| C
Horizon |
Weathered
rock underlying the B
horizon. See Soil horizon |
| C:N ratio |
The ratio of
the weight of the organic
carbon
to the weight of the total nitrogen (mineral plus organic forms) in
soil or organic material. Indicates the value of organic matter or
composted material. Material with a large ratio (20:1) will break down
slowly, while a small ratio (8:1) will quickly break down and become
available to plants. |
| C3
Photosynthesis |
The
Calvin-Benson cycle of photosynthesis
in which the first products after CO2 fixation
are 3-carbon molecules. |
| C-3 Plant |
A plant
employing the pentose
phosphate pathway of carbon dioxide assimilation during photosynthesis;
often a cool-season plant. |
| C4
Photosynthesis |
The
Hatch-Slack cycle of photosynthesis
in which the first products after CO2 fixation
are 4-carbon molecules. |
| C-4 Plant |
A plant
employing the dicarboxylic
acid pathway of carbon dioxide assimilation during photosynthesis;
often a warm-season plant. |
| Calf |
In cattle a
young animal of either
sex from birth till weaning.
The term bull or heifer
precedes the word calf to indicate the sex. Also used for Red deer or Wapiti |
| Calf cradle |
A small
crush used to restrain a
calf for various operations - usually marking.
The crush tips on its side to expose the animal to the operator. |
| Caliche |
A layer in
the soil horizon
more or less cemented by secondary carbonates of calcium or magnesium
precipitated from the soil solution. It may occur as soft, thin soil
horizon, as a hard, thick bed just beneath the solum,
or as a surface layer exposed by erosion. Not a geologic deposit. |
| CALM |
Computer
Aided Livestock Marketing
in Australia now AuctionPlus. |
| Callus |
Wound
tissue in plants. |
| Calving date |
Normally in
spring and autumn as
nature intended, but can be all year round. 283 days after cow is mated. |
| Calving
interval |
Period of
time between calves |
| Calving
percentage |
An indicator
of herd fertility. The
percentage is usually calculated using number mated
compared with number marked
or weaned.
For cattBrewer’s_grainle, the percentages are: Natural
service: 50-95 per cent
Average: 75-85 per cent. On good properties with A.I.,
average 70 per cent. |
| Calyx |
The
outermost whorl of floral
leaves, consisting of the sepals. The calyx is usually green and leaf like, but may
be coloured like the petals. |
| Cambium. |
The layer of
cells in a plant from
which growth of woody tissue and bark takes place (
between the xylem and
the phloem). |
| Canary stain |
Bright
yellow unscourable
discoloration of wool which occurs under conditions of high temperature
and high humidity following thorough wetting of the fleece. |
| Candling |
Visual
examination of eggs by holding them between the eye and a light source
to test for characteristics associated with edible quality or
hatchability. |
| Cannibalism |
Vice
that may occur in chickens of all ages.
Feather picking and toe picking are simpler forms of cannibalism, which
usually start under conditions of overcrowding at brooding.
This may develop into more
serious forms of head, wing and vent picking which can lead to
death. Dim light intensity may
help control cannibalism. |
| Cannon bone |
The
long bone in the foot of animals that is removed from sheep and cattle
at slaughter (the metacarpals and metatarsals). |
| Canopy |
(a) The
vertical
projection
downward of the aerial portion of vegetation, usually expressed as a
percent of the grounds so occupied.
(b) The aerial portion of the overstorey
vegetation. cf. canopy cover. |
| Canopy
Cover |
The
percentage
of ground
covered by a vertical projection of the outermost perimeter of the
natural spread of foliage of plants. Small openings within the canopy
are included. It may exceed 100%. Syn. aerial
cover. |
| Cap rail |
Top
rail on cattle yards used for walking on.
Top rail on wooden fence. |
| Capacitance |
Ability
to store a charge of electricity. |
| Capacitor |
A
device used
in electric fences that stores electrical charges and pulse energy
which builds up in the capacitor and is released by the SCR
switch into the fence at approximately one per second. |
| Capillary
Action |
The movement
of
liquid in fine tubes or pores associated with surface tension and the
adhesion to the walls of the pores. |
| Capillary
water |
Water held
in
the soil by
adhesion to soil particles and cohesion between other water molecules.
Capillary water basically meets all the water needs of plants. |
| Capital |
Has a
variety of
definitions.
To an Economist it is one of the three factors of production (together
with land and labour). In this sense it represents deferred
consumption; a stock of things produced previously, to be used to
satisfy future wants. To most business persons it refers to the
monetary value of their productive resources (assets)
often including land. It may also be more narrowly used to refer to
cash and credit balances in bank accounts and other types of liquid
savings or money with which a business is started. |
| Capital
account |
(a) The
account
of a country of inward and outward flow of money for investment and
international grants and loans.
(b) In accounting the account that represents the owners equity in the
business |
| Capital
Asset |
An asset
that is expected to last through more than one production cycle and can
be used to produce other saleable assets or services. See Fixed
Assets |
| Capital
Budgeting |
A process
for
determining the profitability of a capital investment. |
| Capital
cost |
An
investment
with a lifespan longer than one year. Also called a capital investment. |
| Capital
Gain (Loss) |
The net
difference between purchase cost and sale revenue of an investment or asset,
or between successive valuations. The cost of any improvements to an asset
and inflation should be allowed for to arrive at a true figure. This
'capital gain' may be taxable as income under some circumstances, but
inflationary effects may be taken into account, so that only the 'real'
capital gain is taxable. |
| Capital
Investment |
Funds used
to
acquire capital assets. |
| Capital
Lease |
A lease
contract that allows the lessee
to purchase the leased equipment at the end of the lease period. |
| Capital
Transactions |
In
management
accounting refer
to receipts or payments which relate to a series of years and thus are
not included in calculation of profit, eg. Sale of a machine, or
receipt of a loan. They may alter the make-up of the 'Statement
of assets and liabilities' or 'Balance Sheet' but
do
not change the total. |
| Capitalisation
(capitalization) |
The process
of
estimating the value of a yearly income in terms of the amount of capital
which it would be necessary to own in order to receive that income,
calculated at a given rate of interest, eg. Income from a farm is
$2,000 per year; rate of interest obtainable from "gilt edge
securities", say 5%. Then value of the farm is 2,000 x 5% = $40 000.
Note: The lower the rate of interest used in the calculation, the
larger the computed value of the property. See interest rate formulae |
| Capon |
A male
chicken
castrated when young to improve the quality of its flesh for food.
Caponization = castration. |
| Capsule |
A
dry fruit that develops from a compound pistil
and opens in various ways allowing the seeds to escape, e.g. poppy,
legumes, Brazil nut. |
| Carbamide |
See urea |
| Carbo Types |
Very burry wools, usually
short, from which the vegetable fault cannot economically be removed by
mechanical means. |
| Carbohydrates |
Compounds of
carbon, hydrogen and oxygen-including sugars, starches and cellulose - which form an
important part of the structure of plants. They are produced by photosynthesis. |
| Carbon
Cycle |
The sequence
of
transformation
undergone by carbon utilised by organisms wherein it is used by one
organism, later liberated upon the death and decomposition of the
organism, and returned to its original state to be reused by another
organism. |
| Carbon
farming |
Either the
cultivation of trees, or undertaking specific farming practices, in
order to sequester carbon and then to obtain tradable rights in that
carbon. These rights can then be sold to emitters of CO2 and
other interested parties. |
| Carbonising
(Carbonizing) |
The
removal of vegetable
matter, such as burrs and seeds, from wool and wool fabrics
by chemical treatment. |
| Carcass
weight (CW) |
•
Cold CW After
spending a period in the chiller.
• Hot CW
Freshly dressed after slaughter.
• Fats-in CW
Complete with kidney and pelvic (channel) fat
present.
• Fats-out CW
With kidney and pelvic fats removed.
• Shrunk CW
Some works and
abattoirs may deduct at the scales from some classes of stock an
estimate of shrinkage (the loss of weight between slaughter and sale).
On average about 50% of the live weight of sheep remains on the carcase
(55% for cattle and 75% for pigs). The actual amount is termed Dressing Percentage. |
| Carcinogen |
A
substance that induces cancer. |
| Carding |
The
second major stage of wool processing. Breaks up staples, aligns fibres and
removes vegetable
matter. |
| Carotenoide |
Yellow
or orange pigments found in the plastids of plants. |
| Carpel |
The unit of
the
female part of the flower, consisting of the ovary which surrounds and
encloses the ovules,
the stigma
which is receptive to pollen
and the style
which is the part between the ovary and the stigma. |
| Carpet wool |
Wool
suitable for the manufacture of carpets |
| Carrier |
a.
An inert material used to dilute, for convenient application, a
concentrated formulation to a usable or desirable strength.
The carrier may be a liquid
such as water or diesel oil, or a solid such as dust or sand.
b. (in disease) - Something that carries or transmits a disease without
necessarily being affected by the disease. |
| Carrying
Capacity |
The maximum stocking
rate
possible which is consistent with maintaining or improving vegetation
or related resources. It may vary from year to year on the same area
due to fluctuating forage production. cf. grazing
capacity. |
| Cash |
a. (common
usage) notes and
coin on hand, as opposed to cheques and other equivalent instruments
(such as credit cards). b. (accounting usage) notes, coin and
alternatives to notes and coin.
c. (verb) to convert something to notes or coin. |
| Cash
Accounting |
An
accounting
system that recognises income
when it is actually received and expenses
when they are actually paid. |
| Cash book |
Book used to
record all receipts
and payments of cash
(including cheques). It generally records the entities position in
regard to its trading account with its bank |
| Cash book
balance |
A debit
balance
indicates that receipts
are greater than payments
you have money in the bank. A credit balance indicates that payments
are greater than receipts - you have a bank overdraft. (The cash book
balance is a mirror image of the bank statement balance). |
| Cash Budget |
A budget estimating the likely
cash result of a physical plan. See Cash
Flow Budget |
| Cash
Deficit |
a. The
difference between the total cash receipts
and total cash payments,
where the payments are greater.
b. The result for an accounting period when total payments have
exceeded total receipts. |
| Cash
Expenses |
Expenses that require the
expenditure of cash. |
| Cash
Flow |
The movement
of
cash funds into and out of a business. |
| Cash
Flow Budget |
A budget
subdividing the cash budget into periodic segments (weekly, monthly,
quarterly) in order to show periods of surplus or deficits of available
cash. |
| Cash
flow control |
The process
of
comparing actual income and expenditure with that planned in a cash flow budget. If
compiled in the same format as the budget it produces a cash flow statement
(Historic cash flow). Best done on a monthly basis. |
| Cash
Flow Statement |
A summary of
cash receipt and
payments (as recorded in the cash book/journals). It is a
straightforward mechanical procedure. Monthly totals for each
item or class of receipt and payment are transferred to a prepared
form. Should be in the same format as intended of current cash flow budgets |
| Cash
Payment |
(a) A payment made by notes, coin
or other means which replace the use of notes or coin.
(b) A record of a transaction that involves the movement of cash out of
the bank account of the entity. |
| Cash
Receipt |
(a) a receipt of notes, coin or
other means which replace the use of notes or coin.
(b) a record of a transaction that involves the movement of cash into
the bank account of the entity. |
| Cash Rent
Lease |
A rental
arrangement in which
the operator makes a cash payment to the owner for the use of certain
property, pays all production costs, and keeps all the income generated. |
| Cash
Summary. |
An
accounting
summary for an entity, which shows in a concise form the major
components of cash receipts
and payments, and the
cash surplus (or deficit) for a specified period |
| Cash
Surplus |
(a) The
result
for an accounting period when total receipts
have exceeded total payments.
(b) The difference between total cash receipts and total cash payments,
where the receipts are greater. |
| Cashbook |
A record of
all
cash receipts and payments pertaining to an
entity. |
| Cashmere |
Fine
downy wool from the Cashmere goat. |
| Casings |
Fibrous
layers stripped from intestines and used as sausage skins. |
| Casparian
Strip |
A secondary
thickening that develops on the radial and end walls of some endodermal cells. |
| Cast |
a. An animal
that falls or lies down and can not get up without help.
b. Action of a dog when it leaves its
handler to encircle or gather sheep.
It can be a right- or left-hand cast. |
| Cast For
Age (CFA) |
Livestock
sold
by farmers on account of their old age. |
| Cast
fleeces |
Fleeces
different from
the majority of the fleeces in a mob. They are usually kept
separate and branded appropriately. |
| Castrate
(Castration) |
Remove the testes of a male.
This
is done by knife, knife and hot iron, rubber rings, or special pliers
that sever the chord without cutting the skin. See Steer (Cattle), Wether (sheep), Barrow (pig), Gelding (Horse) Stag |
| Catching
pen |
Pen
adjacent to a shearing
stand in which a shearer catches sheep for shearing. |
| Cation |
A positively
charged ion. (An ion is
an
atomic or molecular particle carrying an electrical charge). |
| Cation
Exchange |
The
interchange
between a cation in solution and another cation on the surface of any
surface-active material such as clay colloid
or organic colloid. |
| Cation
exchange capacity |
The number
of
negatively charged sites on a soil which can react with and hold cations. The cation exchange
capacity is high for clays and humus, and low for sand. |
| Catkin |
A
spike like inflorescence
of unisexual flowers.
The male catkin may be borne on one tree, the female on another or both
on the same tree, e.g. willow, birch, poplar. |
| Cattle
Breeds |
See http://cattle-today.com/ |
| Cattle
grid |
A gateway
with a
steel or concrete ribbed base instead of a gate. Also called a 'cattle
ramp' or 'cattle stop'. |
| Cattle Tick |
Boophilus
microplus These ticks
cause economic loss to cattle in northern Australia through
direct effects and as a transmitter of babesiosis. |
| Causally
Relating |
A direct
cause
and effect relationship. |
| Caveat |
A warning.
On a
title it indicates that another party may have a right or interest in
the property. |
| CBOT |
Chicago Board Of Trade
(CBOT®),
established in 1848, is a leading futures and options on futures
exchange. Originally the CBOT traded only agricultural
commodities such as corn, wheat, oats and soybeans. Futures contracts
at the exchange evolved over the years to include non-storable
agricultural commodities and non-agricultural products like
gold
and silver. |
| Cell |
The
structural unit composing the body of the plant or animal; a unit of protoplasm surrounded by
a
cell wall. |
| Cellulose |
A carbohydrate, the
chief component of plant cell walls. |
| Cellulosic |
Of, pertaining to, or derived from cellulose. |
| Centre
Pivot |
An
irrigation
system that rotates around a central pivot point to water a large
circle. |
| Cereal |
A member of
the
Poaceae family grown mainly for its mature, dry seed. |
| Cereal
Tolls |
See Tolls. |
| Certificate
Of
Title |
The document
of
title to land held under the Torrens
System.
It states the fact and extent of the estate or interest of a person
(the registered proprietor) in land held under the Torrens System.
Issued in duplicate the certificates are numbered and one is bound into
the relevant volume of the Register Book and kept in the government
department while the other is held by the registered proprietor. When
the land is dealt with, a note of the dealing is made on both copies by
the department. See also Torrens
System. |
| Cervix |
The opening
into the uterus or
womb. |
| CFA |
See Cast for Age |
| Chaff |
The
husk of grains; straw cut short to feed animals. |
| Chain |
An
imperial unit of length used to measure length (e.g. fencing): 22
yards. Now 20 metres is used as
metric equivalent. |
| Chaining |
Removal of
trees
by dragging an anchor chain between two crawler tractors. |
| Chalaza |
Spiral
strings
of dense albumen, opposite one another on yolk of an egg (maintain axis
of orientation when egg is turned during early stages of incubation). |
| Chalkiness |
Property
by which Down and very hairy wools reflect light. Sometimes termed
whiteness. |
| Chang residue |
See Brewer’s
grain |
| Character |
Composite
description of staple definition, staple crimp clarity and tendency to
blockiness in fleece wool.
Graded as excellent, very good, good, average, poor, bad, and very bad. |
| Charcoal
stain |
Discoloration
of wool with charcoal from bush burns.
More commonly referred to as log stain. |
| Chart Of
Accounts |
An index
which
shows account titles
and ledger account
numbers in an accounting system. |
| Chattles |
Personal
property. |
| Chemical
Transformations |
The change
in
chemical, especially plant nutrients such as nitrogen, from one form to
another e.g. nitrate to nitrite. |
| Cheque |
A draft or
order
on a bank or
similar institution purporting to be drawn upon a deposit of funds, for
the payment of a certain sum of money to a particular party and payable
on demand. |
| Chernozem |
Black,
neutral-pH soil with a crumbly surface. |
| Chicago Board Of Trade |
See CBOT |
| Chicken |
1.
The domestic fowl, Gallus domesticus, family
Phasianidae. Birds
including chicks, broilers, hens, pullets, cockerels and
cocks.
2. Chicken, chick - poultry one month old or less. |
| Chiller |
Cool
room with temperature above freezing point. |
| Chin-ball |
A device
fitted to the chin of
a bull to mark
with ink cows that he mounts. |
| Chip |
Small
pieces of dried faeces in crutchings. |
| Chisel
plough |
Ploughs used to shatter but not turn or move the soil |
| Chlorenclyma |
Cells
which contain chloroplasts. |
| Chlorophyll |
A complex
organic molecule that traps light energy during photosynthesis for
conversion into chemical energy. |
| Chloroplast |
A
specialized body (a plastid) in the cytoplasm
that contains chlorophyll. |
| Chlorosis |
Loss
of chlorophyll. |
| Choice
criteria |
A very small
number of criteria
that a customer
uses to make the final choice between altarnative products. |
| Chopper |
a. Older pig
sent to slaughter
at the end of
its breeding life.
b. Aged cow or heifer culled
from a dairy or beef herd and sold for slaughter regardless of
condition. |
| Chromosome |
The
thread-like structure in
the cell nucleus
that carries the genes. |
| Chute |
Ramp
from the porthole in a shearing shed taking sheep to a lower level. |
| Chymosin |
See rennin |
| c.i.f. |
Costs,
insurance, and freight,
A price quoted
whereby the producer has paid for the costs of insurance and freight. |
| Circular diagram |
A tool to assist in the analysis of a system.
The output of central interest (e.g. crop production) is placed at the
centre of the diagram and the major factors thought to influence it are
grouped in a ring around it with appropriate arrows pointing
inwards. There may be effects of these factors on each other
and these are indicated by arrows. Factors in the ring are
influenced by secondary factors and these are arranged in an outer ring
with arrows indicating their influence on the inner ring and each
other. Further rings may be added if necessary |
| Class A
Pan |
A Class A
pan
used to measure
evaporation. The procedure is to measure, daily or weekly,
water
level in an exposed tank (pan) and also the rainfall at the
same
location for the same time interval. Then, evaporation = decrease in
water level (+ve or -ve) plus rainfall. Further
detail |
| Class of
Animal |
Description
of
age and/or sex-group for a particular kind of animal. Example, cow,
calf, yearling, ewe, etc. |
| Classer |
One
who classes wool or animals |
| Classer's
specification |
Wool:
the detailed report, prepared by the classer,
on the lines and bales of wool produced from each mob of sheep. |
| Classing |
Grouping
together similar wools into saleable lines. May also apply to
animals - grouping similar types. |
| Claw |
On
a milking
machine the manifold that spaces the teat-cups in forming a cluster and
connects them to the long milk and long pulse tubes. |
| Clay |
A soil
separate
consisting of particles <0.002min in diameter. It is also used
to define a soil textural class. |
| Clay Soil |
A soil
texture
type consisting
of 40 percent or more clay-sized particles, less than 40 percent
silt-sized particles and less than 45 percent sand-sized particles. cf.
clay |
| Claypan |
A dense
compact
layer in the
subsoil having a much higher clay content than the overlaying material
from which it is separated by a sharply defined boundary; formed by
downward movement of clay or by synthesis of clay in place during soil
formation. Claypans are usually hard when dry and plastic and sticky
when wet. They usually impede the movement of water and air. cf. hardpan. |
| Clean on
floor (COF) |
Price
of a lot of greasy wool on the auction floor expressed on a clean wool
basis after adjustment for yield. |
| Clean wool |
Scoured
wool. |
| Clean wool
content |
Oven-dry
weight
of wool
expressed as a percentage of the greasy weight and adjusted to a
standard level of wax, ash and moisture. |
| Climate |
The average
or
prevailing weather conditions of a place over a period of years. |
| Climax |
A
stable community of a succession, it is self-perpetuating and in
equilibrium with the physical environment. |
| Clip |
Quantity
of shorn wool from a defined area (farm or locality) or group of sheep. |
| Clone |
A group of
plants, growing in
close association, derived by asexual reproduction from a single parent
plant. Such plants are therefore of the same genetic
constitution. Also applies to animals derives from a single
parent by artificial means. |
| Close-to-profit |
Stock
(usually dairy) that are
approaching the
productive stage of their lives, e.g. cows close to calving. |
| Closed
Systems |
Are those
that
are self contained and for which there is no interchange with the
environment c.f. open
systems. |
| Closing
Value |
Balance or
value
at the end of the accounting period. |
| Clostridium |
Any of
various
rod-shaped, spore-forming, chiefly anaerobic bacteria of the genus Clostridium,
such as the nitrogen-fixing bacteria found in soil and those causing
botulism and tetanus. |
| Clover |
Legumes belonging to the
genus
Trifolium. In South Australia the most important is subterranean clover
(Trifolium subterraneum). |
| Clover
Disease |
A disorder
in
grazing animals caused by the oestrogenic
content of some annual clovers such as subterranean clover. |
| Cluster |
On a milking
machine, an assembly comprising teat-cups,
claw, long milk tubes, and long pulse tubes. |
| Clutch |
Number
of eggs laid on consecutive days. |
| Coarse |
A
term applied to wool that is thick in fibre diameter and also rough and
inferior. |
| Cob |
A
heavy-boned, short-coupled,
muscular horse of quality, generally having the head and neck of a pony. |
| Cobbler |
Sheep
which is difficult to shear. |
| Coccus |
Spherical
bacteria. |
| Cock |
A
mature male chicken or other fowl. |
| Cockerel |
A
male chicken less than one year old. |
| Cockle |
Lamb/sheep
pelt defect. A
preventable disease resulting in the development of nodules over the
pelt surface. |
| Cocky,
Cockie |
Australian
slang
for farmer. |
| Codex
Alimentarius |
An evolving
food
code developed by by the Codex
Alimentarius Commission (of the FAO)
- the body responsible for compiling the standards, codes of practice,
guidelines and recommendations for the production an processing of safe
food. See also Understanding
the Codex Alimentarius Table of Contents |
| Coefficient
Of
Variation |
A measure of
the
variability of the outcomes of a particular event; equal to the standard deviation
divided by the mean. |
| Co-Evolution |
Evolved
together. |
| Cognitive
Research |
Involving
understanding and reasoning. |
| Cold
Stratification |
Keeping seed
in
a cool, moist environment for a period of time to simulate
over-wintering thereby reducing dormancy
and increasing seed germination. |
| Coleoptile |
A
sheath which covers the shoot of grass seedlings.
Often interpreted as the first leaf. |
| Collateral |
Assets pledged as security for a loan. |
| Collenchyma |
Supporting
tissue in planta composed of living cells with unevenly thickened walls. |
| Collie
(Border Collie) |
Sheep
and cattle dog of British descent. |
| Colloidal
Content |
Percentage
of
the total soil sample made up of particles less than .02min diameter. |
| Colloidal
powder |
In
agricultural chemicals, an extremely fine powder of an active
ingredient alone, or associated with surface active agents or diluents,
forming a colloidal or virtually non-settling suspension on addition to
water. |
| Colloidal
suspension |
A
colloidal dispersion of extremely fine solid particles in a non-solvent
fluid. |
| Colostrum |
The first
milk produced by the
dam after birth, rich
in nutrients and antibodies. |
| Colt |
Entire
male horse usually less than 3 years old. |
| Comb |
Stationary
unit of shearing hand-piece which enters and holds the wool as it is
cut. Also a machine
which aligns fibres during manufacture. |
| Combine |
1. In Australia, ‘combine’ commonly
refers to a combined seed–fertiliser planter.
2. Elsewhere used to describe a ‘combined-harvester
thresher’; also known as a header in Australia. |
| Combing |
The third
major
stage of the
wool production process Aligns fibres and removes any
residual
vegetable matter and short fibres. Products are 'top' and 'noil'. |
| Comeback |
A type of
sheep
derived from
one or more infusions of Merino blood into Longwool-Merino half-bred
stock and which throws toward the Merino. |
| Common
Use |
Grazing the
current year's
forage production by more than one kind of grazing animal either at the
same time or at different seasons. cf. dual
use. |
| Compacted
Soil
Layers |
These are
usually sub-surface layers which have a high bulk density that
restricts water infiltration
or root growth. Compaction can occur naturally in certain clay types or
as a result of continued deep cultivation at surface traffic of
vehicles. |
| Companion-cell |
A
small specialised cell associated with the sieve-tube elements of the
phloem of flowering plants (angiosperms). |
| Companion
Crop |
A crop sown
with
another crop
(perennial forage or trees or shrubs) that is allowed to mature and
provide a return in the first year. cf. nurse
crop. Organic Gardening: Two crops that when inter-planted
produce better than when grown separately |
| Company |
A body of
persons joined
together for the purpose of business or trade. Usually formed under a
state Companies Act. Most commonly, they are limited
liability
companies, shareholders being limited in their liability to the amount
of capital unpaid on their shares. The company has a separate legal
existence and may sue and be sued in its own name. Companies may be Proprietary or
Public. |
| Comparable
Sale |
An actual
land
sale used in an appraisal to help estimate the market value of a
similar piece of land. |
| Comparative
Analysis |
The
comparison
of the
performance level of a farm business to the performance level of other
similar farms in the same area, or to other established standards.
Generally based on aggregate measures of whole farm physical and
financial performance, such as yield, efficiency, gross margins and
farm profit. See Benchmarking. |
| Compatible |
Substances
are called compatible if they may be mixed together without adversely
affecting their useful properties. |
| Competition |
The
interaction
between
organisms as a result of the removal or reduction of a common, required
resource from the environment. Resources may include water, nutrients,
light oxygen, carbon dioxide, food and shelter. |
| Competitive
Enterprises |
Enterprises
for
which the output level of one can be increased only by decreasing the
output level of the other. |
| Complementary
Enterprises |
Enterprises
for
which increasing the output level of one also increases the output
level of the other. |
| Complementary
Pasture |
Short-term forage crop (not necessarily
annual) planted for use by domestic stock to enhance the management and
productivity of the farm. |
| Complex
System Methodology (CSM) |
A complex system has innumerable emergent properties,
hard or even impossible to define boundaries, and relations and
characteristics that are open to an infinite number of different
interpretations. |
| Components (of a farm system) |
Components of a farm system may be located on, above or
below the ground and may be plants, animals, micro-organisms, soil
components (biological, nutrients, moisture, air ), water supply,
machines, fences and sheds and other ‘capital’
items. Components may be classed as resources if they
contribute to system productivity. |
| Compound
Interest |
When the
interest on a loan is
not paid at the due date, the amount of the interest is added to the
principal, and thereafter interest accrues on the increased amount and
so on from time to time. It is termed "compound" interest because each
of the additions of interest bears interest upon interest. Also,
interest may accumulate on the capital, and is payable with the capital
at the end of a specified term. See Interest
Rate Formulae |
| Compounding |
The process
of
determining the
future value of an investment or loan, in which interest is charged on
the accumulated interest as well as the original capital. See Interest Rate Formulae |
| Concentrate |
The
concentrate, as used in agriculture, is the undiluted proprietary
formulation. |
| Concentrate
Feed |
Grains or
their
products and
other processed food materials that contain a high proportion of
nutrients and are low in fibre and water. |
| Concentrate
spraying |
See low
volume application. |
| Concentrated
animal feeding operations (CAFOs) |
Agricultural facilities that house and feed a large
number of animals in a confined area for 45 days or more during any
12-month period and where structures or animal traffic prevents
vegetative
growth. They differ from other Animal Feeding Operations only is size
of operation (USA EPA definition). Also termed Factory
Farming and industrial farming. |
| Conception
rate (CR) |
In cattle
the percentage
of cows which do not return to oestrus within 49 days of first
insemination (49 day non-return rate), or the percentage of cows
diagnosed pregnant of those that were mated by a bull. |
| Condition |
1.
A term used to describe the physical state of an animal, its level of
finish, muscle development, and fatness. Condition scoring is done
using a scale from emaciated to grossly fat.
2. Amount of non-wool constituents, such
as yolk, sand, or earth present in greasy wool. |
| Conditioner
(Hay) |
A farm
machine
that treats hay to cause more rapid and even drying. |
| Conductor |
A
body or substance which offers low resistance to electrical current. |
| Conformation |
The
shape of an animal or its carcass, e.g. short and thick (blocky) versus
long and leggy |
| Conservation |
The use and
management of
natural resources according to principles that assure their sustained
economic and/or social benefits without impairment of environmental
quality. Soil and water conservation means the development, use, and
management of soil, water and related resources in a way that will
restore, enhance, protect and maintain their quality and quantity for
the benefit of people and their environment now and into the future. |
| Conservation
Agriculture /
Farming |
The
achievement of sustainable and profitable agriculture through the
application of the three principles: minimal soil disturbance,
permanent soil cover and crop rotations. |
| Conservation
tillage |
Methods of soil tillage which leave a minimum of 30% of
crop residue on the soil surface or at least 1,100 kg/ha of small grain
residue on the surface during the critical soil erosion period. This
slows water movement, which reduces the amount of soil erosion; it also
warms the soil, enabling the next year’s crop to be planted
earlier in the spring. Conservation tillage systems also benefit
farmers by reducing fuel consumption and soil compaction. By reducing
the number of times the farmer travels over the field, farmers realise
significant savings in fuel and labor. Also termed Trash farming. See
also No-till, Strip-till, Mulch-till, Ridge-till |
| Consumed
on farm |
Livestock or
produce eaten or used by proprietors or other farm dwellers, rather
than being sold. Syn. household consumption. |
| Consumer
Organism |
Heterotrophic
organisms, chiefly animals which ingest other organisms or food
particles. They may be further classified as "primary consumers",
"secondary consumers", etc. depending upon their position in the food
chain. |
| Consumption |
Dietary
intake
based on (a) amounts of specific forages
and other feedstuffs, or (b) amounts of specific nutrients. |
| Contact
Herbicide |
A herbicide that kills
primarily by contact with plant tissue rather than as a result of translocation. |
| Contact
insecticide |
A
type of insecticide which kills when it comes into direct contact with
the insect. |
| Contamination |
Non-wool
objects
in wool bales including dirt, vegetable
matter, string, paper, metal objects and cigarette buts. |
| Contingency
Allowance |
An allowance
included in budgets to cover unexpected costs. |
| Continuous
Grazing |
The grazing
of a
specific unit
by livestock throughout a year or for that part of the year during
which grazing is feasible, The term is not necessarily synonymous with
year long grazing, since seasonal grazing may be involved. |
| Contour
Banks |
Earthen
banks
constructed level or with a slight slope to remove runoff water slowly
from erosion-prone slopes. |
| Contour
Furrow |
A ploughed
strip, commonly
20-45cm deep and wide, made parallel to the horizontal contour for the
purpose of water retention and reduction of soil erosion. |
| Contour
Line |
(a) An
imaginary
line on the
earth's surface connecting points of the same elevation. (b) A line
drawn on a map connecting points of the same elevation. |
| Contract |
A verbal or
written agreement between two parties. May be enforceable under law. |
| Contract
note |
When
purchasing
land - a
legally binding agreement. May be better to take an option
initially so that all details can be checked. |
| Contract
Work |
See Custom work |
| Contractile
Roots |
Are special
roots which exert a pull. They are distinguishable from normal roots by
their outer, wrinkled appearance. |
| Contributed
Capital |
Capital invested in a business by
its owner(s), other than earnings produced by and retained in that
business. |
| Control |
The process
of
monitoring the
progress of a farm business and taking corrective action when desired
performance levels are not being met. |
| Conventional tillage |
See
intensive tillage |
| Conversion
Factor |
A factor by
which stocking rates are partitioned according to the kind or class of
animal based on energy requirements. cf. animal-unit.,
DSE. |
| Conveyance,
Conveyancing |
A mode of
transfer of
property; the deed or instrument other than a will whereby an interest
in property is assured by one person to another. |
| Conventional
Agriculture |
Systems and
practices of
farming that are currently seen as usual or mainstream. In
southern Australia's dryland farming areas a mixed cropping and
livestock system using legume pastures lays and several cultivations
was viewed as conventional. More recently continuous cropping
and
reduced, minimum tillage or no-till
are becoming mainstream. |
| Coolamon |
See Gilgai |
| Cool-Season
Plant |
A plant
which
generally makes
the major portion of its growth during the late autumn, winter and
early spring. Cool-season species generally exhibit the C-3 photosynthetic pathway. cf. warm-season plant. |
| Co-operative |
A form of
business
organisation consisting of the union of a number of individuals (often
workers, farmers or small capitalists) where return on capital invested
is limited but profits are distributed according to use of the
organisation. A marketing cooperative, for instance, may pay bank
interest on capital invested and distribute profits on the basis of
produce sold through it. |
| Copiotrophic micro-organisms |
These grow in carbon-rich soils and their distribution
implies that abundant carbon favours their survival. cf oligotrophic
organisms |
| Coppice |
A recently
cleared area in which new growth has sprouted forth from the stumps of
woody plants. |
| Core
sample |
A
wool sample
that is representative of the lot. Cores are generally taken
mechanically from every bale in a lot for pre-sale testing. |
| Cork |
A
secondary plant tissue, non-living at maturity with walls fitted with a
waxy or fatty material resistant to water and air. |
| Corm |
A
short, thickened, underground stem, upright in position, in which
starch is accumulated, e.g. gladiolus, taro. |
| Corolla |
Collective
term for petals. |
| Coronet |
In
deer - a ring or burr around the base of the antlers. |
| Corporation |
A form of
business
organisation in which the owners have shares in a separate legal entity
that itself can own assets and borrow money. See Company |
| Cortex |
Botany:
Primary tissues of stem or root extending from the phloem to the epidermis.
Composed mainly of parenchyma
cells.
Wool: The main shaft of the fibre, lying within a layer of cuticular
scales and surrounding the medulla, if present, as in certain types of
"hairy" fibres. The cortex consists of long narrow cells. |
| Cost |
The negative
(adverse) effects. Costs may be monetary, social, physical, or
environmental in nature. See Expenses,
Fixed Costs,
Variable Costs |
| Cost
Benefit Ratio |
An economic
indicator of efficiency, computed by dividing benefits by costs.
Usually, both the benefits and the costs are discounted so that the
ratio reflects efficiency in terms of the present value of future
benefits and costs. |
| Cost
Price Squeeze |
An
individual farmers' terms
of trade is the ratio of prices received (for outputs like
wool and wheat) to
prices paid (for purchased inputs). Historically this has been
declining in developed economics, giving rise to the
so-called cost-price squeeze on agriculture. It means farmers
have to increase their productivity to remain viable. |
| Cost(s) |
The amount
pain
or required for acquiring, producing or maintaining something measured
in money, time or energy. See expenses. |
| Cott, Cotted |
Fleece
that has become matted during growth.
A very badly matted fleece is termed a hard cott and a lightly matted
fleece a soft cott. |
| Cotton gin |
A
machine that separates the seeds, seed hulls, and other small objects
from the fibres of cotton. |
| Cotyledon |
Botany A
leaf of
the embryo of
a seed plant, which upon germination either remains in the seed or
emerges, enlarges, and becomes green. Also called seed leaf. |
| Coulter |
Originally a sharp knife like blade in front the
ploughshare to cut the turf. More recently refers to a knife or disc
that makes the first cut in a tillage operation. |
| Coupling |
The
section on a horse between the point of the hip and the last
rib. The width of four fingers is short-coupled. |
| Count-out
pen |
Pen
adjacent to a shearing stand into which sheep are released after
shearing to be counted. |
| Covenant |
A promise to
do
(or not do) something, recorded on a deed
or title. |
| Cover |
The
proportion
of the ground surface under live aerial parts of plants or the combined
aerial parts of plants and mulch. |
| Cover Crop |
A crop used
to
cover the soil surface; to decrease erosion and leaching; shade the
ground and offer protection. |
| Cow |
In cattle, a
mature female of any age but usually over 30 months
old. |
| Cowshed |
Building
where cows are milked.
Many variations on basic types. · Chute
Where cows are
held in a straight line for milking at the side.
They all enter and leave the shed together (now obsolete). ·
Tandem
Cows stand in a straight line for milking at the side.
They can enter and leave each unit individually. · Walkthrough
Cows stand on
floor level or raised step and are milked from the side. Cows
leave each bail
through the front. · Internal race
Similar to walkthrough except that cows leave shed by an internal race.
· Angle-park
Cows stand on raised step at an angle to the milker, cups put on from
the side. Cows leave
each bail through the front. · Herringbone
Cows are milked
in two rows standing at an angle to the milker who is in a pit at udder
level. Cups put on
from the side. All
the cows enter and leave together. · Rotary
turnstile
Cows are milked on a rotating platform with the milker on the outside
and the cows facing the centre.
The cows step on to the platform and reverse off.
Cups are put on from behind. · Rotary
herringbone Similar to rotary
turnstile except the milker is in the centre and the cows face outward. |
| Cow Tail |
Course,
hairy, tippy wool,
usually from
stronger cross-bred types |
| (CAM)Crassulacean
acid metabolism |
A carbon
fixation pathway found in some photosynthetic
plants. CAM is usually found in plants living in arid conditions,
including cacti and pineapples (also known as CAM photosynthesis). |
| Crabbing (of implements) |
A term which describes undesired off-centre tracking of
a trailedn implement caused by contrasting soil textures at opposing
sides creating leverage resulting in crab like sideways movement. Also
caused by trailing implement across a slope. |
| Credit |
(a) Enter on
the right hand side of
an account in a double
entry
accounting system. (b) A positive balance shown on a bank statement
(recorded as a debit balance in the farm accounts). (c) Obtain goods or
services on a promise to pay later. |
| Credit Foncier
Loans |
Are those in
which a capital sum is
borrowed against equity in real
estate,
and is repaid in equal instalments. Each instalment includes interest
on the outstanding amount, and also part repayment of the principal.
The rate of interest is fixed. See amortisation,
Interest Rate Formulae |
| Creditor |
A current liability which
represents an amount owed by an entity to another entity or individual.
(Account Payable) |
| Creditors
Ledger |
A subsidiary
ledger to the General
Ledger
containing details of transactions and balances relating to each
individual or entity that a business owes money to. |
| Creek |
A small
stream or waterway. |
| Creep Feeding |
Supplemental
feeding of suckling
livestock
in such a manner that the feed is not available to the mothers or other
mature livestock. |
| Crib |
See Smoko |
| Crimp |
Natural
wave formation of wool.
In general the smaller the waves in a staple the finer the fibre. |
| Crimp
frequency |
The number
of crimps
per centimetre along the length of a staple
or fibre. |
| Crop |
1. A
cultivated population of
plants (usually of a single species) grown to be harvested and used.
2. In poultry, a pouch-like enlargement of
the digestive system at the base of the neck.
Serves as a receptacle for food. |
| Crop
defoliant |
A
chemical applied to a crop to induce or cause the plant to lose its
leaves. |
| Crop
desiccant |
A
chemical which destroys tissue and allows quick drying of leaves. |
| Crop
heat units (Corn heat units) |
A North American indexing system to assist farmers in
selecting suitable hybrids and varieties for their area. This indexing
system was originally developed for field corn. The crop heat unit
ratings are based on the total accumulated crop heat units (CHU) for
the frost-free growing season. See http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/93-119.htm |
| Crop
Residue |
The portion
of the crop plant that
remains after harvest. See Stubble. |
| Crop Rotation |
Series of
different crops planted
in an annual sequence or alternated with a perennial crop to combat
pests and to improve soil fertility. |
| Crop
Sanitation |
Cultivation
crop sanitation
includes the management of diseases, pests and weeds. |
| Crop Share
Lease |
A lease
agreement in which crop
production and certain input costs are divided between the operator and
the land owner. See Sharefarming |
| Crop topping |
The
application of a grass specific weedicide soon
after the anthesis of grass weeds infesting grain legume crops. |
| Cropland |
Land used
primarily for the
production of cultivated crops and open land recently in such use. |
| Crossbred |
The result
of
crossing two breeds,
lines or strains.
F1 The first filial (daughter) generation or first
cross.
F2 x F3, etc. Subsequent filial generations or
crosses after the F1 or first cross.
2-way cross Crossbred made up from crossing two
basic breeds.
3-way cross Crossbred from crossing three basic
breeds.
Criss-cross Crossbred produced after a period of
using each of the two parent breeds alternately.
Back-cross A cross between a crossbred and either
of its parent breeds.
Rotational cross Crossbred produced after a period
of
crossing with a series of breeds used in a set rotation. |
| Cross-Breeding |
Mating of
individuals which are not
related; generates heterosis
or hybrid vigour. |
| Cross-drains |
Earth banks
and channels
constructed to intercept shallow flow of soil water. c.f. contour furrow. |
| Crossdisciplinarity |
The act of crossing disciplinary boundaries to explain
one subject in the terms of another, foreign subject or method.
See multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary. |
| Cross
fertilise, Cross fertilisation (fertilization) |
The
fertilization of an organism by
the
fusion of an egg from one individual with a sperm or male gamete from a
different individual. |
| Cross-pollination |
The
transfer of pollen from the anther of one plant to the stigma of a
flower of another plant. |
| Crowbar |
Steel
bar for making holes in ground, sharpened at one end.
Also used as a general purpose lever. |
| Crucifers |
Members of
the plant family Cruciferae,
whose typical flower has four petals in the shape of a cross. |
| Crush |
A small pen
in which animals
can be held
tightly or a portion at the end of a race to restrain animals. |
| Crust |
A surface
layer of soils, ranging
in
thickness from a few millimetres to a few centimetres, that is more
compact and hard when dry than the soil beneath it. |
| Crusted |
A soil
surface which has a layer of
slaked clay or clay loam and where penetration by water or by germinating plants is
restricted. |
| Crutching |
Cutting the
wool from around the
anus of a sheep to minimise blowfly
strike and contaminated wool. .
• Ring crutch - removal of minimal area of wool from around
vulva
and anus. • Full crutch - removal of wool from around udder,
back
and inside of legs and up over tail.
May
include half the belly wool. • Belly crutch - removal of wool
from
the brisket, full belly, inside legs, udder, vulva and over tail.
Removal of wool from the head (eye wigging) may be done at same time. |
| Crutchings |
Wool
removed from the posterior of sheep at crutching.
Normally coarser, and in the case of crossbred wool, more medullated
than the remainder of the fleece. |
| Cryptorchids |
Male lambs
whose testicles have
been
pushed from the scrotum back into the body cavity and prevented from
descending again by placing a rubber ring around the scrotum, this
process prevents the lambs from developing secondary sex
characteristics until much later than usual without the check in growth
that castration
causes. See Rig
Also used for other animals e.g. horses |
| Cull
(Culling) |
To reject an
animal from a breeding
and/or production herd or flock, on the basis of inferior performance. |
| Culm |
the stalk or
stem of corn or
grasses. |
| Cultivar |
Term derived
from cultivated
variety. (a) A named variety selected within a plant species.
Distinguished by any morphological,
physiological, cytological
or chemical characteristics. (b) A variety of plant produced and
maintained by cultivation which is genetically retained through
subsequent generations. |
| Cultivation |
The
mechanical preparation of the
soil with tractors and implements, usually prior to sowing a crop or a
pasture. |
| Cultural sustainability |
Developing, renewing and maintaining human cultures
that create positive, enduring relationships with other peoples and the
natural world. |
| Cumec |
Unit of flow
equal to 1 cubic meter
per second. |
| Cumulative
Distribution Function (CDF) |
A graph of
all the possible
outcomes for a
certain event, and the probability that each outcome, or one with a
lower value, will occur. |
| Cup
remover |
A
device to automatically remove the teat cups from the cow when milking
is completed. |
| Curds |
The
part of milk that coagulates when the milk sours or is treated with
enzymes. Curd is used to make cheese. |
| Cure |
Meat
preservation usually through the use of salt plus nitrite to prevent
botulism - may be followed by smoking. |
| Current
(Electrical) |
In an
electric fence it is current and the
duration and rate of its flow
which causes a shock.
Increasing voltage increases current.
Current decreases as resistance increases. |
| Current
Assets |
Cash or assets
that will or could be converted into cash within a twelve month period. |
| Current
Liability |
An
obligation which may be
discharged by the transfer of cash or assets or by the provision of
services within one year. |
| Current
Ratio |
The ratio of
current assets to
current liabilities;
a
measure of liquidity. |
| Custom
Farming |
An
arrangement in which the land
owner
pays the operator a fixed cash amount to perform all the labour and
machinery operations needed to produce and harvest a crop. |
| Custom
Work |
An
arrangement in which an operator
performs one or more machinery operations for someone else for a fixed
charge. Syn. Contract work |
| Customers |
Individuals
or firms who purchase a product who may or may not be the final
consumer. |
| Cut
out, cut-out |
1.
Shearing term for the end of a mob or a shed
2. A term often applied to the proportion of saleable product obtained
from a carcass excluding fat and other trim, and bone where this is
normally removed as for beef. |
| Cuticle |
1. Outer
non-cellular layer
covering plants. In higher plants it forms a continuous layer over
aerial parts broken only by stomata
and lenticels.
2. The layer of flattened cells (scales) which protects the surface of
a wool fibre. |
| Cutter |
Reciprocating
unit of shearing handpiece which cuts the wool against the stationary
comb. |
| Cycling |
See oestrus. |
| Cyst |
An
abnormally developed, closed sac
consisting of a living organism, a foreign body or a fluid formed to
protect the plant or animal in which the sac grows. |
| Cytochrome |
A class of
several
electron-transport proteins that serve as carriers in mitochondrial
oxidation
and in photosynthetic
electron transport. |
| Cytology |
The study of
plant and animal cells. |
| Cytokinins |
A group of
plant hormones important
in
protein metabolism, cell division, organ initiation and the delaying of
senescence (aging). |
| Cytoplasm |
All the
protoplasm of a cell
excluding the nucleus. |
