutout price. This spread provides
information related to supply and demand factors of beef based
on quality grade.
211. Cholesterol a white, fat-soluble substance found in animal
fats and oils, in bile, blood, brain tissue, nervous tissue, the
liver, kidneys, and adrenal glands.  It is important in
metabolism and is a precursor of certain hormones.
212. Chromosome - Chromosomes are long DNA molecules on
which genes (the basic genetic codes) are located. Domestic
cattle have 30 pairs of chromosomes.
213. Chronic said of a disease (or phase of a disease) that is
prolonged, mild and characterized by the absence any severity
(opposite of acute).
214. Churning agitation of whole milk or cream to make butter.
215. CIP (Cleaned-in-Place) most milk-handling equipment are
cleaned by circulating washing solutions through them without
disassembly.
216. Clarification the process of removing suspended material;
in milk processing, clarification is achieved by centrifugal
treatment which removes sediment (extraneous matter) and
somatic cells.
217. Classified pricing a pricing plan by which handlers are
charged for market milk according to the products in which it is
used, hence the term use classification.   
218. Clean a lay term commonly used by cattle breeders to
mean that a cow has shed her afterbirth.  Also refers to the
natural, wholesome flavour of dairy products.
219. Close breeding a form of inbreeding, such as mating
brothers to sisters, sire to daughter, and son to dam.
220. Closed herd A herd in which no outside breeding stock
(cattle) are introduced.
221. Clostridial diseases: These are acute infectious diseases
which usually kill cattle. Unvaccinated cattle six to 24 months
of age are most susceptible. There are four types of bacteria
that cause these diseases. Clostridium chauvei causes blackleg;
Clostridium Movyi causes black disease; Clostridium
Septeceium causes malignant edema; and clostridium sordelli
causes a severe muscle disease.
222. Clostridial: Class of bacteria that cause diseases in
livestock.
223. Closure time time after birth (usually expressed in hours)
at which absorption of antibodies through the intestinal wall
stops.
224. Clot on boiling test milk quality test through heating.
225. Clotting change from liquid milk to (semi-) solid.
226. CME feeder cattle index – A seven-day weighted rolling
average of 700 to 899 pound steers sold in the specified 12-
state region meeting prescribed muscling and frame score
requirements, not exhibiting dairy, exotic or Brahman
influence.
227. Coccidia a parasitic protozoan that causes coccidiosis, an
invasion of the intestine leading to diarrhoea in cattle and
other animals.
228. Coccidiosis: Disease caused by a single-celled parasite.
229. Cock or Old Rooster - A mature male over 12 months of age
230. Cockerel - A male chicken under 12 months of age
231. COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) an indirect measure of
the biochemical load exerted on the oxygen of a body of water
when organic wastes are introduced into the water.  If wastes
are readily biodegradable, COD and BOD are nearly the same.
232. Cold slaughter
233. Coliform bacteria bacteria from the intestinal tract of
warm-blooded animals.  Presence is considered indicative of
faecal contamination.
234. Collateral relatives Relatives of an individual that are not
its ancestors or descendants. Brothers and sisters are an
example of collateral relatives.
235. Collection centre a place to collect milk in bulk.
236. Colostrum: The first milk produced by a cow that contains
high levels of antibodies to protect a calf against disease.
237. Colt
238. Compaction closely packed feed in the stomach and
intestines of an animal causing constipation and/or digestive
disturbances.
239. Compensatory Gain: Faster than normal weight gain
following a period of feed restriction.
240. Complete ration a blend of all feedstuffs (forages and
grains) in one feed.  A complete ration fits well into
mechanized feeding and the use of computers to formulate
least-cost rations.  Sometimes called Total Mixed Ration or
TMR.
241. Components the nutritional solids in milk other than
water, like fat, protein, lactose, and minerals.
242. Composite herd average in large herds, or herds with
multiple units of cows, composite herd averages are calculated
for the total (or composite) of the individual units.
243. Composite milk product product of which the milk, milk
products or milk constituents are an essential part in terms of
quantity in the final product, as consumed provided that the
constituents not derived from milk are not intended to take the
place in part or in whole of any milk constituent. (Codex
Alimentarius)
244. Concentrate: Type of feed that is high in energy.
245. Concentrated fermented milk fermented milk the protein
of which has been increased prior to or after fermentation to
minimum 5.6 %. Concentrated fermented milks includes
traditional products such as Stragisto (strained yoghurt),
Labneh, Ymer and Ylette. (Codex Alimentarius)
246. Concentrated milks milk, skim milk, and components of
these that have been concentrated by removing varying
amounts of water under carefully controlled conditions of heat
and/or vacuum. Concentrated milks may be reconstituted by
adding appropriate quantities of water.
247. Conception fertilization or penetration of the ovum by a
sperm cell.
248. Conception rate total number of conceptions obtained
divided by total number of services.
249. Conception The fertilization of the ovum, or egg. The act
of becoming pregnant.
250. Condition refers to the amount of flesh (body weight),
quality of hair coat, and general health of animals.  Also called
body condition.
251. Condition/flesh – The relative fatness of an animal.
Condition/flesh is generally scored on a 9-point scale.
252. Conductivity a measure of the ability of a material to
conduct or transmit.
253. Confidence Range (CR) indicates the accuracy in the
estimation of a sire's genetic merit in a sire proof by giving a
probable range for future summaries.
254. Confinement livestock kept in corrals or housing for
maximum year-round production.  Facilities may be partial or
complete, usually with a solid floor and enclosed, or covered.
255. Conformation - The form of an animal as determined by
structure, shape and muscling.
256. Congenital - Acquired during prenatal life. Condition
exists at or dates from birth. Often used in the context of
congenital (birth) defects.
257. Conjunctiva the tissue covering the anterior portion of an
eyeball.
258. Contagious readily transmitted from one individual to
another, with reference to an organism that causes a disease.
259. Contemporaries cows of the same breed that were born
and raised, and initiated their lactations during similar periods.
Usually separated into two lactation groups for comparison--
first lactation and all other lactations.
260. Contemporary comparison method for estimating the
transmitting ability of bulls and cows using information on
contemporaries.
261. Contemporary group - A group of cattle that are of the
same breed and sex and have been raised in the same
management group (same location on the same feed and
pasture). Contemporary groups should include as many cattle
as can be accurately compared.
262. Controlled Grazing: Any system that controls grazing
patterns.
263. Cooperative a form of business owned and controlled by
the people who use its services, such as a milk marketing or
processing cooperative.
264. Cooperative Extension Service (CES) the state, university
and county educational outreach service of each state land-
 grant institution.  This service extends the research results
and educational programs of land-grant institutions to all the
people in the state.
265. Corn Silage: The entire corn plant is chopped when it is
still green, and then stored in an airtight manner in order for
the forage to preserve itself through fermentation.
266. Corned meat
267. Corpus Luteum: A structure that forms on the ovary
following ovulation that secretes the hormone progesterone.
268. Correlation - A measure ranging from -1.0 to +1.0 of how
two traits vary together. A positive correlation indicates that as
trait A increases, trait B also increases. A negative correlation
would indicate that as A increases trait B would decrease.
269. Correlation coefficient Measure of how two traits vary
together. A correlation of +1.00 means that two traits move in
the same direction (either increase or decrease). A correlation
of -1.00 means that as one trait increases the other decreases
— a perfect negative, or inverse, relationship. A correlation of
0.00 means that as one trait increases, the other may increase
or decrease — no consistent relationship. Correlation
coefficients may vary between +1.00 and -1.00.
270. Coulommiers soft, surface ripened, primarily mould
ripened cheese (...) which has a shape of a flat cylinder or
sectors thereof. The body has a near white through to light
yellow colour and a soft-textured (when pressed by thumb),
but not crumbly texture, ripened from the surface to the center
of the cheese. Gas holes are generally absent, but few openings
and splits are acceptable. A rind is to be developed that is soft
and entirely covered with white mould but may have red,
brownish or orange coloured spots. Whole cheese may be cut
or formed into sectors prior to or after the mould development.
271. Coverts - Feathers that cover primary and secondary wing and tail feathers
272. Cow a mature female bovine.
273. Cow index (CI) a measure of a cow's genetic merit for a
given trait by estimating her transmitting ability.
274. Cow-calf operation – A management unit that maintains a
breeding herd and produces weaned calves.
275. Cow-hocked a condition of a cow in which the hocks are
close together and the fetlocks (located just above the hoof)
wide apart.
276. CP crude protein and intake protein.
277. Crampiness a condition among cattle, especially bulls in
confinement, in which involuntary contractions of muscles of
the hind legs result in pain and discomfort.  Affected animals
shift from foot to foot.
278. Cream fluid milk product comparatively rich in fat, in the
form of an emulsion of fat-in-skimmed milk, obtained by
physical separation from milk. (Codex Alimentarius)
279. Cream powder milk product which can be obtained by the
partial removal of water from cream. The fat and/or protein
content of the cream may have been adjusted (...) by the
addition and/or withdrawal of milk constituents in such a way
as not to alter the whey protein to casein ratio of the milk
being adjusted. (Codex Alimentarius)
280. Creamery a butter factory or, more commonly, a milk
processing plant.
281. Creep feeder: Area that allows calves access supplemental
grain and/or hay, but excludes cows.
282. Creep-fed (creep-feeding): Providing feed to calves before
they are weaned.
283. Crimped rolled with corrugated rollers. The grain to which
this term refers may be tempered or conditioned before
crimping, and may be cooled afterward.
284. Critical temperature (lower) environmental temperature
below which a calf has to expand energy to maintain its body
temperature. It is calculated as the environmental temperature
at which heat loss from the calf due to maintenance and
utilization of feed is equal to the heat needed to maintain
constant body temperature.
285. Critical temperature (upper) environmental temperature
at which animal performance decreases because natural
mechanisms that act to help the animal lose heat are
insufficient to dissipate heat gain.
286. Crop Residue: Plant parts remaining in a field after a crop
has been harvested that can be grazed or harvested for a
different use.
287. Crossbred - An animal that has purebred parents or grade
parents of different breeds.
288. Crossbreeding: Combining multiple breeds of cattle in a
planned mating system.
289. Crude Fiber (CF) that portion of feedstuffs composed of
cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and other polysaccharides which
serve as structural and protective parts of plants (high in
 forages and low in grains). Not soluble in acid or alkali
detergents.
290. Crude Protein (CP) total protein in a feed. To calculate the
protein percentage, a feed is first chemically analyzed for
nitrogen content. Since proteins average about 16
percent nitrogen, the percentage of nitrogen in the analysis is
multiplied by 6.25 to give the CP percentage.
291. Crumbles - a poultry feed that has been pelleted and then the pellets
broken up
292. Cryptorchid - Male cattle with undescended testes.
293. Cryptosporidium parasitic protozoan that infests the
intestine and causes diarrhoea in young calves.
294. Cuckoo - a course and irregular barring pattern in feathers
295. Cud a bolus of regurgitated food (common to ruminants).
See rumination.
296. Cull - to eliminate an animal of low quality from a herd.
297. Cull - to remove a bird from the flock because of productivity, age, health
or personality issues
298. Culture - incubating a sample from a diseased bird to look for the
presence of bacteria
299. Culture in microbiology, a population of micro organisms
in a growth medium or the act of growing bacteria in media for
identification.  A pure culture contains only organisms that
initially arose from a single cell.  Cultures are used in
manufacturing cultured dairy products and most cheeses.
300. Curd separation after coagulation the milk is separated
into whey and cheese curd.
301. Curing
302. Cushion - mass of feathers that gives a round effect seen in female
cochins
303. Cutability - Carcass cutout value or yield of saleable meat;
sometimes designated as yield grade by meat graders.
304. Cuticle - the moist protective coating on a freshly laid eggs that partially
seals the pores of the egg shell to prevent penetration by bacteria (also called
the bloom)
305. Cwt hundredweight or 100 pounds of milk
306. Cygnet - young (baby) swan
307. Dairy animal an animal from which milk production is
intended for use or sale for human consumption, or is kept for
raising replacement dairy animals.
308. Dairy cattle breed group of dairy cattle having a common
origin and identifiable traits (frequently colour).
309. Dairy character physical traits that suggest high milking
ability.  Important indications of this include an alert, feminine
head; long thin neck; openness and sharpness throughout;
prominent hips and pins; sharp withers; thin thighs; flat flinty
bone; and thin, pliable hide with a soft silky hair coat.  See
bloom.
310. Dairy fat spreads milk products relatively rich in fat in the
form of a spreadable emulsion principally of the type of water-
in-milk fat that remains in solid phase at a temperature of 20
°C. (Codex Alimentarius)
311. Dairy goat any goat from which milk production is
intended for human consumption, or is kept for raising
replacement dairy kids.
312. Dairy goat breed group of dairy goats having a common
origin and identifiable traits (frequently colour).  
313. Dairy terms names, designations, symbols, pictorial or
other devices which refer to or are suggestive, directly or
indirectly, of milk or milk products. (Codex Alimentarius)
314. Dam The female parent.
315. Daughter-herd mate comparison amount by which a
daughter of a bull differs in yield or other traits from the
average of cows of other bulls' daughters of the same breed in
the same herd during the same period.
316. Days in milk (DIM) the number of days during the present
lactation that the animal has been milking.
317. Days open a term commonly used for non-pregnant farm
mammals.
318. Deep freezing
319. Degradable Intake Protein (DIP) that protein or nitrogen
degraded in the rumen by micro-organisms into microbial
protein or freed as ammonia.
320. Dehorn: The removal of the horns of horned cattle.
321. Demand: Refers not only to a buyer/s desire to possess a
certain volume, but also refers to willingness and ability to buy.
Demand is good when buyers are more aggressive than usual,
or when large or increased supplies bring prices that are the
same or higher. Demand is poor when buyers are less
aggressive than usual, or when decreased supplies are selling
at prices that are the same or lower.
322. Denitrification the chemical or biological reduction of
nitrate or nitrite to gaseous nitrogen, either as molecular
nitrogen (n2) or as an oxide of nitrogen (n2o).
323. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) the chemical substance that
is the principal nuclear material of cells.  The structure of DNA
determines the structure of ribonucleic acid which, in
turn, determines the structure of proteins of the cell.
324. Dermatitis inflammation of skin as evidenced by itching,
redness, and a variety of skin lesions.
325. Deviation A difference between an individual record and
the average for that trait for that contemporary group. These
differences sum to zero when the correct average is used. A
ratio deviation is the ratio less the average ratio or 100.
326. Deworm: Using a product to remove internal worms from
cattle.
327. Diagnose (to) to recognize a disease and its cause.
328. Diarrhoea excessive evacuation of watery faeces.
329. Dicoumarol a chemical compound found in spoiled sweet
clover and lespedeza hays.  It is an anticoagulant and can
cause internal haemorrhages when ingested by cattle.
330. Digestibility that percentage of food ingested which is
absorbed into the body as opposed to that which is excreted as
faeces.
331. Digestible Energy (DE) that portion of energy of a feed
that can be digested or absorbed into the body by an animal.
332. Digestible Protein (DP} the amount of protein of feed that
is absorbed by the digestive tract; it may be computed using
the formula:  percent DP = percent crude protein of feed x
digestion coefficient for protein in the feed.
333. Digestion Coefficient the Digestion Coefficient of Feed
Ingredients (DCFI) may be calculated using the formula: wt. of
ingredient consumed -- wt. Of undigested ingredient in faeces
DCFI = WT. of ingredient consumed x 100.
334. DIM days in milk
335. Direct Microscopic Somatic Cell Count (DMSCC)
microscopic count of the actual number of somatic cells in milk.
336. Disposition: The temper or mood of an animal.
337. Diuretic a drug or agent used to increase flow of urine.
338. DNA deoxyribonucleic acid.
339. Docking removing the tail for sanitation purposes.
340. Doe a sexually mature female goat.
341. Doeling a female goat from one to two years old, or from
one year old until first parturition.
342. Dominance - Dominant genes affect the phenotype when
present in either homozygous or heterozygous condition. A
 dominant gene need only be obtained from one parent to
achieve expression.
343. Dominant describes a gene that covers up the physical
expression of its paired allele or recessive gene.
344. Donor dams genetically superior cows from which
embryos are collected and transferred to recipients to allow
these cows to produce a greater number of offspring than
possible in a normal reproduction scheme.
345. Double Muscling: Inherited condition of extreme
muscling.
346. Double standardization this refers to standardization of
milk for both fat and non-fat solids (or protein).
347. Drake - A male duck
348. Dressed basis – Finished cattle marketed and priced on a
carcass-weight basis.
349. Dressed weight – The weight of a carcass following
removal of hide and entrails.
350. Dressing Percent: Carcass weight divided by live weight of
an animal.
351. Dressing Percentage: Percentage of the live animal weight
that becomes the carcass weight at slaughter. It is determined
by dividing the carcass weight by the live weight then
multiplying by 100.
352. Dried milks dried milk is made from whole milk; non-fat
dry milk is manufactured from skim milk.  In drying milks,
about 95 to 98 percent of the water is removed by
concentrating the solids in vacuum pans and then drying by
spraying milk into a chamber of hot air or onto a slowly
revolving heated drum under vacuum.
353. Drinks based on fermented milk composite milk products
(...) obtained by mixing fermented milk (...) with potable water
with or without the addition of other ingredients such as whey,
other non-dairy ingredients, and flavourings. Drinks Based on
fermented milk contain a minimum of 40% (m/m) fermented
milk. (Codex Alimentarius)
354. Dry Cow: Refers to a non lactating female.
355. Dry date first calendar day the animal is not milked (see
dry period).
356. Dry Lot: Refers to feeding cattle in an open lot rather than
on pasture.
357. Dry mare
358. Dry Matter (DM) the moisture-free content of feeds.
359. Dry off to change a lactating animal to a non lactating
one. See involution.
360. Dry period period of non-lactation following a period of
lactation.
361. Dual Purpose Breed: A breed that is used to produce both
milk and meat.
362. Duck - A female duck
363. Duckling - A young duck
364. Dystocia (calving difficulty) Abnormal or difficult labor
causing difficulty in delivering the fetus and/or placenta.
365. Ear Tag: Any of several types of tags which are clipped or
anchored into the ears of cattle; may be used for identification
or for insecticide application.
366. Earthen storage basin an earthen pond or basin for
storing animal waste.  Differs from an anaerobic treatment
lagoon in that wastes are not stored for an extended period
and microbial breakdown or treatment does not occur.
367. Eaves the projecting overhang at the lower edge of a roof.
368. Economic value The net return within a herd for making a
pound or percentage change in the trait in question.
369. Ectoparasite a parasite, such as a flea, that lives on the
outer surface of another animal.
370. Edible acid casein The milk product obtained by
separating, washing and drying the acid-precipitated coagulum
of skimmed milk and/or of other products obtained from milk.
(Codex Alimentarius)
371. Edible caseinate The milk product obtained by action of
edible casein or edible casein curd coagulum with neutralizing
agents followed by drying. (Codex Alimentarius)
372. Effective progeny number (EPN) An indication of the
amount of information available for estimation of expected
progeny differences in sire evaluation. It is a function of
number of progeny but is adjusted for their distribution among
herds and contemporary groups and for the number of
contemporaries by other sires. EPN is lesis than the actual
number because the distribution of progeny is never ideal.
373. Effluent the liquid outflow or discharge of a waste
treatment process.
374. Electric Fence: Fencing which gives livestock an electric
shock when they touch it.
375. Electrolyte substance that dissociates in solution thereby
becoming electrically charged. Many minerals are present in
the body as electrolytes.
376. Emaciation a wasted condition of the body; great losses of
body weight or condition.
377. Embryo A fertilized ovum, or egg, in the earlier stages of
prenatal development, usually prior to development of body
parts.
378. Embryo recipient any cow or heifer that serves as a
surrogate mother and carries the embryo of another cow
throughout the development of the embryo and birth of the
calf.
379. Embryo Transfer (E.T.) - Taking fertilized eggs from a
purebred donor cow and transferring them to the uteruses of
recipient cows. This allows top-quality cows to produce more
than one calf a year.
380. End meats – Beef cuts from primals such as the round and
chuck (cuts of beef other than the primary steak cuts).
381. Endoparasite a parasite, such as a tapeworm, that lives
within another animal.
382. Ensilage a green chop (forage) preserved by fermentation
in a silo, pit, or stack, usually in chopped form.  Also called
silage.
383. Enteric of or within the intestine.
384. Enteritis inflammation of the intestine.
385. Enterotoxemia disease caused by bacterial toxins
produced in the intestine.
386. Environment All external, or non-genetic, conditions that
influence the reproduction, production and carcass merit of
cattle.
387. Enzyme a protein that accelerates a biochemical reaction
at body temperature, without being used up in the process.
388. Eohippus
389. EPD: Expected Progeny Difference is an estimate of how
future offspring are expected to perform as compared to their
parents relative to a specific trait.
390. Epidemic the rapid spreading of a disease so that many
animals or people have it concurrently. See epizootic.

391. Epistasis: Interaction of two or more pairs of a gene that

are not allele to produce a phenotype that they do not produce
when they occur separately.
392. Epithelium a single layer composed of closely arranged
cells that form the covering of most internal surfaces and
organs and the outer surface of an animal's body.
393. Epizootic designating a widely diffused disease of animals
spreading rapidly and affecting many individuals of a kind
concurrently in any region, thus corresponding to an epidemic
in man.
394. Equestation
395. Eradication complete elimination of a disease from a
region or country, especially one that is epidemic.
396. Ergosterol a plant sterol which, when activated by
ultraviolet rays, becomes vitamin D2, also called provitamin d2
and ergosterin.
397. Eructation the act of belching or casting up gas from the
stomach.
398. Escherichia coli (E. Coli) a bacterial species that normally
inhabits the intestine. Under certain conditions, it may become
pathogenic, causing diarrhoea.
399. Escutcheon the part of a cow that extends upward just
above and back of the udder where the hair turns upward in
contrast to the normal downward direction of hair.  Also called
milk mirror.
400. Estimate The process of calculating a particular value
from data (verb). The value itself obtained from data (noun).
The idea is that the true value is being obtained from the
calculated value within limits of sampling variation.
401. Estimated breeding value (EBV) An estimate of an
individual's true breeding value for a trait based on the
performance of the individual and close relatives for the trait.
EBV is a systematic way of combining available performance
information on the individual brothers and sisters and the
progeny of the individual.
402. Estimated Producing Ability (EPA) an estimation of the
amount of milk and/or components that an animal will yield
above or below herd mates based on the animal's pedigree
information and performance, if available. (also called
estimated relative producing ability or ERPA).
403. Estimated Transmitting Ability (ETA) an estimation of an
animal's genetic transmitting ability based on pedigree
information and the animal's performance, if available. (also
called estimated average transmitting ability or EATA.)
404. Estrus (heat) The recurrent, restricted period of sexual
receptivity in cows and heifers. Non-pregnant cows and heifers
 usually come into heat 18 to 21 days following their previous
estrus.
405. Estrus Cycle: Approximately 21 days for beef cattle
406. Estrus synchronization - Using synthetic hormones to
make a group of females come into heat at the same time. They
can then be bred at the same time and all of their calves will be
born in a short period, ensuring uniform ages in the calf crop
and lower labour requirements.
407. Ether Extract (EE) fatty substances or lipids of foods and
feeds that are soluble in ether.
408. Evaporated milk the liquid food obtained by partial
removal of water from milk.  The MF and TMS contents are not
less than 7.5 and 25.5 percent, respectively.  It contains 25 IU
vitamin D per ounce and is homogenized.  The food is sealed in
a container and is so processed by heat, either before or after
sealing, as to prevent spoilage.
409. Evaporation conversion of a liquid into a gas (vapour).
410. Evaporative cooling  the loss of heat due to evaporation at
the surface of the skin or in the upper respiratory tract.
411. Ewe
412. Exocrine (eccrine) secreting outwardly, into, or through a
duct.
413. Exotic breeds: Breeds of cattle introduced into the United
States in the mid l900s. Most had increased size and growth
characteristics. Examples are Charolais, Chianina, Simmental,
Limousin, and similar others.
414. Expected Progeny Difference (EPD) - An estimate of the
expected performance of an animal’s offspring, expressed in
actual pounds. EPDs can be positive or negative, depending on
whether a sire or dam will increase or decrease the
measurement in question in its offspring.
415. Extension dairy scientist also referred to as extension
dairy specialist. A land-grant university or college dairy
scientist with responsibilities for educational outreach
programs.  
416. External: Outside of the animal's body.
417. Extroversion the process of exposure of tissues inside the
streak canal of animals' teats.  It is usually caused by
prolonged milking and excessive milking vacuum or inadequate
pulsation.
418. Eye ball estimate
419. F.O.B. factory price “F.O.B.” is an abbreviation for “free on
board”. It is a geographic pricing strategy whereby the buyer
pays all freight from the F.O.B. location to the destination
420. F1- Offspring resulting from the mating of a purebred bull
and a purebred cow of different breeds.
421. Fabrication
422. Fairflies
423. False heat the display of oestrus by a female animal when
she is pregnant.
424. Farmstead Cheese a somewhat loosely used term to
indicate cheese made by dairy farmer, at or near place of milk
production. Typically, cheese production volumes are small and
target niche markets.
425. Farrowing
426. Fat differential the amount added to or subtracted from
the blend price for each 0.1 percent that the milk fat is above
or below 3.5 percent.  For example, if the blend price is
$9.00/cwt and the fat differential is 10‹C. A dairyman with
milk of 4.0 percent milk fat would receive $9.50/cwt.
427. Fat Free A product containing less than 0.5 g of fat per
reference amount and per labelled serving. The product must
contain no added ingredient that is fat or understood to contain
fat.
428. Fat/fed/finished cattle – Steers and heifers that have
been fed a nutrient-dense ration for the purpose of growing the
animals, usually for 90-180 days in a feedlot or until they reach
a desired slaughter weight and are ready for slaughter. (See,
also, Live Cattle)
429. Fat–corrected Milk (FCM) Estimated quantity of milk
calculated on a 4.0 percent butterfat energy basis. It is a
means of evaluating milk production records of different dairy
animals and breeds on a common energy basis. The following
formula is used: FCM=(0.4 * milk production)+(15 * pounds of
fat produced).

430. Fecundity: It is the potential capacity of the female to

produce functional ova regards of what happens to them after
they are produced.
431. Federation of cooperatives an organization of
cooperatives that provides for joint activities but allows each
cooperative to manage its own affairs.
432. Feed Bunk: Long trough for feeding livestock
433. Feed conversion (feed efficiency) Units of feed consumed
per unit of weight gained. Also the production (meat, milk) per
unit of feed consumed.
434. Feed Efficiency: The number of pounds gained per pound
of rations fed.
435. Feeder calf grade: Scoring system that accounts for frame
size of calf and amount of muscling.
436. Feeder Calf: Weaned calf
437. Feeder cattle – Steers or heifers mature enough to enter a
feedlot.
438. Feeder cattle futures – A standardized electronic contract
tradedon the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, representing
50,000 pounds of steers weighing 700 to 899 pounds. It can be
used as a hedging or speculative instrument.
439. Feeder cattle grades – A grading system for feeder cattle
to predict the slaughter weight endpoint to a desirable fatto-
lean composition. Frame size and thickness are the two criteria
used to determine feeder grade.
440. Feedlot: A confinement unit, generally for finishing cattle.
441. Fermented milk A milk product obtained by fermentation
of milk (…) by the action of suitable microorganisms and
resulting in reduction of pH with or without coagulation (iso-
electric precipitation). (Codex Alimentarius)

442. Fertility: Ability of an animal to produce large number of

living young.
443. Fiber the cellulose portion of roughages (forages) that is
low in TDN and hard to digest by monogastric animals.
444. Fiber: That part of a feed not easily digested by cattle.

445. Fibrosis (fibrotic) - Of a condition marked by the presence

of interstitial fibrous tissue, especially in the mammary gland
resulting from mastitis.

446. Fill – Contents of the digestive tract.

447. Filled milk milk from which milk fat has been removed and
replaced with other fats or oils.
448. Filly
449. Filter DNA a mastitis screening test useful in determining
somatic cells present in milk by filtering and measuring the
amount of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) produced.
450. Finish - The degree of fatness Fitted - Animal fed, trained
and groomed for show or sale.
451. Finished: A term indicating the animal is sufficiently
fattened and grown out for slaughter.
452. Finishing: The phase of cattle production where cattle are
fed high-concentrate diets to fatten them before slaughter.
453. First-calf a term commonly used to indicate the first calf
born to bovine females.
454. Fistula an artificial opening into an animal, e.g. The
rumen.

455. Flat Barn - An area for milking cattle where the person
milking is on the same level as the cow. May be used with a
pipeline or bucket milking system. Generally the same area is
used for cow housing.

456. Flavoured Milk A subclass of fluid (packaged milks) to

which flavouring has been added, such as chocolate,
strawberry and vanilla.
457. Flaying
458. Flea small, wingless, bloodsucking insects that have legs
adapted for jumping and are often parasitic on warm-blooded
animals.
459. Fleece
460. Fleshy – The ribs are not visible when the animal moves
and there is a round “thick” appearance through the rib and
loin area. (Score 7-9)
461. Flock: It is the group of sheep, goat or poultry birds. 
462. Fluff - Soft downy feathers located at the base of the shaft—soft downy feathers
on lower thighs and abdomen
463. Fluid milk milk commonly marketed as fresh liquid milks
and creams.  It is the most perishable form of milk and
commands the highest price per unit volume.  Also called
market milk.
464. Fluke a trematode worm infesting the liver and
characterized by a flat body shaped like a simple tree leaf.
465. Flush Season Time of the year, usually spring and early
summer, of maximum milk production. During this
period, manufacturing facilities are usually operating at full
capacity because there is a considerable daily surplus above
the market fluid needs.
466. Flush System - A manure removal system in which an area
is cleaned by high volumes of fresh water, or gray water that is
recycled from a manure pit or lagoon.

467. Fly tag: An ear tag impregnated with an insecticide that

controls certain kinds of flies.
468. Foal
469. Foaling
470. Fodder coarse food for cattle or other livestock, such as
corn stalks or straw.

471. Foetus: A term for developing young one during last

quarter of pregnancy.
472. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - An agency of the
U.S. Government responsible for the safety of the human food
supply.

473. Foot rot an inflammation occurring between the toes and

in the hooves of sheep and cattle.  It is caused by a
combination of fungus and bacteria.

474. Footbath - A long shallow tub or depression in the

concrete where cows walk through a mild solution (usually
including copper sulfate or formalin) to promote foot health.
Usually located along an alley where cows return from the
milking parlor.

475. Forage: Type of feed that is high in fiber.

476. Forequarters - The two front quarters of a cow. Also

called the fore udder.

477. Forestripping - Expressing streams of milk from the teat

prior to machine milking to determine visual quality and to
stimulate "milk letdown."

478. Forward contract – A method of marketing cattle in which

cattle are presold for a determined price, based on minimum
quality requirements prior to reaching their final weight. Cattle
are delivered to the buyer and paid for at a future date.
479. Founder - A nutritional ailment from overeating;
foundered animals become lame with sore feet and excessive
hoof growth.
480. Founder (laminitis) inflammation of foot and lower leg of
ruminant animals caused by overeating grain or green grass.
481. Frame score A score based on subjective evaluation of
height or actual measurement of hip height. This score is
related to slaughter weights at which cattle will grade choice or
have comparable amounts of fat cover over the loin eye at the
12th to 13th rib.
482. Frame: This refers to the skeletal dimensions of cattle.
The size and height a steer possesses. For example, large-
framed cattle are taller than small-framed cattle.
483. Fraudulent practices any practice a herd owner or his or
her agent may use that impairs or attempts to impair the
reliability of any official dhi record.
484. Free stall barn an on–farm structure that houses dairy
cows. It consists of multiple individual stalls arranged in rows
with the rows separated by alleys. Free stall barns are open–
sided structures with only a roof supported by poles. Cows are
free to wander and occupy any open stall when in the barn, as
opposed to a stanchion barn, in which cows occupy designated
stalls.
485. Free stall housing housing system, in which animals are
free to move around and rest in individual stalls (resting
cubicles or "beds") in which bedding is infrequently added (see
also bedded pack).
486. Free-choice: Allowing cattle to consume as much as they
desire of a particular feed or supplement.
487. Freemartin Female born twin to a bull calf (approximately
9 out of 10 freemartins will not conceive).
488. Freeze branding a method of identification to aid in easily
identifying livestock. Most commonly, liquid nitrogen is used to
lower the temperature of a branding iron to permanently
lighten the hair color where applied.
489. Freeze drying the evaporation of water from a frozen
product with the aid of high vacuum. Also called lyophilization.
490. Fresh meat
491. Freshen commonly used to designate the act of calving
(parturition); to give birth to a calf and concurrently initiate
lactation.
492. Full-sibs animals having the same sire and dam, such as
full brothers, full sisters, and/or a full brother-sister pair.
493. Futures market – Electronic exchange market through
which buyers and sellers trade contracts on commodities or
raw materials. Futures contracts are available for a variety of
 delivery months. However, delivery of actual products seldom
occurs. Futures markets are used as a risk management tool or
as a speculative venture.
494. Galactopoietic stimulating or increasing secretion of milk.
495. Gander - A male goose
496. Garget a common term for an inflammation of the udder
of animals or the resulting abnormal milk.  More accurately
referred to as mastitis.
497. Gastric related to the acid-secreting stomach
(abomasum).
498. Gastroenteritis chemical, bacterial, or viral inflammation
of the mucosa of the stomach and intestines.
499. Gelding
500. Gene - The basic genetic unit by which characteristics are
transmitted from parent to offspring.
501. Generation Interval - The average length of time between
the birth of an animal and the birth of the progeny replacing
that animal in the breeding herd.
502. Genes The basic units of heredity that occur in pairs and
have their effect in pairs in the individual, but which are
transmitted singly (one or the other gene at random of each
pair) from each parent to offspring.
503. Genetic appraisal cows and sires are evaluated to
determine their genetic values. Cows are appraised according
to milk and component transmitting abilities and assigned cow
indexes. Sires are appraised and assigned predicted differences
for milk and components.
504. Genetic base the average genetic merit of a population
(usually a breed) at a specific period, which is used as a
reference point to express a genetic difference from a base
population.
505. Genetic Correlation - A correlation between two traits that
arises because some of the same genes affect both traits.
506. Genetic Merit - The genetic worth of an animal for a given
trait.
507. Genetic trend genetic change per year for a trait in the
population.
508. Genotype - Actual genetic makeup or blueprint of an
individual determined by its genes or germplasm.
509. Gerber test test to determine amount of fat in milk.
510. Germplasm: The material on the basis of heredity taken
collectively. The sum of gene constitution of an individual.
511. Gestation period: Length of time that a cow is pregnant.
512. Get - Calves sired by the same bull.
513. Ghee concentrated milk fat prepared by melting butter,
decanting the fat after gravity separation from the serum, and
driving off most of the remaining moisture by heating. About 1
percent moisture remains.  It is used mostly in Asia and Africa.
514. Giving milk lactating, or the act of yielding milk by a
mammal.
515. Goitrogenic producing or tending to produce goitre
(enlargement of the thyroid gland).
516. Gonad The organ that produces the reproductive cells, the
testicle in the male and the ovaries in the female.
517. Goose - A female goose
518. Gosling - A young goose
519. Gossypol a toxic yellow pigment found in cottonseed. Heat
and pressure tend to bind it with protein and thereby render it
safe for animal consumption.
520. GPD (Gaseous Products of Digestion) these include the
combustible gases produced in the digestive tract during
fermentation of the ration.  Methane constitutes the major
proportion of the combustible gases produced by ruminants;
however, non-ruminants also produce methane.  Trace
amounts of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, acetone, ethane, and
hydrogen sulphide are also produced.
521. Grade A milk (or fluid grade milk or market milk)milk
produced and processed under the strictest sanitary
regulations prescribed, inspected, and approved by public
health authorities. In most markets, milk used in any products
intended for consumption in fluid form must meet
this inspection standard.
522. Grade animals showing the predominant characteristics of
a given breed.  They usually have at least one purebred parent,
ordinarily the bull.
523. Grade B milk (or manufacturing grade milk) milk
produced and processed with sanitary regulations prescribed,
inspected, and approved by public health authorities for milk to
be used for manufactured products only.
524. Grade cattle an animal possessing the distinct
characteristic of a particular breed but not registered with a
breed association.
525. Grade: A beef animal of unknown breed or breed
combinations.
526. Graded feeder calf sale – A sale in which feeder calves are
graded and grouped—based on muscling, frame size, color and
weight—to form larger uniform lots for sale.
527. Grading up the continued use of purebred sires on grade
dams.
528. Grafting: Process of getting a cow to accept a calf that she
did not give birth to.
529. Grass Tetany: A mineral deficiency of grazing cattle that
causes symptoms of muscle spasms.
530. Graze to consume standing vegetation, as by livestock or
wild animals.
531. Green cheese a term applied to the fresh uncured product.
It refers to flavour, odour, body, and texture, not colour.
532. Green chop (fresh forage) forages harvested (cut and
chopped) in the field and hauled to livestock.  This minimizes
the loss of moisture, colour, nutrients, and wastage.  Also
called zero grazing or soilage.
533. Green hams
534. Grid – A method of pricing cattle after slaughter, based on
carcass quality and yield grade. Premiums and discounts are
applied to a base price, given carcass quality and yield, as well
as other factors such as carcass weight and dark cutters.
535. Grooming: Washing and brushing to train a steer's hair
coat in preparation for a show.
536. Gross energy (GE) the amount of heat, measured in
calories, released when a substance is completely oxidized in a
bomb calorimeter.
537. Growthy describes an animal that is large and well-
developed for its age.
538. Grubs: The larvae of the heel fly; the fly lays eggs on
cattle which hatch into larvae. The larvae burrow under the
skin and eventually erupt along the back.
539. Hackle Feathers (Cape Feathers) - Neck plumage—males exhibit thin and
pointed feathers; females exhibit thick and rounded feathers
540. Half-sibs- Individuals having either the same sire or the
same dam, but not both.
541. Hand milking the manual milking of an animal as opposed
to mechanical milking.
542. Handlers processors or dealers of milk who commonly
purchase raw milk and sell pasteurized milk and milk products.
543. Hardware disease commonly, an inflammation of the body
cavity by an animal eating metal objects and perforation of the
digestive tract.
544. Hay dried forage (e.g., grasses, alfalfa, clovers) used for
feeding livestock.
545. Haylage: Forage that is harvested when green, allowed to
wilt, and then stored in an airtight manner in order for the
forage to preserve itself through fermentation.
546. Head Gate: Equipment that restrains an animal by holding
them just behind the head.
547. Heart girth the circumference of the body just back of the
shoulders of an animal. It is used to estimate body weight.
548. Heat - The recurrent period of sexual receptiveness in
mature cows, when the cow will stand for the bull to breed her;
estrus.
549. Heat Increment (HI)  the increase in heat produced
following consumption of food.  It consists of calories released
in fermentation and nutrient metabolism.  When environmental
temperature is below critical temperature, this heat may be
used to keep the body warm; therefore, it is not wasted. Also
called work of digestion.
550. Heat period that period of time when a female will accept
a male in the act of mating. Also called in heat or oestrus.
551. Heat synchronization Causing a group of cows or heifers
to exhibit heat together at one time by artificial manipulation
of the estrous cycle.
552. Heat treatment destroying any potential pathogenic
germs by heating milk at a minimum of 63 °C for 30 min.
553. Hectare a metric unit of land measurement (2.47 acres).
554. Heifer - Female cattle that have not had a calf.
555. Heiferettes – Heifers placed in the feedlot after losing a
calf or determined open after the breeding season.
556. Heifers: Female cattle under 2 years of age, that have not
calved.
557. Hen - A female turkey
558. Hen - A mature female chicken over 12 months of age
559. Herd a group of animals (especially cattle), collectively
considered as a unit.
560. Herd average average milk and component production
per milking animal for all animals in the herd unit for 12
months. Herd averages that are calculated include rolling herd
average, lactation average and me lactation average.

561. Herd Average: It is average daily milk yield of milling

animal in a herd.
562. Herd owner the declared owner of a herd of dairy cattle as
recorded on a legal document, registration papers or other
official documents.

563. Herd: It is a group of cattle or buffalo.

564. Herdmate comparison method of estimating genetic
transmitting ability.
565. Heredity - The transmission of characteristics from
parents to offspring through genes.
566. Heritability - The proportion of the differences among
cattle, measured or observed, that is transmitted to the
offspring. Heritability varies from zero to one. The higher the
heritability of a trait, the more accurately does the individual
performance predict breeding value and the more rapid should
be the response due to selection for that trait.
567. Herringbone milking parlour a raised, zigzag-designed
milking stall which allows the group milking of several dairy
animals at one time in a pipeline milking system.
568. Heterosis (hybrid vigor) Amount by which measured traits
of the crossbreds exceed the average of the two or more
purebreds that are mated to produce the crossbreds.
569. Heterozygous Genes of a specific pair (alleles) are
different in an individual.
570. Highly Pathogenic or “high path” avian influenza (HPAI) - HPAI is often fatal
in chickens and turkeys. HPAI spreads rapidly and has a higher death rate in birds than
LPAI.
571. High-moisture silage silage usually containing 70 percent
or more moisture.
572. High-tensile Fence: Smooth wire fence that is designed to
be utilized in a fence that is maintained under relatively high
tension.
573. Hock - Joint between the thigh and shank

574. Holding Pen - An area in which cows congregate prior to

entering a milking parlor to be milked.

575. Homogenized milk milk that has been treated to ensure

break-up of fat globules to such an extent that no visible cream
separation occurs on the milk. The reduced size of fat particles
results in formation of a softer curd in the stomach.
576. Homozygous - Genes of a specific pair (alleles) are alike
in an individual.
577. Host an organism that harbours and provides
nourishment to a parasite.
578. Hot boned meat
579. Hot meat

580. Hot Quarter - A quarter of the udder that is infected and

may actually feel hard or hot to the touch due to elevated
temperatures.

581. HTST (high-temperature short-time) temperature and

time combination for pasteurisation of milk and milk products.
The minimum for milk is 71.7°C for at least 15 seconds.
Higher temperatures are used in pasteurising products of high
solids because of the protection afforded bacteria by solids.
582. Hundredweight (cwt.) generally refers to milk sold off the
farm in 100 pound units.

583. Hutch - An individual housing unit for young calves. Often

made of white fiberglass or polyvinyl.

584. Hypobiosis refers to a period during which the

development of a parasite (e.g., roundworms) in the host is
arrested while weather conditions are inhospitable.
585. Hypoglycemia below normal blood glucose level.
586. IBR (Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis): Acute,
contagious viral disease that is often known as red nose.
587. Ice milk a frozen product resembling ice cream, except
that it contains less fat (2 to 5 percent versus 10 percent) and
more SNF (12 percent versus 10 percent) than ice cream. Both
ice milk and ice cream contain stabilizers and emulsifiers and
about 15 percent sugar.
588. Identification - A permanent indicator of an animal’s
identity (eg tattoo). Identification must be unique for each
animal to allow accurate record keeping and estimation of
genetic merit.
589. Identification tags: Ear tags with numbers or other
symbols used to identify cattle.
590. Imitation milks mixtures of non-dairy ingredients (other
than milk, milk fat, and non-fat milk solids) which are
combined forming a product similar to milk, low-fat milk, or
skim milk.  Sodium caseinate, though derived from milk, is
commonly termed a nondairy ingredient and is often used as a
 source of protein in imitation milks.  Vegetable oils are
commonly used as the source of fat.
591. Immune reaction synthesis of an antibody that
neutralizes or destroys an antigen.
592. Implant: Medication that is inserted in the ear to improve
feed efficiency.
593. In milk designating a lactating female.
594. Inbreeding - When sire and dam are close relatives.
595. Incomplete record a dairy animal's production in a
lactation that is terminated early for some reason.  (lactations
not yet completed may be referred to as a "record in
progress").
596. Independent culling levels Selection of culling based on
cattle meeting specific levels of performance for each trait
included in the breeder's selection program. For example, a
breeder could cull all heifers with weaning weights below 400
pounds (or those in the bottom 20 percent on weaning weight)
and yearling weights below 650 pounds (or those in the bottom
40 percent).
597. Induced lactation a lactation that is artificially initiated by
the use of hormones.

598. Inheritance: Transmission of genetic factors from parent

to offspring’s.
599. Intensive grazing: Highly managed grazing.
600. Internal: Inside the animal's body.
601. Involution a decline in size or activity of tissues and/or
organs.  For example, the mammary gland tissues normally
involute with advancing lactation.  It is part of the process of
lactating animals wherein they dry off.
602. Involution The return of an organ to its normal size or
condition after enlargement, as of the uterus after parturition.
A decline in size or activity of other tissues; the mammary
gland tissues normally involute with advancing lactation.
603. Iodinated casein milk protein (casein) to which iodine is
bound.  
604. Ketone body intermediates in the body metabolism of
carbohydrates and fat. The three ketone bodies are: acetone,
aceto-acetic acid and beta-hydroxybutyric acid.
605. Ketonuria the presence of ketone bodies in the urine, as
with ketosis in high-producing cows.
606. Kid
607. Kidding
608. Lactate to secrete or produce milk; also, salt of beta-
hydroxy propionic acid.

609. Lactation period: The period after parturition in which the

animal produces milk.
610. Lactation record the total milk and components produced
by an animal beginning on the day of parturition and ending on
the day the dairy animal goes dry.
611. Lactic acid acid produced by bacterial fermentation of
lactose in milk.
612. Lactogenic stimulating the secretion of milk.
613. Lactoperoxidase enzyme that is naturally present in fresh
raw milk and that keeps the milk for a longer period.
614. Lactoperoxidase system The activation of the
lactoperoxidase/thiocyanate/hydrogen peroxide system
(indigenous system in milk) to inactivate several vital
metabolic bacterial enzymes, consequently blocking their
metabolism and ability to multiply. (ALINORM 04/27/13, FAO,
2004)
615. Lactose intolerance a condition in which lactose is not
adequately hydrolysed in the intestine because of insufficient
lactase enzyme.
616. Lactose Reduced A dairy product in which the milk sugar,
lactose, has been broken down into two separate sugars,
glucose and galactose. The process aids digestibility of dairy
products, especially to consumers who may be lactose
intolerant.
617. Lactose the 12-carbon sugar unique to milk; a
disaccharide composed of glucose and galactose. Average
cow milk contains 5 percent lactose (little variation in lactose
content exists among cows or breeds). It is converted to lactic
acid in sour milk and is used in the production of various
cheeses and buttermilk.
618. Lambing
619. Layer - A female bird kept for egg laying production
620. Lead feeding (or challenge feeding) gradually increasing
grain fed to dairy animals beginning about three weeks prior to
the predicted calving date. Following parturition, grain is
increased until an animal reaches maximum feed intake.
621. Lean – A thin-fleshed cull cow with a body condition score
of 3 or 4 and low dressing percentage.
622. Legume: Type of plant that produces pods. Generally
higher in protein than grasses. Common legumes fed to
livestock include alfalfa, clovers and birdsfoot trefoil.
623. Letdown the process in a lactating animal where physical
stimulation causes a release of oxytocin and the contraction of
smooth muscles surrounding milk alveoli resulting in fluid
pressure within the udder and milk flow.
624. Lethal gene - A gene, or genes, that cause the death of an
individual which expresses them.
625. Libido: Sexual drive of a male animal.
626. Lifetime production totals the production totals for milk
and components for a cow since her first calving (or first time
on dhi test).  Totals will include production beyond 365 days in
a lactation, production credits for an abnormally initiated
record and any production from pre-partum milking.
627. Light – An emaciated cull cow with a body condition score
of 1 or 2 with a very low dressing percent and easily bruised in
transport.
628. Limit-fed: Feeding a measured amount of a feed or
supplement.
629. Linear score (SCC} linear scores for Somatic Cell Counts
(SCCs) convert SCC logarithmically from cells per millilitre to a
linear score from 0 to 9.  
630. Linebreeding - Selective breeding, sire and dam of some
similarity of heredity, but not as closely related as inbreeding;
parents of an individual related to a common outstanding
ancestor.
631. Linecross Offspring produced by crossing two or more
inbred lines.
632. Liner a flexible sleeve in the milking teat cup or rigid-
walled liner holder.  Responsible for massaging the teat endand
intermittently cutting vacuum at the teat end during milking.
Also called inflation.
633. Live basis – Finished cattle marketed and priced on a live-
weight basis.
634. Live cattle – Steers and heifers that have been fed a
nutrient-dense ration for the purpose of growing the animals,
usually for 90-180 days in a feedlot or until they reach a
desired slaughter weight and are ready for slaughter. (See,
also, Fat/Fed/Finished Cattle)
635. Live cattle futures – A standardized electronic contract
traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME),
 representing 40,000 pounds of finished steers or heifers ready
for harvest. It can be used as a hedging or speculative
instrument.
636. Load lot – 48,000 to 50,000 pounds of live animal. A
common lot size when marketing feeder cattle due to weight
limits when hauling cattle using a semitrailer truck.
637. Long yearling – Calves between 19 and 24 months of age.
638. Low fat milk milk containing at least 8.25 percent solids
and from which sufficient milk fat has been removed to
produce, within limits of good manufacturing practice, a milk
fat content of 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 percent.
639. Low Pathogenic or “low path” avian influenza (LPAI) - LPAI occurs naturally
in wild birds and can spread to domestic birds. In most cases it causes no signs of
infection or only minor symptoms in birds. These strains of the disease pose little
significant threat to human health. These strains are common in the U.S. and around the
world.
640. Lower Caruncles - Red nodules located on the base of the turkey's neck.
641. Maintenance: Feeding to maintain a constant weight.
642. Manufactured milk products  these include cheeses,
butter, evaporated whole milk, condensed whole and skim
milks, whole milk powder, non fat dry milk, ice cream, frozen
desserts, aerated cream, frozen and plastic creams, and milk
used in candy, soup, bakery products, and animal feeds.
643. Manufacturing grade milk milk produced under
regulations less strict than those for grade a milk production.
644. Manufacturing milk milk for the manufacture of dairy
products.
645. MANURE Solid waste from farm animals put on land to
improve the soil quality and make it better for growing crops.
646. Marbling - The small white flecks of fat distributed
throughout a cut of beef.
647. Mare
648. Market milk milk produced and handled under conditions
that qualify it for use as fluid milk in an organized marketing
area.  Grade A milk meets this requirement.  See fluid milk.
649. Marketing order see federal milk market order.
650. Mastectomy removal of the mammary glands.
651. Mastitis: Inflammation/infection in the udder.
652. Mature Equivalent (ME) lactation average me average
milk and component production per cow for all cows in the herd
for the previous 365 days.  
653. Mean - The average value for a trait
654. Meat
655. Meat-by-products
656. Medicated feed: A feed or supplement which has an added
ingredient such as an antibiotic or a dewormer.
657. Megacalorie (MCAL) equivalent to 1000 kcal or 1,000,000
cal. A megacalorie is equivalent to a therm.
658. Metabolic body size The weight of the animal raised to the
3/4 power (W0.75); a figure indicative of metabolic needs and
of the feed required to maintain a certain body weight.
659. Metabolism The transformation by which energy is made
available for body uses.
660. Middle meats – Beef cuts from the rib and loin primals.
Generally thought of as the steak cuts.
661. Milk collection collection of milk from more than one
farmer to a collection point or centre.
662. Milk composition average composition of dairy cow milk
includes the following constituents:  87% water, 3.25%
protein, 2.5% casein, 5% sugar (lactose), 3.7% fat and 0.8%
minerals and vitamins.
663. Milk cooling cooling milk to increase keeping time
664. Milk equivalent the quantity of milk, as produced, required
to furnish the milk solids in manufactured dairy products.  
665. Milk fat a complex mixture of triglycerides containing
numerous fatty acids. Milk fat is one of the components of milk,
which provides the basis for differential pricing of milk. Milk fat
also is referred to as butterfat or fat.
666. Milk hygiene making sure a milk product is clean and safe
for consumption
667. Milk meter a device between the cluster or milking unit
and the milk line for measuring a dairy animal's milk yield in
either mass or volume.
668. Milk normal mammary secretion of milking animals
obtained from one or more milkings without either addition to
it or extraction from it, intended for consumption as liquid milk
or for further processing. (Codex Alimentarius)
669. Milk Only (MO) record type of testing plan where only
milk weights are recorded and no milk samples are collected
for component sampling.  This plan is intended for
management use only.
670. Milk permeate The product obtained by removing milk
proteins and milkfat from milk, partly skimmed milk, or
skimmed milk by ultrafiltration. (Codex Alimentarius)
671. Milk powders milk products which can be obtained by the
partial removal of water from milk. The fat and/or protein
 content of the milk may have been adjusted (…) by the
addition and/or withdrawal of milk constituents in such a way
as not to alter the whey protein to casein ratio of the milk
being adjusted. (Codex Alimentarius)
672. Milk preservative a compound used to stabilize and to
prevent decomposition of milk samples sent to dairy
laboratories for component analysis.
673. Milk product is a product obtained by any processing of
milk, which may contain food additives, and other ingredients
functionally necessary for the processing. (Codex Alimentarius)
674. Milk protein a complex chemical substance contained in
milk, which upon hydrolysis breaks down to amino acids. Milk
proteins are an excellent source of the necessary amino acids
and are economically important because they increase cheese
yield and enhance milk flavour.
675. Milk replacer usually a dehydrated product that is mixed
with water to form a mixture with a composition similar to milk
and used as a substitute for milk.
676. Milk retentate the product obtained by concentrating milk
protein by ultrafiltration of milk, partly skimmed milk, or
skimmed milk. (Codex Alimentarius)
677. Milk serum the non fat components of milk.
678. Milk shed a geographical area in which milk is produced
for a given milk-marketing area.
679. Milk soil residue on equipment, utensils, or containers
after emptying.
680. Milk Solids-Not-Fat (SNF) the solids in milk other than
milk fat; e.g., protein, lactose and minerals.
681. Milk well the opening in the abdominal wall through which
milk veins (subcutaneous abdominal veins) enter to join the
vena cava and return blood from udder to heart.
682. Milking parlour an on–farm structure where dairy animals
are milked. Animals are brought to the milking parlour for
milking, usually twice and sometimes three times a day.
683. Milkstone residue on equipment, utensils, or containers
used for handling milk.  It is characterized by a high mineral
content, especially calcium.  It is normally soluble in acid.
684. Minerals: Feeds that are needed to build bones and teeth
and are necessary for many chemical reactions to take place in
the body. Some examples of minerals are limestone and
calcium phosphate.
685. Moderate flesh – The ribs are slightly visible on the animal
and some thickness is apparent along its topline. (Score 4-6)
686. Mortality: Death
687. Most probable producing ability (MPPA) An estimate of a
cow's future productivity for a trait such as progeny weaning
weight ratio based on her past productivity. For example, a
cow's MPPA for weaning ratio is calculated from the cow's
average progeny weaning ratio, the number of her progeny
with weaning records and the repeatability of weaning weight.
688. Mothering Ability: Ability and willingness of a cow to take
care of her calf.
689. Mould ripened cheese ripened cheese in which the
ripening has been accomplished primarily by the development
of characteristic mould growth throughout the interior and/or
on the surface of the cheese.
690. Multiple Trait Selection - The simultaneous selection for
more than one trait. An example would be the consideration of
both birth weight and average daily gain when selecting a herd
sire.
691. Muscling – Amount of lean meat in a slaughter animal or
carcass and estimated on the live animal by thickness of
forearm muscle or stifle thickness. Ultimately, it is the ratio of
muscle to bone or lean yield of the carcass after fat and bone
are removed. Muscle is scored on a 1 to 4 basis with a muscle
score of one having the heaviest muscling.
692. Mutton: The meat of sheep & goat.
693. Nanny
694. National sire evaluation Programs of sire evaluation
conducted by breed associations to compare sires on a progeny
test basis. Carefully conducted national reference sire
evaluation programs give unbiased estimates of expected
progeny differences. Sire evaluations based on field data rely
on large numbers of progeny per sire to compensate for
possible favoritism or bias for sires within herds.
695. Natural service in farm animals, it means to allow natural
mating, as opposed to artificial insemination.
696. Navel Ill: Infection in the navel in young calves soon after
birth.
697. Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF} a measure of the amount
of cell wall present in a feed determined by a laboratory
procedure. Neutral detergent fibre includes cellulose,
hemicellulose and lignin.
698. Nick - When a bull produces outstanding calves from
females of a certain line of breeding.
699. Nitrogen-Free Extract (NFE} consisting of carbohydrates,
sugars, starches, and a major portion of materials classed as
hemicellulose in feeds.  When crude protein, fat, water, ash,
and fiber are added and the sum is subtracted from 100, the
difference is NFE.
700. Nonadditive gene effects Favorable effects or actions
produced by specific gene pairs or combinations. Nonadditive
gene action is the primary cause of heterosis. Nonadditive gene
action occurs when the heterozygous genotype is not
intermediate in phenotypic value to the two homozygous
genotypes.
701. Nonfat Dry Milk (NDM or NFDM) Product obtained by
removing water from pasteurized skim milk.
702. Number of contemporaries The number of animals of
similar breed, sex and age against which an animal was
compared in performance tests. The greater the number of
contemporaries, the greater the accuracy of comparisons.
703. Nutrient: Any group of food components or parts that
have the same general chemical composition and aid in the
support of life.
704. Oddlot/outs – Generally refers to calves with a physical
trait that does not match other calves in a group. May include
the following animals: small framed, thin/light muscling (three
and four muscling), dairy influenced, Brahman influenced, etc.
705. Oedema the presence of abnormally large amounts of
fluid in the intercellular tissue spaces of the body, as in
swelling of mammary glands commonly accompanying
parturition in many farm animals.
706. Offal/variety meat – The name for internal organs and
entrails of a butchered animal.
707. Offspring: The young produced from the mating of a male
and female animal.
708. Omasum: The third compartment of the ruminant stomach
located between the reticulum and the abomasum. It grinds
feedstuffs into smaller particles and absorbs water.
709. Open - Refers to the non-pregnant female.
710. Openness a quality in dairy cattle associated with length
of body and width and length of rib.
711. Optimum level of performance The most profitable or
favorable ranges in levels of performance for the economically
 important traits in a given environment and management
system. For example, although many cows produce too little
milk, in every management system there is a point beyond
which higher levels of milk production may reduce fertility and
decrease profit.
712. Organic Material - Substances containing plant or animal
substance. In the context of milking equipment this usually
refers to manure.
713. Out of - Designates dam.
714. Outcrossing Mating of individuals that are less closely
related than the average of the breed. Commercial breeders
and some purebred breeders should be outcrossing by
periodically adding new sires that are unrelated to their cow
herd. This outcrossing should reduce the possibility of loss of
vigor due to inbreeding.

715. Over the Counter Drugs - Medications available without

prescription.

716. Overall average:  It is average daily milk yield of the

animal in the period of calving interval.
717. Ovulation Release of the female germ cell, or egg, by the
ovary. Cows usually ovulate several hours (up to 15 hours)
after the end of estrus or standing heat.

718. Oxytocin - A naturally secreted hormone that is important

in milk letdown and the contraction of the smooth uterine
muscles during the birthing process.

719. Paddock: An individual fenced unit within a grazing area.

720. Paint Sticks - Contain liquid or chalky paint used for

marking treated cows.

721. Palatability: Refers to how acceptable a feed is for taste.

May also refer to how acceptable beef as a meat is to the
consumer.

722. Parakeratosis - Any abnormality of the horny layer of the

outer skin which prevents the formation of keratin.
723. Parallel milking parlour a raised milking area or platform
where the cow stands perpendicular to the operator and
milking units are attached between the rear legs.  Also called
side-by-side.

724. Parallel Parlor- A raised milking area or platform where

the cow stands perpendicular to the operator and milking units
are attached between the rear legs. This may also be referred
to as a side-by-side.

725. Parti-colored - Fowl having feathers of 2 or more colors or shades of color

726. Parturition The act of giving birth; calving.
727. Passive immunity resistance to an infectious agent as a
result of a transfer of antibodies from a previously immunized
animal to an unprotected animal. The transfer of antibodies
from a cow to a calf by the colostrum is an example of passive
immunity.
728. Pasteurization microbiocidal heat treatment aimed at
reducing the number of any pathogenic microorganisms in milk
and liquid milk products, if present, to a level at which they do
not constitute a significant health hazard. Pasteurization
conditions are designed to effectively destroy the
organisms Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Coxiella burnettii.
(Codex Alimentarius)
729. Pathogenicity - the ability of the virus to produce disease. AI strains also are
divided into two groups based upon the ability of the virus to produce disease: low
pathogenic (LP) and highly pathogenic (HP).
730. Pedigree - A chart showing a line of ancestry.

731. Pendulous Udder - A loosely attached udder.

732. Perch - the area above the ground where birds will sit, primarily for
sleeping at night (also called roosts)
733. Perennial: A plant which lives for more than two years.
734. Performance data The record of the individual animal for
reproduction, production and possibly carcass merit. Traits
included would be birth, weaning and yearling weights, calving
ease, calving interval, milk production, etc.
735. Performance pedigree A pedigree that includes
performance records of ancestors, half- and full-sibs and
progeny in addition to the usual pedigree information. Also, the
performance information is systematically combined to list
 estimated breeding values on the pedigrees by some breed
associations.
736. Performance Test - Measure of individual performance,
specifically, rate and efficiency of growth and carcass traits.
737. Performance testing The systematic collection of
comparative production information for use in decision making
to improve efficiency and profitability of beef production.
Differences in performance among cattle must be utilized in
decision making for performance testing to be beneficial. The
most useful performance records for management, selection
and promotion decisions will vary among purebred breeders
and for purebred breeders compared with commercial cattle
producers.
738. Performance: Measure of various economic parameters
such as growth, feed efficiency, and milk production.
739. Perosis - malformation of the hock joint
740. Persistency of lay - the ability of a hen to lay eggs steadily over a long
period of time
741. pH - a number that indicates acidity or alkanity (7 is neutral, above 7 is
alkaline and below 7 is acid)
742. Phenotype: An animal's physical appearance.
743. Phenotypic correlations Correlations between two traits
caused by both genetic and environmental factors influencing
both traits.
744. Pheromones: Chemical secreted by an animal that affects
social or sexual behavior of others.
745. PI3: (Parainfluenza –3): Respiratory disease caused by a
virus
746. Pick out - vent damage caused by other chickens' pecking
747. Pigeon milk - a cottage-cheese looking crop substance produced by both
the male and female pigeon to feed the young from hatch till about 10 days of
age
748. Pigmentation - the color of a chicken's beak, shanks and vent
749. Pin bones - pubic bones
750. Pin feathers - a developing feather on a bird
751. Pip - when a chick breaks through the shell

752. Pipeline - A stainless steel or glass pipe used for

transporting milk.

753. Pipping - breaking through the shell prior to hatch

754. Pit - A contained unit usually with concrete walls in which
liquid or semi-liquid manure is stored.

755. Placenta: The organ that connects the calf to the uterus
during pregnancy.

756. Plate Cooler - A heat exchanger in which water at ground

temperature or chilled water is used to cool milk prior to its
movement to the bulk milk tank.

757. Polled: Naturally hornless.

758. Polywire: A wire-polypropylene mesh wire that is
designed for temporary electric fencing; often used for dividing
paddocks in controlled, intensive grazing systems.
759. Pork: The meat of swine.
760. Possible change The variation (either plus or minus) that
is possible for each expected progeny difference (EPD). This
measurement of error in prediction or estimation of EPD
decreases as the number of offspring per sire increases.
761. Post-Partum Interval: The time between calving and the
next pregnancy.
762. Potassium dichromate a milk preservative in tablet or
granular form. (See milk preservative.)
763. Poult - A young turkey before its sex can be determined
764. Pounds of retail cuts per day of age A measure of
cutability and growth combined, it is calculated as follows:
cutability times carcass weight divided by age in days. Also, it
is reported as lean weight per day of age (LWDA) by some
associations.
765. Preconditioning: Management, health and nutritional
program to prepare young cattle to better handle the stress of
a different environment.
766. Predicted Difference (PD) Estimate of the genetic
transmitting ability of dairy bulls for performance traits. Pd is
defined as the amount by which daughters of a bull will, on the
average, differ in performance from the average breed
performance in the genetic base period.
767. Preliminary milk the first milking of a three-milking
verification test for herds milked twice daily. The purpose of
the preliminary milking is to ensure complete milk out and to
establish a 24-hour milking interval.
768. Prepotency: The ability of certain individuals to stamp or
impress their characters upon their offspring or prepotency is
the ability to transmit characteristics to offspring to a marked
degree.
769. Prepotent - Above average in ability to transmit
individual’s desirable traits of offspring.
770. Preruminant stage of development of a calf at birth that
refers to the way the calf digests its diet. At this stage, the
rumen is undeveloped and the primary stomach is the
abomasum.
771. Price: The specific dollars and cents paid for a given grade
and weight selection.
772. Primal – The initial cut of meat from a separated carcass
during butchering. Beef primals include the brisket, chuck,
flank, loin, plate, rib and round.
773. Primary Feathers - Longer wing feathers growing from the outer section
(completely hidden when wing is folded under)
774. Prime: Quality grade that identifies a particular amount of
fat flecks in the ribeye of a carcass between the 12th and 13th
rib.
775. Probiotic: Microbial cultures which are administered to
livestock to stimulate production or to speed recovery following
stress or sickness.
776. Production report the computer report of production and
management data which is returned to the dairy producer 5 to
7 days following the test day and after component sampling is
completed at the laboratory.
777. Progeny records The average, comparative performance
of the progeny of sires and dams.
778. Progeny test an evaluation of the transmitting ability of
an individual based on the performance of offspring.
779. Progeny testing Evaluating the genotype of an individual
by a study of its progeny records.
780. Progeny: The offspring of an animal.
781. Projected 305-day lactation a method of predicting a
cow's total yield in 305 days based on the information from a
lactation in progress.

782. Prolificacy: Ability to produce large number of offsprings.

The animal is said to be prolific.
783. Prospect Steer: A 400- to 700-pound weanling calf
selected for future show purposes.
784. Protein Supplement: A feed that contains a large amount
of protein. Cottonseed meal and soybean meal are high in
proteins.
785. Protein: Part of feed used to build muscles and hair and
provides for necessary body processes.
786. Proventriculus
787. Puberty The age at which the reproductive organs become
functionally operative and secondary sex characteristics begin
to develop.
788. Pullet - A female chicken under 12 months of age
789. Purebred: An animal whose parents are of the same breed
and are recorded with the breed registry.
790. Qualitative traits Those traits in which there is a sharp
distinction between phenotypes, such as black and white or
polled and horned. Usually, only one or a few pairs of genes are
involved in the expression of qualitative traits.
791. Quality Certification Standards (QCS) a set of national
standards that must be met and usually maintained by state
dairy organizations to assure the accuracy, uniformity and
integrity of dairy products.
792. Quality Grade: Meat evaluation score that estimates
tenderness, juiciness and flavor of meat.
793. Quantitative traits Those traits in which there is no sharp
distinction between phenotypes, with a gradual variation from
one phenotype to another, such as weaning weight. Usually,
many gene pairs and environmental influences are involved.
794. Quick freezing
795. Quill - Hollow shaft of where feather is attached to the body
796. Ram
797. Random mating A system of mating where every female
(cow and/or heifer) has an equal or random chance of being
assigned to any bull used for breeding in a particular breeding
season. Random mating is required for accurate progeny tests.

798. Rapid Exit - Panels or rails that raise to release all cows
on one side of the milking parlor at once.

799. Rate of Gain: Weight that is gained over a period of time,

and typically reported on a per day basis.
800. Rate of genetic improvement Rate of improvement per
unit of time (year).
801. Ration: The amount and composition of feed provided to
the animal daily.
802. Raw milk Milk (...) which has not been heated beyond
40 ºC or undergone any treatment that has an equivalent
effect. (Codex Alimentarius)
803. Recessive Gene - Recessive genes affect the phenotype
only when present in a homozygous condition. Recessive genes
must be received from both parents before the phenotype
caused by the recessive genes can be observed.
804. Recombined milk product product resulting from the
combining of milkfat and milk-solids-non-fat in their preserved
forms with or without the addition of water to achieve the
appropriate milk product composition. (Codex Alimentarius)
805. Reconstituted milk product product resulting from the
addition of water to the dried or concentrated form of the
product in the amount necessary to re-establish the
appropriate water to solids ratio. (Codex Alimentarius)
806. Reduced Fat A product that contains at least a 25%
reduction in total fat per reference amount when compared to
an appropriate reference food.
807. Reference sire A bull designated to be used as a
benchmark in progeny testing other bulls (young sires).
Progeny by reference sires in several herds enable comparisons
to be made between bulls not producing progeny in the same
herd(s).
808. Registered: An animal that is offspring of registered
parents, is recorded in a herd book of a recognized breed
association and has a certificate that says the animal meets
registration requirements.
809. Registration: The process of writing information about an
animal in the official record book of a breed association.
810. Registry: An association of one pure breed of cattle
designed to keep of official registrations of cattle and to
regulate breed activities.
811. Regression (regressed) A measure of the relationship
between two variables. The value of one trait can be predicted
by knowing the value of the other variable. For example, easily
obtained carcass traits (hot carcass weight, fat thickness,
ribeye area and percent of internal fat) are used to predict
percent cutability. Likewise, breeding value estimates based on
limited data are regressed back toward the population average
to account for the imperfection of this relationship.
812. Rennet substance causing milk to coagulate, used for the
preparation of cheese.
813. rennet - extracted from the fourth stomach of the calf, the enzyme
component rennin is used to coagulate milk.
814. Rennin (or chymosin) a milk-coagulating enzyme
produced by the abomasum of a calf and used in
making cheese. The optimal pH for coagulation and proteolysis
are 6.5 and 3.2 respectively.
815. Repeatability the degree of confidence or reliability the
predicted difference (PD) or cow index (CI) for milk, fat, fat
percentage, protein or physical type score.
816. Replacement heifer heifer raised in order to maintain or
increase herd size.
817. Replacement Heifer: Young female that is raised with the
intention of entering the cow herd.
818. Representative sample a sample of milk obtained
by thoroughly mixing or agitating the total quantity of milk
produced by a cow. Milk meters are designed to collect
automatically a representative sample from the total quantity
of milk.
819. Reproductive Efficiency: A measure of a beef cow herd's
ability to have calves. It takes into consideration rebreeding on
schedule and number of calves weaned compared to number of
cows that were in the herd during the breeding season.
820. Resistance: The ability to keep an animal from having a
disease.
821. retailer - one who sells directly to the consumer.

822. Reticulum (honeycomb): Another compartment of the

ruminant stomach that retains foreign materials that could
injure the digestive system. Functions are similar to the rumen.

823. Return Alley - The alley through which cows must pass
when moving from the milking parlor back to the cow housing
area after milking.

824. Ridgling
825. rigor mortis - the permanent contraction of skeletal muscle associated
with death.

826. Ring Feeder - A steel hoop with individual head gates that
may be placed over a large round bale of hay when feeding it.
827. Ripened cheese cheese which is not ready for
consumption shortly after manufacture but which must be held
for such time, at such temperature, and under such other
conditions as will result in the necessary biochemical and
physical changes characterizing the cheese in question. (Codex
Alimentarius)
828. Ripening (ageing) the holding for such time, at such
temperature, and under such conditions as will result in the
necessary biochemical and physical changes characterizing the
cheese in question. When applied as a microbiocidal control
measure, the multifactoral, complex system developing in
cheese (pH, antagonistic flora, decreased water activity,
metabolism of bacteriocins and organic acids) is utilized to
influence the microenvironment in and on the food and
consequently the composition of the microflora present. (Codex
Alimentarius)
829. Roaster - A young chicken of either sex usually butchered after eight weeks of
age

830. Robotic Parlor - A completely automated system for

milking cows that requires limited human contact.

831. Rotary Parlor - A raised, round rotating platform or

carousel on which cows ride while being milked.

832. Rotational crossbreeding Systems of crossing two or more

breeds where the crossbred females are bred to bulls of the
breed contributing the least genes to that female's genotype.
Rotation systems maintain relatively high levels of heterosis
and produce replacement heifers from within the system.
Opportunity to select replacement heifers is greater in rotation
systems than in other crossbreeding systems.
833. Rotational grazing: A grazing system with pastures
divided into sub units.
834. Roughage: Type of feed that is high in fiber.
835. Rumen: A compartment of the ruminant stomach where
bacteria and protozoa break down. Also known as the
fermentation vat.
836. Ruminants: Animals such as sheep, cattle, and goats
which have stomachs divided into four parts and chew cuds.
837. Rumination: Act of regurgitating food to be chewed
thoroughly.
838. Saddle Feathers - Long and pointed back plumage of back at the base of tail
feathers—prominent on male fowl

839. Sand Separator - A mechanical device or series of course

ways used to settle sand from sand-laden manure.

840. Scoop Bill - Depression located at the top of the bill- disqualification
841. Scours: Persistent diarrhea.

842. Scrape-and-Haul - Manure handling system in which

manure is scrape manually or with a skidloader, placed in a
solid manure spreader and directly applied to appropriate crop
land.

843. Scrotal Circumference: Measurement of size of testicles.

844. Scur: Small horny growth on the head that is often loose.
845. Secondary Feathers - Longer wing feathers growing from middle section
(exposed when the wing is folded under)
846. Seedstock breeders Producers of breeding stock for
purebred and commercial breeders. Progressive seedstock
breeders have comprehensive programs designed to produce
an optimum, or desirable, combination of economical traits
(genetic package) that will ultimately increase the profitability
of commercial beef production.
847. Select cutout – Represents the composite price of all beef
cuts produced by a finished animal with a quality grade of
Select. (See, also, Boxed Beef Cutout)
848. Select: Quality grade that identifies a particular amount of
fat flecks in the ribeye of a carcass between the 12th and 13th
rib.
849. Selection Causing or allowing certain individuals in a
population to produce offspring in the next generation.
850. Selection differential (reach) The difference between the
average for a trait in selected cattle and the average of the
group from which they came. The expected response from
selection for a trait is equal to selection differential times the
heritability of the trait.
851. Selection index A formula that combines performance
records from several traits or different measurements of the
same trait into a single value for each animal. Selection indexes
weigh the traits for their relative net economic importance and
 their heritabilities plus the genetic associations among the
traits.
852. Selection Intensity - An indication of the percentage of
animals which are selected to become parents. Selection
intensity increases as the percentage of animals selected
decreases.
853. Self-feed: The practice of allowing an animal to run to a
finishing feed all the time.
854. Self-feeder: Feeder that holds large amount of feed to
provide for cattle to eat as much as they want.
855. Semen: Fluid that contains sperm, the male reproductive
cells.

856. Sensitivity Tests - Tests used to determine the most

effective method of treatment of disease by testing the
resistance of the microorganism to classes of antibiotics.

857. Service - The act or ability to breed.

858. Service: The process in which mature male covers the
female i.e. in heat with the object to deposit spermatozoa in
the female genital tract is called service.
859. Settling Pond - A manure pit where the flow rate of liquid
manure is slowed to allow suspended materials to collect at the
bottomed, where they can later be removed.

860. Set-up: To position a steer’s feet properly with a show

stick.
861. Sex feathers - rounded hackle, saddle, and tail feathers on a hen; pointed
hackle, saddle and tail feathers on a rooster
862. Sexed chicks - day-old chicks that are separated into separate groups of
male and female chicks
863. Sex-feather - the curled feather on the tail of male ducks
864. Sex-linked - an inherited factor linked to the sex chromosomes and used
in developing specific crosses to make sexing day-old chicks easier
865. Shaft - Extension of quill through the entire length of feather
866. Shaft - part of the feather where the barbs are attached
867. Shank - the part of a bird's leg between the foot and the hock
868. Shank - The portion of fowl’s leg below the hock
869. Shearling
870. Shelf life the period during which the product maintains
its microbiological safety and suitability at a specified storage
 temperature and, where appropriate, specified storage and
handling conditions. (Codex Alimentarius)
871. Shell gland - the portion of the female avian reproductive tract where the
shell is added to the egg (also called the 'uterus')
872. Short yearling – Calves between 12 and 18 months of age
873. Show Stick: A metal or wooden stick about 4 1/2 feet long
with a hook on the end used to position a steer's feet in the
show ring.
874. Shrink – The loss of body weight an animal experiences
when gathered, transported or held.
875. Sibs (Full Sibs) - Brothers and sisters of an individual
876. Sickle Feathers - Long tail feathers of male fowl
877. Sickles - long, curved tail feathers of some roosters

878. Silage Bags - Large plastic tubes in which forages are

fermented. Plastic is removed and discarded as the ensiled feed
is fed.

879. Silage - A feed prepared by chopping green forage (e.g.

grass, legumes, field corn) and placing the material in a
structure or container designed to exclude air. The material
then undergoes fermentation, retarding spoilage. Silage has a
water content of between 60 and 80%.

880. Silo - A storage facility for silage. Usually referring to

upright concrete or fiberglass silos.

881. Sire: The male parent of the calf.

882. Skeletal System: The supporting structure of an animal,
made up of bones and cartilage.
883. Skim Milk Milk from which sufficient cream has been
removed to reduce its milkfat content to not more than 0.2
percent. Skim milk contains protein, lactose, minerals and
water–soluble vitamins and only half as many calories as whole
milk. In the final beverage form, it has been pasteurised or
ultra-pasteurised and contains added vitamins A and D. It can
be used in a liquid form to feed young calves.
884. Slaughter
885. Slide – An adjustment of the final sale price to
accommodate a variance in weight. The value can be added or
subtracted from the quoted selling price, depending upon the
stated weight range at “point of sale.”
886. Slotted Floor - A concrete floor design in which slats are
positioned in the floor so that cow traffic may work manure
through the slats and into a pit beneath the floor of the barn.

887. Snood - Red fleshy projection that hangs down the side of the beak.
888. Solids–Non–Fat (SNF) the solids in milk other than milk
fat; e.g., protein, lactose and minerals. Sometimes referred to
as non-fat solids.

889. Somatic cell count (SCC) - The number of white blood

cells per milliliter of milk or measurement of the number of
somatic cells present in a sample of milk. A high concentration
of more than 500,000 somatic cells per milliliter of milk
indicates abnormal condition in the udder. This serves as an
indicator of mastitis infection when elevated above 200,000.

890. Somatic Cell Score - A logarithmic representation of the

SCC, often referred to as linear scores because they are linearly
related to milk production loss.

891. Somatic Cells - The combination of the leukocytes (white

blood cells) from blood and the epithelial cells from the
secretory tissue of the udder which indicate the presence of
infection or injury in the animal.

892. Somatotropin a protein hormone produced by the

pituitary gland, which stimulates growth of muscle, bone and
mammary development in young animals and increases milk
production in lactating animals by making available nutrients
for milk synthesis and secretion.
893. sow

894. Species: A group of individuals which have certain

common characteristics that distinguish them from other group
of individuals with in species the individuals are fertile when in
different species they are not.
895. spermatozoa - male gametes.
896. SPF - (Specific Pathogen Free) - used to designate a herd or flock that is
certified free from certain specific pathogenic organisms.

897. Sphincter - A ring-shaped muscle that allows an opening

to close tightly, such as the sphincter muscle in the lower end
of a cow's teat.
898. Spore a reproductive cell, usually unicellular, produced by
plants and some protozoa. Spores usually possess a thick wall
enabling the cell to survive unfavourable environmental
conditions.
899. Springer - Heifer or cow showing signs of advanced
pregnancy; near calving.
900. Spur - Hard projectile on inner side of shanks
901. Squeeze Chute: Equipment that restrains animal for
treatment purposes. Sides can move to “squeeze” animal to
better keep them restrained.
902. Stag: Male with only one testicle removed.
903. Stage of lactation period of milk production during a
lactation determined by the length of time since parturition.

904. Stall - A cow housing cubicle.

905. Stallion

906. Stanchion - a device with two rails that was closed around
a cows neck after she entered a stall and to keep her restrained
in the stall.

907. Standardized Milk Milk which has been brought to a

uniform milk fat and/or milk solids–not–fat content different
from that of such milk at the farm. Standardization of milk may
be accomplished by the addition of skim milk, cream, or whole
milk. Cream may also be removed to produce a standardized
milk.
908. Steer – A castrated male bovine animal.

909. Step-Up Parlor - Cows step onto raised platforms for

milking. The milking units are attached from the side.

910. Sterile - Clean, free of any living organisms. Also means

unable to reproduce.

911. Sterility: Inability to produce any offspring.

912. sterilization - the complete destruction of microorganisms.
913. stimulus - something initiating activity, see stress.0
914. Stocker cattle – Cattle that have been weaned and placed
on grass or a growing ration prior to entering the feedlot.
915. Stocking Rate: Number of animals relative to the size of
area where the animals are contained. Often refers to the
number of animals on an acre of pasture.

916. stockyards - place where animals from different sources are assembled ,
usually for sale.
917. stoker - cattle fed lower levels of nutrients for a longer period of time,
often on pasture.
918. Straightbreeding - The mating of purebred animals of the
same breed.

919. Streak canal - Small canal located in the end of each teat,
through which the milk passes immediately prior to expulsion.
Also called the teat meatus.

920. stress - any force or stimuli causing mental or physical response.

921. Strip Cup - A small cup or device to collect forestrippings
and which makes abnormal milk easier to observe.

922. Subclinical - A disease condition without symptoms but

often resulting in decreased production or impaired milk
quality.

923. Subcutaneous - Under the skin.

924. Subway - An area beneath the milking pit that houses

milk meters, pipelines, vacuum lines and transfer tanks to
reduce noise and improve the milker's ability to move around in
the pit.

925. Superhutches - Calf housing structures, often open on one

side, designed for a small number of calves when first grouped
immediately after weaning.

926. superovulation - release of more than the normal number of oocytes

from the ovary.
927. Supplement - Nutritional additive intended to remedy
deficiencies of the diet, such as salt, minerals, protein.

928. supply management - regulations controlling the amount of a product

which a farmer can produce for sale and the method of sale of the product.

929. Supply: The quantity available for current day’s market,

including the carry over from the previous day.
930. Surplus heifer a heifer raised on the farm beyond the
number of heifers needed to maintain constant herd size. These
heifers may be used to increase herd size or may be sold to
market.
931. Sweetened condensed milks milk products which can be
obtained by the partial removal of water from milk with the
addition of sugar, or by any other process which leads to a
product of the same composition and characteristics. The fat
and/or protein content of the milk may have been adjusted
(...) by the addition and/or withdrawal of milk constituents in
such a way as not to alter the whey protein to casein ratio of
the milk being adjusted. (Codex Alimentarius)

932. swim-up fry - fry that have absorbed their yolk sac and are ready to
consume feeds
933. Swing Parlor - Parlor characterized by having the milking
units positioned in the middle of the parlor for use by cows on
both sides.

934. Synchronization: Process of manipulating the estrus cycle

so that females in the herd are exhibiting estrous at a specified
period time.
935. Systems approach An approach to evaluating alternative
individuals, breeding programs and selection schemes that
involves assessment of these alternatives in terms of their net
impact on all inputs and output in the production system. This
approach specifically recognizes that intermediate optimum
levels of performance in several traits may be more
economically advantageous than maximum performance for
any single trait.

936. table eggs - eggs which are sold directly to the consumer, either through
retail stores or in restaurants.
937. Tail Bands - Used for marking treated cows. Rubber bands
are sometimes used to dock cow's tails.

938. Tandem Parlor - Parlor design where cows line up head to

tail in individually opening stalls.

939. Tattoo: Colored numbers or letters inside the ear for

permanent identification.
940. TDN (Total Digestible Nutrients): Method of expressing
the energy level in a ration.
941. Teaser: A vasectomized (castrated) bull used to detect the
heat or estrus of female (cow).
942. TEAT A cow’s milk flows from each of the four teats on her
udder.
943. Terminal Cross: Breeding a female with a bull whose
major characteristics focus on weight production. All offspring
are sold.
944. Terminal Crossbreeding - The systematic crossing of
different breeds or crossbreds where all progeny are marketed.
945. Terminal sire Sires used in a crossbreeding system where
all their progeny, both male and female, are mparketed. For
example, F1 crossbred dams could be bred to sires of a third
breed and all calves marketed. Although this system allows
maximum heterosis and complementary breeds, replacement
females must come from other herds.
946. Test the process of collecting milk samples and recording
milk weights. Sometimes called "test day".
947. Thermization the application to milk of a heat treatment
of a lower intensity than pasteurization that aims at reducing
the number of microorganisms. A general reduction of log 3–4
can be expected. Micro-organisms surviving will be heat-
stressed and become more vulnerable to subsequent
microbiological control measures. (Codex Alimentarius)
948. Thin flesh/green – The ribs are visible on the animal, and
the flank area seems drawn up or empty; there is no
“roundness to the stomach-flat,” and the rib/loin areas of the
topline lookunderdeveloped. (Score 1-3)
949. Time recording device/monitor a mechanical/electronic
device that automatically monitors the interval between
milkings. The time is expressed in hours plus minutes, and the
device must display the starting and ending time of the
previous milking.
950. Times milked cows are normally milked twice per day with
records being labelled 2x; however, cows may be milked more
frequently (3x, 4x, etc.).
951. Tom - A male turkey
952. Total Performance Index (TPI} method of ranking dairy
breed sires based on an index combining pd milk, pd
percentage and pd type.
953. Trace Mineral: Mineral that is required by an animal in
small amounts.
954. Trait - Any measurable or observable characteristic of an
animal.
955. Trait ratio An expression of an animal's performance for a
particular trait relative to the herd or contemporary group
average.
956. Transitional milk milk that has a composition in transition
between that of the colostrum (first milk) and whole milk.
957. Transmitting ability
958. UDDER The part of a cow’s body where milk is made.
959. UHT (ultra-high temperature treatment of milk and liquid
milk products is the application of heat to a continuously
flowing product using such high temperatures for such time
that renders the product commercially sterile at the time of
processing. When the UHT treatment is combined with aseptic
packaging, it results in a commercially sterile product. (Codex
Alimentarius)
960. Ultrasonic Measurements - Used to estimate carcass and
reproductive characteristics, Operates off the principal that
sound waves echo differently with different densities of tissue.
961. Ultrasound: Using high-frequency sound waves to show
visual outlines of internal body structures like organs, muscle
and fat.
962. Unripened cheese cheese which is ready for consumption
shortly after manufacture. (Codex Alimentarius)
963. Upper Caruncles - Red nodules located on the head and neck of the turkey.
964. Urea: Inorganic (non-plant) material fed to cattle that
allows rumen bacteria to produce protein.
965. Urinary Calculi: Mineral deposits in the urinary tract.
966. USDA yield grade Measurements of carcass cutability
categorized into numerical categories with 1 being the leanest
and 5 being the fattest. Yield grade and cutability are based on
the same four carcass traits.
967. Uterus: Where the fetus, baby calf, develops during
pregnancy.
968. Vaccination: An injection of medicines which help prevent
beef cattle from catching specific diseases. For example, cattle
are often vaccinated for Blackleg, Brucellosis, Leptospirosis,
IBR=infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, BVD=bovine viral
diarrhea, PI3=parainfluenza3 and BRSV = bovine respiratory
syncytial virus. For more information, contact your regional or
State veterinarian.
969. vacuum packaging - the packaging of a product in the absence of
oxygen.
970. Variance is a statistic that describes the variation we see
in a trait. Without variation, no genetic progress is possible,
since genetically superior animals would not be distinguishable
from genetically inferior ones.
971. Variation: The degree to which individuals differ with
respect to the extent of development of expression of
characteristics.
972. Veal: The meat of calf below the age of 3 months.
973. Venison
974. Video sales – A marketing method in which cattle are
video recorded on the farm, and the video is broadcast via
satellite television, internet, and/or smart phone. Buyers
participate in the public auction by telephone or computer.
These sales are generally hosted by a marketing agency at
their place of business.
975. virulence - the relative ability of a pathogenic microorganism to cause
disease.
976. Vitamins: Food substances that are necessary in small
amounts to assist in metabolic processes in the animal’s body.
977. Wattle - Thin growths of red colored flesh on the sides of the upper throat on fowl
—more pronounced on mature males.
978. Wean: To take a calf from its mother so it can no longer
nurse. Calves are usually weaned at seven to nine months of
age.
979. Weaning Ratio: A percentage figure for each calf,
designed to help compare the adjusted 205-day weight of each
calf to others in its group. A ratio of 90 means a calf is 10
percent below average, while a ratio of 110 would be 10
percent above average.
980. Weaning Weight: The amount that a calf weighs when it is
separated from its mother. Usually standardized to 205 days of
age.
981. Weaning: Process of separating a calf from its mother.
982. Weanling: A young calf of either sex, usually 6 to 9
months of age, that had been separated or "weaned" from its
mother.
983. Wedder: A castrated sheep is called wedder.
984. Weighing scale method
985. Weight per day of age (WDA) Weight of an individual
divided by days of age.
986. West average: It is the average daily milk yield of a cow is
lactation.
987. Wet Solids Condensed milk, skim milk, or whey may be
referred to as wet solids, to distinguish from dry solids in the
form of non-fat dry milk or dried whey powder.
988. Wether goat
989. Wethersheep
990. Whey fluid milk product obtained during the manufacture
of cheese, casein or similar products by separation from the
curd after coagulation of milk and/or of products obtained from
milk. Coagulation is obtained through the action of, principally,
rennet type enzymes. (Codex Alimentarius)
991. Whey powders milk products obtained by drying whey or
acid whey. (Codex Alimentarius)
992. Whole milk unaltered milk collected from day 4 after
calving until the end of a lactation
993. Yearling – Calves between 1 and 2 years of age.
994. Yield grade: Scoring system that estimates amount of
closely trimmed retail cuts that will be produced by a carcass.
Takes into account carcass weight, ribeye size and fat
thickness.
995. Yield The amount of product obtained from a fixed
quantity of input material. Specific to pricing formulas used in
the dairy industry, yield refers to how much butter, powder or
cheese can be obtained from 100 pounds/kilograms of milk.
996. Yoghurt Fermented milk, low-fat milk, or skim milk,
sometimes protein– fortified.
997. zconosis - diseases of animals that can be transmitted to humans.
998. zone of thermal neutrality - the thermoneutral zone or temperature
range in which an animal does not have to use any extra energy to conserve or
dissipate heat.
999. Zoonosis disease communicable from animals to humans
and vice versa under natural conditions.
1000. zygote - the product of fertilization, ie. a cell formed from the union of
an oocyte and a spermatozoon.