| Ear
Mark |
A
registered mark cut into the ear of an animal to show ownership. |
| Ear
Marking |
The
process of removing parts of the ears of livestock so as to leave a
distinctive pattern for the purpose of designating ownership and
identification. |
| Ear Tattoo |
Identification
of animals, usually pigs, dairy and stud beef cattle, by means of a
tattooed number in the ear. |
| Early shorn wool |
Fleece
wool which is usually 7-10 months growth and lightly hanging together
as a fleece. |
| Eartag |
A
plastic or metal tag applied to animals for identification, usually for
breeding records. |
| Easement |
A
right, recorded on a title,
which allows a person or body other than the owner some use of the
property (without possessing it or taking from it) eg. A right of way. |
| EBV |
Estimated
Breeding Value. An estimate of an animal's value as a parent
for a particular production trait such as growth rate. |
| EC |
Electrical
Conductivity. EC is a measure of soil salinity. It measures
the concentration of soluble salts in the soil solution, which plant
roots absorb. EC (L5) is the EC measured in a 1:5 soil to water
suspension and expressed in units of decisiemens per metre (ds/m). It
may also be used for estimating variation in some of the soil physical
properties (e.g. soil structure) in a field where soil salinity is not
a problem. |
| Ecology |
The
study of the interrelationships of organisms with their environment. |
| Economic
Efficiency |
1.
The ratio of the value of output per physical unit of input or per unit
cost of the input.
2. Percentage return on all the capital invested in a business
3. Productive efficiency: Relates output value to cost and attempts to
minimise costs for a given level of output or maximise output for a
given level of costs.
4. Allocative Efficiency relates to how scarce resources are allocated
among goods and services produced by an economy. What is
desired
is a situation where it is not possible to change the allocation for
resources without making someone worse off. This is called
the
Pareto criterion of efficiency. |
| Economic Growth |
An
increase in the goods and services available per head of population. |
| Economic Performance |
Income
and profitability are monitored by calculating net profit, return on capital,
proprietor equity and
net profit per hectare. |
| Economic Sustainability |
The
principle that in order to stay in business there must be return on capital
invested. |
| Economics Of Size, Economies of size |
A
production relation in which average total cost per unit of output
decreases as output increases. One reason farms have been
growing in size is to make more economical use of machines capable of
covering more ground with less labour. Farmers may form
buying groups to obtain discounts for large volume purchases of inputs. |
| Ecoregion |
An ecologically and geographically defined area.
Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain
characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural
communities and species. The biodiversity of flora, fauna and
ecosystems that characterise an ecoregion tends to be distinct from
that of other ecoregions. Syn Bioregion |
| Ecosystem |
Organisms
together with their abiotic environment, forming an interacting system,
inhabiting an identifiable space. |
| Ecosystem
services |
Natural ecosystems provide a number of benefits known
as ecosystem services. These include products like clean drinking water
and processes such as the decomposition of wastes. |
| Ecotype |
In
a species, the
smallest
taxonomic subdivision. Individuals in an ecotype are highly
evolved to suit their environment. For example, in climatically severe
areas, some trees, like the Pacific madrone, grow as a bushy ecotype. |
| Ectoparasite |
A
parasite, such as a flea, that lives on the exterior of another
organism. |
| Edaphic |
Relating
to soils |
| Effective
Interest |
The
cost of borrowed money is often greater than the quoted rate of
interest due to additional fees and statutory charges. An effective
rate of interest takes these into account and expresses the full cost
of the borrowing as a simple interest rate. |
| Effective Rainfall |
That
portion of total precipitation
that becomes available for plant growth. It does not include
precipitation lost to deep percolation
below the root zone or to surface runoff or to evaporation or which
falls during the dormant season unless stored in soil for later use
during the growing season. |
| Effeminate |
A
wool that is thin and lacking in bulk or substance |
| Efficiency |
A
ratio showing the number of units of production generated per unit of
resource (Technical Efficiency). See Economic Efficiency. |
| Egg Grader |
A
machine used for grading eggs. Eggs pass over a weighing
device which sorts them into different grades. |
| El Niño |
The name given to warming of
coastal waters off Peru around Christmas. When this warming is
exceptionally strong (once every 5 years) it creates an El
Niño episode, and is measured as negative values of
the Southern
Oscillation Index. This negative ENSO connection is
associated with periods of drought over eastern Australia, Indonesia
and parts of India and southern Africa, but with excess rainfall over
western America.. See La
Niña |
| Elasticity |
1.
In economics, a measure of the responsiveness of the quantity demanded
or supplied to changes in prices. Elasticity measures the degree to
which price is effective in calling forth or holding back quantity.
2. The power of wool fibres to return to their original form after
being stretched or compressed. |
| Electrical
Conductivity |
See EC |
| Electrolysis |
Corrosion
which occurs when different metals are connected in a wet environment
such as with electrical connections on a fence line. |
| Electrolyte |
A
chemical compound which when dissolved in water will carry an
electrical current. |
| Electro Magnetic (EM) Induction |
EM surveys use an instrument called an electromagnetic
induction meter that induces an electromagnetic signal into the ground
(without making contact) and measures how well it is conducted by the
soil. The alternative contact electrode method involves devices
that direct electrical current into the soil through insulated metal
electrodes that penetrate the soil surface |
| Elements (of a system) |
The combination of system components and external
influences.
Elements may be used to characterise or define a farm system, to
pin-point essential features of management and to enable comparison
with other systems. |
| Embryo |
The
early stage of development of a mammal (in the uterus), or a bird (in the
shell). |
| Embryo
transfer (ET) |
Where
an egg (ovum) which has been fertilised inside a dam (its donor) is
then extracted from that animal and transferred to another dam (a
recipient) where it grows to full term and is born. The
recipient may suckle and rear the implanted offspring. Also
called OT (ovum
transfer). |
| Emergency Feeding |
Supplying
feed to livestock when available forage is insufficient because of
heavy storms, fires or other such emergencies. cf. maintenance feeding, supplemental feeding. |
| Emergence
(in relation to systems) |
The way complex systems and patterns arise out of a
multiplicity of relatively simple interactions. The concept is central
to the theory of complex systems and yet is very controversial. |
| Emergent Properties |
Are
those that are inherent in a system and which are summed up in the
phrase the "whole is greater than the sum of the parts". See
also Emergence. |
| Emergy |
The available energy of one form (usually solar) used
up directly and indirectly to make a product or a service. H.T. Odum
developed the idea of evaluating Emergy as a common denominator for
energy flows of different kinds, focused on the need to evaluate the
quality as well as the quantity of energy flows. Emergy is measured in
solar equivalent joules, abbreviated seJ. |
| Emetic |
A
substance that causes vomiting. |
| Empirical |
Relying
on or derived from observation or experiment. |
| Empty |
An
animal that is not pregnant. |
| Emulsifiable Concentrate |
A
liquid formulation that mixes with water to form an emulsion but does
not dissolve to form a solution. |
| Emulsifiers |
Surface
active agents used to facilitate or increase the dispersion of one
liquid in another when one is not miscible in the other. |
| Emulsion |
Mixture
of one liquid suspended as minute globules in another. |
| Enation |
Botany:
An outgrowth on the surface of an organ |
| Enclosure |
An
area fenced to confine animals. |
| Encumbrance |
An
indication that there is a charge over the land for payment of money,
eg. A mortgage. |
| End Assembly |
A
fence structure, usually at an opening or gate, from which the fence
travels in one direction. Consists of a strainer and stay or
a box assembly |
| End Of Period |
The
end of the accounting period,
usually the accounting year, at which time the accounts are closed for
the period. |
| Endemic |
Native
to or restricted to a particular area, region or country. |
| Endocarp |
The
inner woody or stony part of the wall of a fruit as in a drupe or pome. |
| Endodermis |
A
single layer of cells at the inner edge of the cortex of the root. |
| Endophyte |
An organism, often a bacterium or fungus, which lives
within a plant for at least part of its life without causing apparent
disease. |
| Energy Budget |
The
balance of energy input and utilisation within an organism, community,
or system. |
| Energetics |
The scientific study of energy flows and storages under
transformation. |
| Ensilage |
See silage |
| Enterprise |
An
identifiable production unit of sufficient size and importance to be
accounted for separately, such as wheat, dairy, or lettuce. A farm's
production plan will often consist of several enterprises. |
| Enterprise Analysis |
An
analysis of one individual enterprise, in which a portion of the whole
- farm income and expenses are allocated to each enterprise. |
| Enterprise Budget |
A
projection of all the costs and returns for a single enterprise. |
| Enterprise Contribution |
The
net result of an Enterprise
Budget. May be a gross
margin with or without some allocated overhead costs. |
| Enterprise Performance |
For
each farm enterprise, outputs and inputs are measured to monitor the
efficiency of resource use, such as land, labour, machinery, feed,
breeding etc. |
| Entire |
A
male animal that has not been castrated.
Capable of breeding. |
| Entity |
A
unit of economic activity about which financial information is required. |
| Entomology |
The
study of insects and their control. |
| Environment |
(a).
The sum of all external conditions that affect an organism or community
to influence its development or existence.
(b) Everything that lies
outside the boundary of a system cf. boundary.
A farm system may have physical, technological, social,
political/institutional and economic aspects to its environment. |
| Environmental Audit |
A
thorough inspection of a tract of land to determine whether any
environmental hazards exist. |
| Environmental load |
Disturbance in ecological systems caused by humans,
resulting in deviations from normal behaviour. |
| Environmental
Management System |
A
systematic approach that can be used by any enterprise or organisation
to identify and manage its impacts on the environment. It is
a management tool that helps to achieve continuous improvement through
a “plan, do, check, act” cycle that can include
best management practices and codes of practice. An EMS can be
externally audited and may be certified to the international standard,
ISO 14001. |
| Enzyme |
Any
of numerous proteins or conjugated proteins produced by living
organisms and functioning as biochemical catalysts. |
| Ephemeral
Fever |
Or
Three day sickness. A bovine virus spread by insects during the humid
summer months of the year. Usually lasting only three days, the disease
is most common on the east coast of Australia. |
| Epidermis |
1.
Plants: The outermost layer of cells of the leaf, young stems, and
roots.
2. Animals: The outer non-vascular layer of the skin, consisting of a
horny layer or cuticle, an intermediate layer of active cells, and a
foundation layer from which hair roots generally start their
development. |
| Epiphyte |
A
plant that grows upon another plant but is not parasitic upon it. |
| Equal Marginal Principle |
The
principle that a limited resource should be allocated among competing
uses in such a way that the marginal value products from the last unit
in each use are equal. |
| Equilibrium |
A
state in which the rates of processes taking place within a system are
constant. When a system is disturbed (e.g. by a change in the level of
inputs) there will be a period of adjustment until a new equilibrium is
established. |
| Equitable charge |
An
agreement whereby defined property is specifically made responsible for
the discharge of an obligation without any transfer of title or
possession to the person loaning the money. |
| Equitable Lien |
This
exists where the person entitled to the lien has not possession but has
the right to have the property of another applied to discharge certain
liabilities, eg. A partner in a dissolution of partnership has an
equitable lien to have partnership assets applied to partnership debts. |
| Equity,
Equity percentage |
The
residual figure when the total external liabilities
have been subtracted from the total assets,
ie. Equity represents the internal liability of the business to its
proprietors. Also termed owners' equity, net assets, or net worth.
Equity may be expressed as a percentage and refers to the percentage of
a business that is owned by the proprietor. |
| Equity (system) |
All stakeholders of a system are treated equally and
justly.
The evenness of distribution, both spatially and temporally, of the
benefits and costs from the productivity of the system. |
| Equity/Asset Ratio |
The
ratio of owner's equity to total assets;
a measure of solvency. |
| Eradicant |
A
material which will eradicate a pest or the causal agent of a disease
from a crop or the environment and not merely act as a preventive or
protectant. Eradicant fungicide A fungicide which
can eliminate a fungus from on or within plant tissue after infection
has occurred. |
| Erodibility |
Relative
extent to which a soil type degrades as a result of surface water flow. |
| Erodible Soil Fraction |
Those
size classes of particles which are most susceptible to removal by wind. |
| Ergosterol |
A biological precursor to Vitamin D2. It is a component
of fungal cell membranes. The presence of ergosterol in fungal cell
membranes coupled with its absence in animal cell membranes makes it a
useful target for antifungal drugs |
| Erosion |
(a)
Detachment and movement of soil or rock fragments by water, wind, ice
or gravity. (b) The land surface worn away by running water, wind, ice,
or other geological agents, including such processes as gravitational
creep. |
| Erosivity |
The
capacity of rainfall intensity (mm/hr) to erode soil. |
| Essential Element |
A
chemical element which is necessary for the life of an organism. |
| Estate Planning |
Planning
dispersal of the property and/or assets once a decision is made to
retire, or outlining dispersal of the property and/or assets in a will.
Syn.Sucession
Planning |
| Ester |
The
name applied to the type of chemical (salts or organic acids and
alcohols) which is formed when acids such as the hormone weedkiller
acids are made to react with alcohols. |
| Estimated Breeding Value |
Estimates
of the breeding value of an animal as determined by differences in
particular characteristics from a population average. |
| Estimation Error |
a.
An error subsequently detected in the estimation of a sum or value. b.
The difference between the estimated value of an item prior to its
realisation and the actual cash value after its realisation, or after a
more recent estimate. |
| ET |
Embryo
transfer. Animals bred by taking a fertilised embryo and placing it in
another cow's uterus. |
| Ethology |
The
scientific study of animal behaviour, especially as it occurs in a
natural environment. |
| Ethos |
Philosophical
value or stance. |
| Etiolation |
Term
given to tall spindly plants which have been grown in the dark or in
light of very low intensity. |
| Eutrophication |
The process by which a body of water becomes rich in
dissolved nutrients from fertilizers or sewage, thereby encouraging the
growth and decomposition of oxygen-depleting plant life and resulting
in harm to other organisms. |
| Evapotranspiration |
The
actual total loss of water by evaporation from soil, water bodies, and transpiration from vegetation, over
a given area with time. |
| Evapo-transpiration Ratio |
kg water used/kg dry matter produced |
| Evenness |
Uniformity
of a fleece, principally in terms of quality, number and length. |
| Ewe |
Female
sheep. See Meat Terminology |
| Exchange (Marketing) |
An
institution that provides trading and technical facilities for the
operation of share or futures markets. The main functions of
the exchange are to enforce contracts, register transactions, act as a
clearing house and enable centralised trading of instruments by open
auction. |
| Exchange
Rates |
There
are basically two ways the exchange rate of a country's currency with
other currencies is determined (a) A fixed rate - a reduction in this
is called a Devaluation and an increase a Revaluation. (b) A 'floating'
rate, determined by market forces. A fall under this system is termed a
depreciation and a rise an appreciation. |
| Exchangeable Cations |
Positively
charged atoms or groups of atoms held to a surface (such as clay and
humus) which is negatively charged. They can be exchanged with other
cations in the soil solution. |
| Exchangeable Phosphate |
The
phosphate anion
reversibility attached to the surface of the solid phase of the soil in
such a form that it may go into solution by anionic equilibrium
reactions with isotopes
of phosphorus or with other anions of-the liquid phase without solution
of the colloid
phase to which it was attached. |
| Exchangeable Sodium Percentage |
The
percentage of the cation-exchange
capacity of a soil occupied by sodium. It is expressed as
follows: Exchangeable sodium (meq./1 00g soil) ESPX 100 Cation-exchange
capacity (meq.11 00g soil) cf. cation
exchange |
| Exclosure |
An
area fenced to exclude animals. |
| Excretion |
The
process of eliminating waste material from the body. |
| Exergy (available energy) |
The energy with the potential to perform work and which
is degraded in the process. See Emergy |
| Exocarp |
Skin
of fruits. |
| Exotic |
An
organism or species which is not native to the region in which it is
found. |
| Expected Utility Theory |
In economics, game theory, and decision theory the
expected utility theorem or expected utility hypothesis predicts that
the "betting preferences" of people with regard to uncertain outcomes
(gambles) can be described by a mathematical relation which takes into
account the size of a payout (whether in money or other goods), the
probability of occurrence, risk aversion, and the different utility of
the same payout to people with different assets or personal
preferences. It is a more sophisticated theory than simply predicting
that choices will be made based on expected value (which takes into
account only the size of the payout and the probability of occurrence). |
| Expected
Value |
The
weighted average outcome from an uncertain event, based on its possible
outcomes and their respective probabilities. |
| Expenses |
Costs
incurred by a business with a view to making a profit. They may be cash
payments or non cash costs such as depreciation
or reduction in inventories. |
| Expert |
Shearing:
the person who grinds the shearing gear, and keeps the handpieces and
plant in order. Often a retired shearer. |
| Expert Systems |
As
the name suggests, attempt to mimic the thinking processes used by a
human expert in a topic. |
| Extensive Agriculture |
System
of crop cultivation using small amounts of labour and capital in
relation to area of land being farmed. The crop yield in extensive
agriculture depends primarily on the natural fertility of the soil,
terrain, climate, and the availability of water. |
| External |
An
institution or individual outside the entity. |
| External Factors or influences (on a system) |
Things that act on the system from outside the defined
boundaries of the system. Generally there is no perceptible
feedback on them from the system. For a farm system they
would
include climatic factors such as solar radiation, rainfall and
temperature, but could also include factors such as market conditions,
legal frameworks, government policies, institutional structures and
other social influences, education, availability of various types of
technology (as information, training, equipment etc), availability of
finance, and the appearance of new pests, diseases and weeds.
Deliberately-introduced things from outside the system are termed
inputs. |
| Externality, Externalities |
In economics, an externality is a cost or benefit
resulting
from an economic transaction that is borne or received by parties not
directly involved in the transaction. The concept an be expanded to
cover positive or negative effects on third parties of an action of an
individual. |
| Extra Cost |
See Marginal
Cost |
| Extra Product |
See. Marginal Product |
| Extension (Agricultural) |
Agricultural
Extension has traditionally been seen as the educational "bridge"
between research and the farmer. Sometimes confused with
'Advisory' services (one way communication). More recently
the term had fallen into disuse in preference to such programs as
'farmer participatory research'. |
| Eye |
Trait
of a dog to stare at a sheep; deep concentration on the movements of
the sheep. "Stong-eye" or "plain-eye" dogs |
| Eye clips |
Trade
term for wool removed from the side of the face at crutching which
though soft often contains a high proportion of kemp. |
| Eye-dog |
Same
as a heading dog. One that shows "eye". |
| Eye muscle (m. longissimus dorsi) |
Two
muscles each running the length of the back on each side of the spinal
column. The eye muscle is the main piece of red meat seen in
a lamb chop and makes up the important Porterhouse, T-bone and sirloin
steaks in beef as well as being an important component of rib roasts. |
