| F1 & F2 |
When animals or
plants of two different breeds or lines are mated/crossed, the first
generation of progeny,
or first cross, is the F1 generation. If the F1 generation males and
females are mated their progeny will be the F2 generation.
See crossbred |
| Faba beans |
Vicia
faba, also called broad bean, fava bean, horse
bean, field bean, tic bean is a species of bean (Fabaceae) native to
north Africa and southwest Asia, and extensively cultivated elsewhere. |
| Faeces |
Waste material
voided through the anus. |
| Fadge |
Package
of wool in a wool pack weighing less than 100 kg. |
| Fallow |
A farming system
in which land is left without a crop or weed growth (by ploughing or
chemical spray) for extended periods to accumulate soil moisture. |
| Fallow Efficiency |
The proportion
of water entering fallow
soil that is eventually captured by the following crop. Values vary
with climate and soil conditions, including texture, depth and surface
cover. |
| Fallowing |
The practice of
maintaining land free of plant growth. This can be achieved by
cultivation or by herbicides. |
| Fancy
meats |
Edible offal |
| Far side |
Right side of a
horse Syn. off-side |
| Farm Financial
Standards Council (FFSC) |
A committee of
agricultural financial experts that developed a set of guidelines for
uniform financial reporting and analysis of farm businesses in the USA. |
| Farm |
A piece of owned
or rented land used for the production of crops and/or livestock. |
| Farm Gate Value |
The net price
expected or received after a sale and after marketing costs have been
deducted. Also termed net market price, net selling price |
| Farm
Management |
The process of
making decisions about the allocation of scarce resources in
agricultural production for the purpose of meeting certain management
goals. See also What is
Farm Management |
| Farm
Management Deposit (FMD) |
A scheme by the
Australian Government designed to reduce fluctuations in primary
producers' incomes. Income can be deposited during prosperous years and
withdrawn during less prosperous years. Farm management deposits (FMDs)
are deductible in the year in which they are made. If you withdraw FMDs
for which you have previously claimed a tax deduction, the withdrawals
are treated as assessable income in the year in which they are made. |
| Farm
Problem |
Lower net
incomes being earned in agriculture than elsewhere in the economy. |
| Farm System |
The particular
way an individual farm is organised and operated. See Farming System |
| Farm Viability |
A farm may be
considered viable if the net cash flow has: a) met cash operating
expense and tax; and b) allowed the owner to service debt; and c)
provided cash for farm investment - usually for development. |
| Farm
Water Use Efficiency |
Average kg product/ha/mm rain for a farm |
| Farm-Gate Prices |
Prices received
for produce before the value added processes are taken into account. |
| Farming by Soil
Type |
A procedure
which recognises the different inherent capacity of different soils to
withstand tillage, trampling etc. |
| Farming
System |
A particular
design of agricultural system which is well defined and distinguishable
from others. See Farm System |
| Farming Systems
Analysis |
The study of how
various agricultural enterprises and activities interact with each
other. |
| Farming Systems
Research |
(FSR)
methodology is a scheme for thinking about farming systems, their
problems, and their improvement, and for aiding the setting of research
priorities. |
| Farrow,
Farrowing |
Process
of giving birth to a litter of piglets. Thus farrowing pen, farrowing
house, farrowing crate are places where a sow farrows. |
| Farrowing
index |
Average
number of litters a sow has in a year. |
| Fat |
An animal in
prime condition. Fats are finished and ready for slaughter. 'Prime' in now the
preferred term. |
| Fat Lambs |
See Prime lambs. |
| Fat Score |
Refers to the
degree of leanness or fatness in an animal according to a prescribed set of criteria.
Generally determined by fat cover on the rump of animals. |
| Fauna |
(a) The animal
life of a region. (b) A listing of animal species of a region. |
| Fawn |
Juvenile
fallow deer, but also applied to other breeds. |
| Feasibility
Analysis |
An analysis of
the cash inflows generated by an investment compared to the cash
outflows required. |
| Fecundity |
Ability for
regular reproduction in an animal (a measure of fertility). |
| Fee Simple |
The fullest
interest a person can have in land amounting for all practical purposes
to the ownership of the land itself. |
| Feed |
(a) Any
non-injurious, edible material having nutritive value when ingested.
(b) The act of providing feed to animals. |
| Feed
Budgeting |
A technique for
closely matching pasture feed supply and grazing animal demand. |
| Feed Conversion Efficiency
(FCE) |
The
amount of the feed needed to produce a given amount of product, e.g.,
kg feed/kg weight gain; kg feed/litre milk; kg feed/dozen eggs. |
| Feed Conversion
Ratio |
Ratio of feed
consumed to weight gained. |
| Feed Reserve |
Feed stored for
future use. cf. forage
reserve. |
| Feed
utilisation |
With
pasture feeding it is the proportion of the total feed on offer
(usually expressed in DM terms) which is consumed by the animal at each
grazing. However, it
may be expressed on an annual basis, i.e., the proportion of total
annual DM which is utilised. |
| Feedback |
1. Information
about the performance of a system which can influence its operation
either directly or as a result of decisions based on this
information.
2. Negative feedback is a return input which reduces the quantity or
quality of outputs, and positive feedback is returned input which
increases subsequent outputs. |
| Feedback Loop |
The pathway by
which a portion of the output of a system or process returns to become
a part of its inputs. |
| Feeder
Livestock |
Young livestock
that are purchased for the purpose of being fed until they reach
slaughter weight. |
| Feedlot |
Confined area where feed is brought to animals. |
| Fellmongering |
A
process of removal of wool from the pelt
by bacterial action (sweating) or by treatment with chemicals. |
| Fellmongering
skin |
Woolly
lamb/sheepskin which will be processed into leather after all the wool
has been removed. |
| Fellmongery |
Factory
or department in abattoir or freezing works where wool is removed from
lamb/sheep skins. |
| Felting |
The property
possessed by wool and some other animal fibres of closely entangling
and interlocking to form a compact mass. |
| Fence |
Most states of
Australia have acts of parliament that cover fences. The NSW
Dividing Fences Act defines a fence as a structure, ditch, embankment
or hedge including any gate, cattlegrid or natural or artificial
watercourse separating the land of adjoining owners. |
| Fence
line |
The
actual position of the fence. |
| Feral |
Escaped from
cultivation or domestication and existing in the wild. cf. acclimatised species. |
| Fermentation |
A
respiratory process in which glucose is converted into alcohol, or
lactic acid in the absence of oxygen. |
| Fertilisation |
When a sperm
cell and egg cell combine to form an embryo - the beginning of a new
animal - fertilisation has occurred. |
| Fertiliser |
An organic or
inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to soil
to supply elements essential to the growth of plants. |
| Fertility |
(a) A measure of the ability of the
female to conceive and produce offspring, or of the male to fertilise
the female.
(b) A way of describing a soil's ability to produce pastures or crops. |
| Fertility Erosion |
Removal of
soluble or very fine material by water or wind causing lower fertility
without soil loss. |
| Fibre |
Single
strand of wool. |
| Fibre Diameter |
The diameter of
a wool fibre when used as a measure of fineness and hence value. |
| Fibrous
Root System |
A plant root
system having a large number of small, finely divided, widely spreading
roots, but no large taproots. Typified by grass root system. cf. taproot system. |
| Field
Capacity |
The amount of
water held in the soil after the excess gravitational water has drained
away and after the downward movement of water has materially decreased.
cf. permanent
wilting point. |
| Field Efficiency |
The actual
accomplishment rate for a field implement as a percent of the
theoretical accomplishment rate if no time were lost due to
overlapping, turning, and adjusting the machine. |
| Fill |
The
contents of the intestinal tract of an animal, in ruminants this can be
up to 20% of total live weight. |
| Filler
flat |
Tray
made of moulded paper or plastic for transporting eggs. |
| Filly |
A young female
horse up to four years old. |
| Finance Budget |
A cash flow budget
in nominal dollars.
Identifies borrowings that are needed and interest
and principal
repayments on loans |
| Financial
Analysis |
Concentrates on
the capital position
of
the business including solvency,
liquidity and net worth. |
| Financial Costs |
Interest,
repayments and
loan establishment fees paid on borrowed money. |
| Financing |
The acquisition
of funds to meet the cash flow requirements of an investment or
production activity. |
| Fineness |
The diameter of
the individual wool fibre. |
| Fingerling |
A young or small
fish, especially a young salmon or trout. |
| Finished |
An animal with
the correct proportions of bone, muscle and fat. |
| Firebreak |
A natural or
man-made barrier used to prevent or retard the spread of fire, that is
in existence or made before a fire occurs. It is usually created by the
removal of vegetation. A firebreak may be constructed along property
boundaries or along paddock fence lines. |
| First-Calf Heifer |
A heifer
after having borne its
first calf, but before it has had a second calf, which is when it
becomes a cow. |
| First-Order
Catchment |
Drainage systems
are characterised by a definite mathematical ratio between the
tributaries and the size and gradient of the stream and valley.
First-order streams are major catchments in this classification. |
| Fiscal
Year |
An annual
accounting period that does not correspond to the calendar year. |
| Fixation of
Nitrogen |
See Nitrogen Fixation |
| Fixed
Assets |
Assets that are
expected to have a long or indefinite productive life. In accounting
generally anything with an expected useful life of greater than one
year. (c/f Current
Assets). |
| Fixed Capital |
Land, buildings
and other improvements. |
| Fixed
Costs |
Also called 'Overhead Costs',
are
those which will not change with a relatively small change in the size
of an enterprise though they may change in magnitude over time.
Examples are permanent staff wages, interest, insurance and rates.
Compare with variable
costs. They are unavoidable costs in the short to
medium term. |
| Fixed Expense |
See Fixed
cost. |
| Fixed
foot |
Fencing:
Where the foot itself is
secured to the post before it is put in the hole. |
| Fixed Improvement |
A building,
other structure or item which is fixed to the land and which is
intended to improve its earning potential. |
| Flammable |
A
material which may be ignited by sparks, flames or the application of
heat. |
| Flank
painting |
Painting
the side (flank) of a cow, e.g. with anti-bloating substance that the
cow licks off itself. |
| Flannel
back |
Cotted
second shear fleece wool. |
| Flat |
An area of level ground, usually
near a river. |
| Flat
Interest |
Interest
throughout the length of the loan is calculated on the initial sum
borrowed. The approximate equivalent effective simple interest rate can
be found from the formula 2ft=(t+1) where f - the flat interest rate
and t - the number of equal repayments made at equal intervals over the
loan period. |
| Flat worm |
Any of various
parasitic and nonparasitic worms of the phylum Platyhelminthes, such as
a tapeworm or a planarian, characteristically having a soft, flat,
bilaterally symmetrical body and no body cavity. Also called
platyhelminth. |
| Flax |
Any of various
plants of the genus Linum or of similar or related
genera. In particular the plant Linum usitatissimum,
having pale blue flowers, seeds that yield linseed oil, and slender
stems from which a textile fibre is obtained. |
| Fleece |
Body
wool shorn from a sheep. |
| Fleece Rot |
Disorder caused
by microbes in which the wool on living sheep can deteriorate and
decompose. |
| Fleeco |
Person
who handles freshly shorn fleeces in a shearing shed. |
| Flexibility (of a system) |
The ability of a system to adapt to a new environment
or recover from a shock or disturbance. |
| Flock |
1. A group of
sheep managed in fenced pastures and not herded.
2. Birds of the same age in one group. |
| Flock Ewe |
The ewe is
retained for wool growing or lamb raising, but is not a stud animal. |
| Flock Ram |
A purebred ram
of not such a high standard as a stud ram, used for mating with flock
ewes. |
| Flock Structures |
The age and type
of animals in a flock. |
| Flora |
(a) The plant
species of an area. (b) A simple list of plant species or a taxonomic
manual. |
| Flood
Gate |
A
structure (gate) used
across a stream so that it rises and falls with the water level. |
| Floriculture |
The study of
growing, marketing, and arranging flowers and foliage plants. |
| Flushing |
Improving the
nutrition of female breeding animals prior to and during the breeding
season to stimulate ovulation. |
| Fluvial |
Pertaining to or
produced by the action of a stream or river. |
| Fly-blown |
See fly
strike |
| Fly
Strike, Flystrike |
Flies lay eggs
on suitable moist sites on animals. In sheep, this is mainly the
breech, pizzle and body. The eggs hatch into maggots which burrow into
the animal's skin, causing wounds, infection and wool contamination. An
affected animal is described as 'fly-blown'. Syn. Blowfly Strike |
| Flying
fox |
Wire
between two dead men
used to carry fencing materials when laying out a line in steep hill
country. |
| f.o.b. |
Free on
board. This is a price for the product delivered by the
sellers and loaded on the ship or aeroplane at their expense.
Also see f.o.r. |
| Foal |
Juvenile
horse of either sex up to weaning (4-6 months). |
| Fodder |
Feed
for livestock, especially coarsely chopped hay or straw. |
| Fodder Crops |
Feed for
livestock but not always used for grazing, rather they may he used for
hay or silage etc. or forage. |
| Fodder Trees |
Are those which
have foliage or other edible parts that can he used for livestock. |
| Foetus |
The developing
offspring before birth. |
| Folds |
Excessive skin
in all regions of the body of a sheep, but the term is usually confined
to the larger structures of folded skin on the front of Merino sheep. |
| Foliage |
The green or
live leaves of plants. |
| Foliar Cover |
The percentage
of ground covered by the vertical projection of the aerial portion of
plants. Small openings in the canopy and intraspecific overlap are
excluded. Foliar cover is always less than canopy cover; either may
exceed 100%. Syn. cover. |
| Follicle |
1. Plants: A dry fruit in which the
fruit wall as it ripens
becomes leathery, papery, or woody.
Derived from a simple pistil and opens along one side only, e.g. legume.
2. Animals: a. A small bodily cavity or
sac. b. A spherical mass of cells usually
containing a cavity c. An ovarian
follicle. d. A crypt or minute cul-de-sac
or lacuna, such as the depression in the skin from which the hair or
wool fibre emerges . |
| Food Chain |
The transfer of
food energy from the initial source in plants through a series of
organisms by repeated eating and being eaten. |
|
Fencing: A block of wood attached
by wire to a post and
buried with the post in the posthole, or some other device to stop the
post being pulled out when the fence is strained. |
| Foot-and-mouth
disease (FMD) |
A highly
contagious but non-fatal viral disease of cattle and pigs. It
can also infect deer, goats, sheep, and other animals with cloven
hooves. FMD occurs throughout much of the world, including
parts of Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America. Australia,
Canada, and the United States are free of the disease. |
| Foot
bath |
a
trough containing treatment for foot rot through which the sheep are
driven. |
| Foot
paring |
Cutting
of excess horn from the feet of sheep. |
| Foot rot, Foot
scald |
A contagious
disease in sheep that can cause serious economic losses in high
rainfall areas. It is caused by an organism transmitted by carrier
sheep. It can be controlled and eradicated from properties by a
campaign which may involve vaccination,
footbaths and culling. |
| Footing |
Same
as foot.
It may describe the material used for the foot. |
| f.o.r. |
Free on
rail. This is a price for the product delivered by the
sellers and loaded on rail transport at their expense. Also
see f.o.b. |
| Forage |
(a) Browse and herbage which is available
and may provide food for grazing animals or be harvested for feeding.
cf. concentrate
feed.(b) To search for or consume forage. Syn. Graze |
| Forage
Reserve |
Standing forage
specifically maintained for future of emergency use. |
| Forb |
Any broad-leafed
herbaceous plant other than those in the Grainineae (or Poaceae
), Cyperaceae and Juncacea families. Many broadleaf
weeds are forbs |
| Forced
moult |
Deliberate
moulting of birds by drastic changes in food and environment to give
the bird's reproductive system a rest before a further period of lay. |
| Forecast |
A prediction or
estimate of an amount or sum which is expected in the future. |
| Forecast
Proceeds Receivable |
An estimate of a
grower's remaining equity in a produce 'pool' See Pools |
| Foremilk |
The
first milk drawn from the udder prior to milking. |
| Formulation |
A
preparation of an active ingredient in a form suitable for a particular
use. |
| Forward Price
Contract |
A contract
between a buyer and seller that fixes the price of a commodity before
it is delivered, possibly many months before delivery. |
| Forward Selling |
A forward selling contract (forward price contract) is
an
agreement between two parties to buy or sell an asset (such as a tonne
of wheat) at a pre-agreed future point in time at an agreed price. No
money changes hands until delivery. A farmer may do this to
lock
into high prices but runs the risk of not being able to deliver (and
therefore having to buy grain) if the crop fails. |
| Forward Store
(condition) |
"Store"
animals that are in good
condition and nearly finished (prime) |
| Fossil Fuel |
Any hydrocarbon
deposit that may be used for fuel e.g. petroleum, coal and natural gas. |
| Foster Mother |
A female animal
(cow or ewe) suckling another's offspring (calf or lamb). |
| Fostering |
Making a dam
accept an offspring other than its own, or giving an offspring to
another dam (fostering on). |
| Fraternal Twins |
Results when two
ova are produced and fertilised by two separate sperms. They may be
quite dissimilar in genetic make-up and outward appearance. They may be
the same or opposite sex. |
| Free |
When
fleece is either not cotted or without vegetable matter contamination. |
| Free Martin |
Female calf of
twins of which the other twin is a male. A true martin is sterile
(approximately 1 in 12 is fertile). |
| Freehold tenure |
A form of land tenure
giving complete rights of property to the owners who are able to use or
sell the land or to will it to heirs but all registered mortgages and debts must be
repaid on sale. |
| Freezing works |
A factory where livestock are
slaughtered and
their carcasses frozen. |
| Friable |
Readily
crumbled; brittle |
| Fribs |
Second cuts,
pencil locks, or small pieces of wool clinging to the fleece or staples
hardned by sweat, grease or dung. Also called 'sweaty ends'. |
| Fringe
Benefits |
Compensation
provided to employees in addition to cash wages and salary. |
| Front |
The
fore end of a sheep's body; a term usually applied to the neck folds of
the Merino, comprising the apron and minor folds. |
| Frosty
Face |
A
defect sometimes occurring in Merino sheep, in which chalky, harsh,
white hairs cover the face. |
| Fruit |
A
ripened ovary containing the seeds of a plant. |
| Full
brother/sister |
By the same sire
out of the same dam. |
| Full Mouth |
A sheep that has
all its permanent incisor teeth fully developed. |
| Full
wool |
Ten
to thirteen months growth of wool. |
| Fumigant |
A
substance which functions or disperses as a gas and as such, can
destroy pests and diseases, e.g. methyl bromide. |
| Function (of a system) |
See System
function |
| Fund |
An asset
which is set aside for a
particular purpose. |
| Funds |
(a) More than
one fund. (b) Cash or credit balances etc available (see working capital). |
| Fungi |
Simple
plants which, like bacteria, require organic matter but not light for
growth. "Fungi" is
the plural form, "fungus" is
singular, and "fungous" is the adjective. |
| Fungicide |
A chemical
designed to kill fungus
growth on plant material. |
| Fungistat |
A
chemical which inhibits the development of fungi. |
| Fungus |
A plant of the
division Fungi
lacking chlorophyll, leaves, true stems and roots, and reproducing by
spores. Mushrooms are a type of fungus, but most fungi are plant
diseases. |
| Furry (chaff) tramlines |
Chaff from harvesters is diverted onto bare tramlines
to provide a mulch. |
| Future Value
(FV) |
The value that a
payment or set of payments will have at some time in the future, when
interest is compounded.
See interest formulae. |
| Futures
Contract |
A standardised
forward contract traded on a futures exchange |
| Futures
Market |
In many lines of
trade, buyers and sellers find it advantageous to enter into contracts
- termed futures contracts calling for delivery of a commodity at a
future date at a specified price. Nowadays, people trade in futures in
grains and other
agricultural commodities. |
| Fuzzy tramlines |
These are made by rolling topdressed seed into the
tramline with one of the following wheels of the seeder. See Tramline Farming |
