TERMINOLOGY

Acaricide - a substance or preparation used in killing ticks and mites

Aftermath - forage grown following a harvest
Alternate stocking - the repeated grazing and resting of forage using two paddocks in
succession
Animal unit (AU)- according to the Journal of Range Management it is a 454 kg animal
or its equivalent and consuming 12 kg dry matter per day
Anthelmintic - a drug administered as drench, bolus, and injectable or mixed in feed to
get rid of gastrointestinal parasite
Breed - a group of animals possessing certain well-defined distinguished characteristics
and having the having the ability to reproduce these characteristics in their
offspring with reasonable degree of surety
Breeder stock - animal intended for breeding purposes
Breeding herd - these are dry cows and heifers ready for breeding
Browse - leaf and twig growth of shrubs, woody vines, trees, cacti, and other non-
herbaceous vegetation available for animal consumption.
Bull - a male breeding cattle of any age
Bull herd - the breeding males used for breeding the cows and heifers
Bulling - when a cow tries to ride other cows or when she stands if others try to ride
her. A “bulling” cow is in heat
Calf - young cattle of either sex less than one year
Calf crop - the number of calves born
Calving - act of giving birth in cows
Calving interval - the average length of time in days between successive calvings
Carrying capacity - the maximum stocking rate that will achieve a target level of animal
performance, in a specified grazing method, that can be applied over a
defined time period without deterioration of the ecosystem
- computed as the number of animal units that can be maintained safely
and economically year round per unit of area (expressed as AU/ha)
= (DMY, kg/ha/yr) ÷ (DM requirement, kg/AU/yr)
Castration - removal of the testis from the scrotum or any method that would render the
testes functionless
Cattle (oxen) - general term for any class of animals of bovine family, genus Bos
Cercaria - infective larval stage of fluke in the snail host
Colostrum - milk produced during the first 3-5 days after parturition which contains high
protein, vitamins and minerals, and antibodies that supply essential
immune bodies to the newly born animals
Concentrate - feed which contains less than 18% crude fiber with high digestible
nutrients
Conception - pregnancy
Continuous stocking - a method of grazing livestock on a specific unit of land where
animals have unrestricted and uninterrupted access throughout the time
period when grazing is allowed
Cow - a mature cattle that has given birth
Crossbreeding - the mating of two different breeds
Cutting interval - the time elapsed between two successive harvesting or cutting of
forages at a desired age; this is a practice of gathering feeds for the
livestock under zero-grazing or cut-and-carry system
Deferred grazing - the deferment of grazing in a non-systematic rotation with other land
units
Dressing percentage - the percent which the weight of the chilled carcass is of the live
weight
Enzootic - disease already known to prevail in areas, either indigenous or exogenous
Estrous cycle (heat cycle) - interval from one estrus to the next estrus
Estrus (heat period) - the sexual period in females when they are receptive to mating.
Extraction rate - relative proportion of the number of cattle slaughtered to the total cattle
population
Fattener - feeder or steer herd - these consist of those ready for market and the growing
cattle
Feeders - animals of sufficient age, weight, and condition that they are immediately
placed in the fattening lot
Feeder stock - cattle which is fattened prior to slaughtering
Feedlot - area with its physical facilities used for cattle fattening.
Fertilization - union of egg and sperm cells
Finishing/Fattening - deposition of unused energy as fat within the body tissues.
Flukecide - drug used as drench, bolus, injectable or mixed in feed to get rid of flukes.
Flushing - feed livestock with plenty of feeds to make them gain weight just before or
during breeding season
Forage - edible parts of the plants, other than separate grain, that can provide feed for
grazing animals, or that can be harvested for feeding
Forbs - any herbaceous broadleaf plants that is not a grass and is not a grass-like
Grassland - a land or an area which the natural dominant plants form is grass
Generation - the average interval of time between the birth of parents and the birth of
their offspring
Generation interval - the mean age of the parents when the animals that are to replace
them are born
Gestation - pregnancy; period from fertilization to birth
Grade - an animal produced by mating a purebred sire with a female of less than purebred
Grazing cycle - the time elapsed between the beginning of one grazing period and the
beginning of the next grazing period in the same paddock where the
forage is regularly grazed and rested
Grazing period - the length of time (could be number of days) that grazing livestock or
wildlife occupies a specific land area
Grazing pressure – is an animal-to-forage relationship that indicate the number of animal
units or forage intake units and the weight of forage dry matter per unit
area at any one point in time
Hand feeding - system of feeding wherein feeds are brought to the animals
Hay - cut and dried forage for livestock feed
Heifer - young female cattle usually under three years old that has not yet given birth
Heifer herd - composed of heifers not yet ready for breeding
Herbage - grass and other herbaceous vegetation for animal feeding
Herd - any number of cattle under one management, maintained in one premise which is
allowed to associate or come in contact with one another
Heterosis - hybrid vigor, the increase vigor of F1 crosses over the average of the parent
breeds
Inbreeding - the mating of closely related animals such as brothers and sisters
Marbling - deposition of intra-muscular fat
Parturition - a general term for giving birth
Pasture utilization - the manner of using the pasture to supply the required forage by the
animal; if grazing method is the option to utilize the forages available in
the pasture it is recommended that half of available dry matter be retained
in the pasture to provide ample amount of food reserves required by the
forages for its regrowth, therefore, the pasture utilization is set at 50%
Post-partum - the period after birth
Pregnant herd - these are pregnant females that are normally grouped with the breeding
herd during the breeding season
Proven sire - bull which has sufficient data to show its good genetic potential and
excellent breeding performance
Purebred - an animal of pure breeding eligible for registration in its receptive breed
association
Ration - feed allowance for one animal for 24 hours (1 day)
Replacement stock - yearling heifer or bull raised primarily for breeding purposes
Rotational stocking - a grazing method that utilizes recurring periods of grazing and rest
among two or more paddocks in a grazing management unit throughout
the period when grazing is allowed

Roughage - feed which contains at least 18% crude fiber and low digestible nutrient
Shrink - a loss in weight from feed lot to market. This is the difference in feedlot or off-
range weight and selling weight or slaughter weight (usually in percent)
Silage - any fermented feed material stored in a silo for feeding
Silent heat - a condition wherein animals are physiologically “in heat” but have not
shown any visible signs
Silo - a structure usually sealed when full to exclude air and used for storing silage
Soilages - forage cut and fed fresh to the animals; also called green chop, soiling or cut
and carry
Stag - castrated male cattle operated after the secondary sex characters have been
developed
Steer - castrated male cattle operated before the sex characters have been
Stocker - cattle purchased for utilization of considerable roughage from growth prior to
fattening

Stocking density- the relationship between the number of animals and the specific unit of
land being grazed at any one point
Stocking rate - the relationship between the number of animals and the grazing
management unit utilized over a specified time period
Sward - a population of herbaceous plants, characterized by relatively short habit of
growth and relatively continuous ground cover, including both above- and
below- ground parts
Tethering - restraining an animal with a rope or chain so as to allow limited movement
Upgrading - improving the genetic potential of an animal by using purebred sire on native
animal