| Safety
valve |
A
device for relieving excess pressure in a pressurised system. |
| Sahelian zone |
A semi-arid tropical savanna and steppe ecoregion in
Africa, which forms the transition between the Sahara to the north and
the slightly less arid savanna belt to the south, known as the Sudan
(not to be confused with the country of the same name) |
| Sale
by sample |
Method
of displaying wool before an auction where only a sub-sample withdrawn
mechanically from the line of wool is displayed in a cardboard box for
buyer evaluation along with a yield test certificate. |
| Saline
Soil |
A soil containing enough soluble
salts to harm its productivity for plants, but not containing an excess
of sodium. |
| Salinization |
The accumulation of free salts in
part of a landscape to an extent where degradation of the soils and/or
vegetation occurs. |
| Salt Effluxion |
Salt accumulation on the soil
surface. |
| Saltation |
The bouncing (or hopping) motion of
single wind-borne particles on the soil surface. |
| Salvage
Value |
The market value of a depreciable
asset at the time it will be sold or removed from service. |
| Sand |
"Soil texture" usage. Soil material
that contains 85 percent of silt plus 1.5 times the percentage of clay
that does not exceed 15. |
| Sandblasting |
Effect of fast-moving windblown
sand in stripping and killing crop plants or breaking down surface soil
aggregates. |
| Sandy
back |
Sheep
with sand, grit, or dirt in the back wool. |
| Sanitary
trap |
An
interceptor vessel interposed between the sanitary (milk) system and
the air system to prevent contamination by movement of liquid from one
to the other in a milking machine. |
| Sappy |
Prime
condition in an animal. Good health and growth. Similar to bloom. |
| Saprophytic, Saprophyte |
Organism which obtains organic
matter in solution from dead and decaying tissues of plants or animals cf
parasite. |
| Saturation |
When the soil root-zone has all the
pore spaces filled with water, it is saturated. |
| Scald |
A process in which topsoil is
removed to expose the underlying clay. The soil may be sodic or eroded. |
| Scarification |
The chemical or physical treatment
given to some seeds to break or weaken the seed coat enough for
germination to occur. The seed coat may often be too hard to allow
water or air to enter. |
| Scarifier |
Secondary tillage implement
intended for shallow working and killing weeds. |
| Scenario Analysis |
A way of considering a set of
circumstances in the future and the implications they may have for
important decisions. |
| Schedule |
A list or table of items or details. |
| Scientific
Method |
An approach to a problem that
consists of stating the problem, establishing one or more hypotheses as
possible solutions to the problem, testing these hypotheses by
experimentation or observation, and then accepting or rejecting the
hypothesis. |
| Scion |
The upper part of the join in a graft. |
| S.C.R. |
Silicon
controlled rectifier which
is a transistorised pulse switch. |
| Scour Erosion |
Widespread soil removal on lower
slopes of hills. |
| Scouring |
The first major stage of wool
processing. Washing wool to remove the natural impurities of wax, suint, and dirt (producing scoured
wool). Lanolin (wol-grease) is a by-product |
| Scours |
A disease causing diarrhoea,
especially of calves. In young animals it can be fatal and usually
requires prompt treatment. |
| Screen |
To
select from a large population those animals that have approved
specifications to form an elite or nucleus group. |
| Screenings |
Undersized or pinched grain screened out during
harvesting |
| Scrotum |
The purse or bag containing the testicles of a
male animal |
| Scrub |
Low trees, fern, weeds, etc., covering land. |
| Scur |
A rudimentary horn; a small rounded portion of
horn tisue attached to the skin of the horn pit of a polled animal. |
| Season |
1. In
season is synonymous with in oestrus
and heat.
2. Spring, summer, autumn & winter are the seasons in temperate
areas, wet and dry are the seasons in tropical areas |
| Sebaceous Glands |
The glands in the skin wqhich, in
sheep, are closly associated with the follicle
and secrete wool wax. |
| Second Cross |
Progeny resulting from the mating
of true half-breds and a distinct breed. |
| Second
cut |
Wool
which is cut twice during shearing when the fi rst cut is above the
base of the staple.
These short pieces of wool are of little value. |
| Second
shear wool |
Wool
from sheep shorn more frequently than once every eight months. |
| Secondary
Salinity |
Increase in salt content of the
soil and water, caused by man-induced changes such as clearing or
irrigation. |
| Secondary sex
characteristics |
Traits that distinguish the two
sexes of a species, but that are not directly part of the reproductive
system. (SSC) |
| Secured
Loan |
A loan for which the borrower
agrees to let the lender take possession of and sell certain assets if the repayment terms
are not met. |
| Security |
Anything which is given as a
guarantee that an obligation will be honoured and which can be taken in
substitution if it is not. (see Mortgage,
Collateral, Lien) |
| Seed Bank |
A reserve of seed in the soil that
will germinate in subsequent seasons. |
| Seed Bed |
Soil ready for sowing. It should be
firm except for the top few centimetres which should be loose to allow
the germinating seedlings to penetrate the surface. |
| Seed Dormancy |
In a resting condition; alive but
with relative inactive state. Some seeds will not germinate immediately
even in conditions otherwise favourable to germination. |
| Seed
dressing |
A
chemical applied to seed to prevent fungal infection or insect attack. Seed dressings may be
called "single purpose" if used to protect against fungi only; but seed
dressings are often "dual purpose", in which case they protect against
both fungi and insects. |
| Seed Inoculation |
Treatment of legume seed with Rhizobium
bacteria before planting to enhance subsequent nitrogen fixation. |
| Seed Purity |
The percentage of the desired
species in relation to the total quantity, including other species,
weed seed, and foreign matter. |
| Seed
Scarification |
Mechanical or acid treatment of
seed coats to improve water absorption and enhance germination. |
| Seedbed |
Prepared ground suitable for the
placement of seed to ensure good germination and establishment. |
| Seeder |
Machine that places seed in or on the ground for future
growth |
| Seeding |
Sowing,
Planting. To place seed in or on the ground by
hand or machine for future growth . |
| Seedy |
A term applied to wool containing
grass and other seeds. |
| Segmentation
(Marketing) |
The differentiation of a market
into different homogenous groups of consumers. |
| Selection |
Choosing stock to keep for breeding
or growing out. The opposite to culling. |
| Selection differential |
The
difference between the mean of the selected parents and the mean of the
population from which the came. |
| Selective Grazing |
The grazing of certain plant
species, individual plants, or plant parts to the exclusion of others. |
| Selective
Herbicide |
A herbicide
that kills only certain groups of plants. For example, 2,4D kills
broadleaf plants, but not grasses. |
| Selective
pesticide |
A
pesticide which kills certain organisms only (i.e. weeds and insect
pests) and leaves others (i.e. crops and beneficial insects) unharmed. |
| Self Mulching |
Topsoil that, on drying, breaks
down into a good tilth, with well-formed aggregates. This usually
occurs in cracking clay
soils. |
| Self-Generated
Pasture |
Annual pasture species that
re-appear after rain from seed reserves in the soil. |
| Self-Mulching
Soil |
A soil in which the surface layer
becomes so well aggregated that it does not crust and seal under the
impact of rain but, instead, serves as a surface mulch upon drying. cf.
crusted. |
| Self-Pollination |
Pollen is transferred from an anther to a stigma of the same flower. |
| Self-Replacing
Breeding Ewe Flocks |
Flocks of sheep in which ewes breed
their own replacements to maintain flock structure. |
| Self-tapping
bolt |
A
threaded bolt that makes its own threads when screwed into a post. Example is the thread on a gudgeon. |
| Semen |
A liquid containing sperm that is
produced by the reproductive organs of a male animal.
Fresh or
liquid – as collected from the male
Frozen (deep frozen)
- usually diluted semen which is stored at – 196 °C.
Thawed – brought back to ambient
temperature from - 196°C.
Re-constituted -
fresh semen which after deep freezing and thawing is diluted for use. |
| Semiarid |
A term applied to regions or
climates where moisture is normally greater than under and conditions,
but still definitely limits the production of vegetation. The upper
limit of average annual precipitation in the cold, semiarid regions is
as low as 380mm, whereas in warm tropical regions it is as high as
1,100- 1,300mm. cf. arid. |
| Semi-concentrate
spray |
A spray
used at the rate of some 200 to 600 litres/hectare according to foliage
cover (see Medium-volume
application). |
| Sensitivity
Analysis |
A procedure for assessing the
riskiness of a decision by using several possible price and/or
production outcomes to budget the results, and then comparing them. |
| SEP |
Sire Evaluation Plan. A
service that makes the semen of young, unproven bulls available for
artificial insemination and offered at discount rates. There is an
advantage to the industry in using these bulls early since it allows
more rapid identification of the very best for future breeding. |
| Sepal |
The
first of the floral organs, beginning at the base of a flower, are the
sepals which collectively form the calyx. |
| Sequestering
agent |
A
substance which will form soluble complex molecules with salts present
in hard waters.
Examples are citric acid and ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA). |
| Seral |
Of or
relating to an ecological sere |
| Serum |
a. The clear yellowish fluid
obtained upon separating whole blood into its solid and liquid
components after it has been allowed to clot. Also called blood serum.
b. Whey |
| Service |
The insemination of a cow (or other
female animal), either by joining with a bull (or male) or by
artificial insemination (see AI). |
| Set
Stocking |
Continuous grazing of an area for
long periods by the same stock. See Grazing Management |
| Settling
a futures contract |
This
may be done by making or taking delivery of the commodity, but isn't
usually done. More commonly a contract is settled by making
the opposite, offsetting transaction, i.e. a hedger
who has sold a futures
contract will close out by buying back a contract; a buyer
will close out by selling back the bought contract. |
| Sex
chromosomes |
Chromosomes
that are concerned specifically with the enheritance of sex. |
| Shadow Cost |
One dollar of marginal investment
will generate a stream of future consumption. The present value of this
stream of consumption is called the shadow price of capital. |
| Shadow
Price |
A value obtained from a linear
programming solution that shows the amount by which total gross margin
would be increased if one more unit of a limiting input were available,
or the amount by which total gross margin would be reduced if one unit
of an enterprise not in the solution was included. |
| Shafty |
A term applied to wool having
lengthy, bold, full free growth. |
| Shankings |
The covering of the lower parts of
the sheep's legs |
| Share(s) |
A stated portion of the capital of
a company entitling the holder to participate in the profits. Syn
Stocks, Stock units, Securities |
| Share Cropping |
See sharefarming |
| Sharefarming |
An agreed sharing by the land owner
and enterprise operator of production costs and returns. Examples
include share cropping and dairy sharefarming. |
| Shear |
Cut the wool from a sheep's body |
| Shearing
board |
Area in
shearing shed where sheep are shorn. |
| Shearing gang |
Group
of people employed by a farmer to shear, sort, and bale a wool clip |
| Shearing shed |
Building
in which sheep are shorn.
Commonly abbreviated to shed. |
| Shed |
1. A building, e.g., woolshed or dairy shed.
2. Placing animals in a shed to protect them from the weather
(particularly sheep to produce high quality wool)
3. The act of drafting off animals from a group - shedding.
4. The opening between warp thread on a
loom through which shuttle passes.. |
| Shedhand |
Persons,
other than shearer, working in a shearing shed. |
| Shed-up |
Shutting
woolly sheep in a shearing shed before shearing to prevent them getting
wet from rain or dew. |
| Sheepo |
Person
who works sheep in a shearing shed and fills the catching pens. Shearers give the call of
"sheepo" to signify that their catching pen is empty. |
| Sheet
Erosion |
Water moving over the soil surface
in a thin sheet erodes or picks up soil particles and removes them from
the paddock. Sheet erosion can go undetected until large amounts of
valuable topsoil are removed. cf. rill erosion |
| Shipping Wethers |
Cast-for-age sheep fattened for
export as part of the live sheep trade. |
| Shive |
Fine
grass seed and certain vegetable matter (not burr0 found in wool. |
| Shoot |
Collective
term applied to the stem and leaves of a plant. |
| Shorn |
A term
applied to a sheep that has had its fleece removed by shearing. |
| Short (Futures) |
Selling
a futures contract is called a short or going short. c.f. Long |
| Short-coupled |
See Coupling |
| Short
milk tube |
The
connecting tube between the interior of the liner and the claw milk
nipple |
| Short
pulse tube |
The
connecting tube between the pulsation chamber and the claw air nipple. |
| Short-Term
Loan |
A loan scheduled to be repaid in
less than a year. |
| Sibling |
An animal's `brother' or 'sister'. |
| Side Winder |
A bull that has been rendered
incapable of joining
by
severing the penis support muscle. Used to detect cows on heat in an A I program. |
| Side-Dressing |
Placement of fertiliser alongside
the root-zone of a growing crop. |
| Siemens |
Unit of
conductance, leakage or load.
Reciprocal of ohm. 1 Siemens = 1 ohm, 1 millisiemens (mS) = 1,000 ohms. |
| Sieve
tube |
A
vertical series of food-conducting cells of the phloem of flowering
plants.
Characterised by sieve-like openings on the end walls and on the side
walls. |
| Sight
glass |
The
glass through which milk passes on the way to the milk line in a
milking machine.
Shows when milk flow is finished. |
| Silage |
A stock feed that consists of
forage crops or pasture that is harvested and preserved at about 20-40%
dry matter (60-80% water content) by allowing it to ferment in the
absence of air. Air is excluded by burying and pressing the material in
pits or silos, or by wrapping or covering in plastic. |
| Siliceous Sands |
A sand comprised of silicon oxide
grains as opposed to calcareous or other grains. |
| Silt |
Soil particle finer than sand, but not as fine as clay. Between 0.002mm and
0.05mrn in diameter. Silt is silky to the feel. |
| Silviculture |
The husbandry practices involved in
culturing trees and forests |
| Simple Interest |
Is the sum which is payable at
stated intervals to the lender for his service in lending the money.
The higher the risk, the higher the rate of interest. |
| Simplified
Programming |
A mathematical procedure used in
whole - farm planning to find the set of enterprises that maximises
total gross margin
given a set of limited resources. See also Linear Programming |
| Simulation |
An abstraction or simplification of
a real world situation. In its broadest sense any model is a
simulation, since it is designed to represent the most important
features of some existential conditions. |
| Single Entry |
A bookkeeping system in which each
transaction is entered only once in the books of account. It is used
mainly in small businesses. cf Double
Entry |
| Single
yarn |
Yarn
composed of one strand of thread. |
| Sinking Fund |
Annuity whose terminal value is
prescribed. It is convenient to know what amount set aside annually
will accumulate at compound interest to a sum which will be adequate
for the replacement of a depreciating asset (or loan) in a stipulated
time. A fund formed for such a purpose is called a sinking fund. See Interest Rate Formulae |
| Sire |
Male parent. |
| Site Specific Agriculture |
A management strategy that uses information
technologies to bring spatial data from numerous sources, which can
influence decisions associated with crop production. |
| Sixty-nine |
Call
made to let shearers and shedhands know that ladies and visitors are
entering a shearing shed. |
| Skep |
Pronounced
skip. Trolley for
carrying loose wool in a wool store or mill.
Also called a dobbin. |
| Skin wool |
Scoured wool from a felimongery. |
| Skirting |
Removal of portions of wool from
the fleece because they are of inferior quality and value. This is done
on the wool table. The wool removed is the 'skirtings'. |
| Slaking |
Breakdown of soil aggregates in
water into smaller, or microaggregates. |
| Slaking
Test |
A procedure whereby the soil's
propensity to crust is tested c.f. crusting. |
| Slashing |
Cutting pasture or grass with a
machine to remove excess material or weeds from a paddock. |
| Slickensides |
Polished, grooved surfaces that occur along shear
planes within the soil which result from the shrink-swell action
of clays that accompanies cycles of wetting and drying. |
| Slink |
1. Deer: Calf
or fawn in utero valued for skin markings.
2. Sheep/cattle: A dead offspring (i.e., born or died soon after birth)
which is processed for its skin. |
| Slip |
a. To give birth to
prematurely.
b. To unleash or free (a dog or hawk) to pursue game
c. A part of a plant cut or broken off for grafting
or planting; a scion or
cutting.
d. Weaned pig 2 to 3 months old |
| Slipe
wool |
Wool
recovered from pelts in abattoir.
Body wool typed as woolly lambs, shorn lambs, and sheep. Oddments typed
as seconds,
thirds, and slipemaster. |
| Slipemaster |
Machine
used to recover wool from pelt trimmings in a felimongery. |
| Slow-Release
Fertiliser |
A fertiliser that is coated with a
fairly insoluble material to provide a slow, predictable release of
nutrients. |
| Slubbing |
A
"rope" of twisted fibres. |
| Slurry |
A
"semi-liquid" mixture of a water-insoluble powder and water (i.e. a
concentrated suspension). |
| Smoko |
Period of rest. Commonly morning
and afternoon tea. Syn. Crib. |
| Snags |
See spillers. |
| Snowed-in |
When
shearers are ahead of the wool table, so that wool is lying around the
floor waiting to go on the woof table.
Also described as woolled-up. |
| Sod |
That stratum of the surface of the soil which is filled
with the roots of grass, or any portion of that surface; turf; sward. |
| Sod-based rotations |
A north American term for rotations that alternate
sod-forming grasses and legumes with row crops and cereal grains. The
grass and/or legumes should break up the row crop cycle for more than 1
year. Termed pasture ley in Australia. |
| Sodbusting |
North American term for breaking up native pasture with
implements. |
| Sod Seeding |
Direct drilling of seed on sites on
which no seedbed preparation had been made. |
| Sodic
Soil |
Soil with a relatively high
proportion of exchangeable sodium (greater than 6 per cent). This can
cause soil structural problems. |
| Sodicity |
Accumulation of sodium salts in a
dispersed clay layer at depth in the soil profile. |
| Soft
Systems
Analysis |
The alternative to Hard Systems
Analysis. It considers qualitative criteria such as prevailing
attitudes, value judgements and perceptions in an assessment. c.f.
Hard
Systems Analysis. |
| Soft Systems
Approach |
Mental constructs of figments of
the imagination. They are used to initiate and structure debate about
complex issues. |
| Soft System Methodology (SSM) |
A system where the overall ends may be known but the
actual outcomes and means to achieve them are not easily
quantified. Frequently there is an attempt to improve the
situation rather than find the 'best' solution. |
| Softwood
Cuttings |
Cuttings taken from soft,
succulent, new growth of woody plants for propagation. |
| Soil |
(a) The unconsolidated mineral and
organic material on the immediate surface of the earth that serves as a
natural medium for the growth of land plants. (b) The unconsolidated
mineral matter on the surface of the earth that has been subjected to
and influenced by genetic and environmental factors of parent material,
climate (including moisture and temperature effects), macro and
micro-organisms, and topography, all acting over a period of time and
producing a product (soil) that differs from the material from which it
was derived in many physical, chemical, biological and morphological
properties and characteristics. |
| Soil Aeration |
Extent to which atmospheric gases
fill pores between soil particles. |
| Soil Ameliorant |
Substance added to cropping soils
to improve the physical structure of heavy clay
or saline soils. |
| Soil Association |
A group of defined and named soil
taxonomic units occurring together in an individual and characteristic
pattern over a geographic region. |
| Soil Biota |
See Biota |
| Soil Colloids |
Matter both organic and inorganic,
having very small particle size (less than 0.002 mm in diameter) and
high specific surface. |
| Soil Compaction |
Is the tendency for soils to become
more dense (less pore space) under mechanical pressure such as
trampling by livestock or by agricultural machinery. The density to
which a given soil can be compacted depends on the water content of the
soil and the force of compaction. |
| Soil Creep |
The slow, mass movement of soil
material down relatively steep slopes, primarily under the influence of
gravity but facilitated by saturation with water. |
| Soil
Degradation |
Soil in which the structure has
been damaged, compaction or erosion has occurred. It may also refer to
soil acidity and salinity. |
| Soil
disinfection |
The
treatment of soil either by heat (generally in the form of steam) or
chemicals to kill harmful insects, fungi, and bacteria.
The phrase "soil sterilisation" often used in this context is incorrect. |
| Soil
Erosion |
Loss of soil of the land
surface. |
| Soil Fertility |
The quality of a soil that enables
it to provide nutrients in adequate amounts and in proper balance for
the growth of specified plants when other growth factors, such as
light, moisture, temperature and the physical condition of the soil are
favourable. |
| Soil
fumigant |
An
agricultural chemical applied to soil either by injection, intimate
mixing, or under an impermeable sheet, which fumigates the soil. |
| Soil Health |
The ability of a soil to (a) sustain plant and animal
productivity and diversity; (b) Maintain or enhance water and air
quality; and,
(c) support human health and habitation . It includes appropriate
levels of minerals, nutrients, and microbial activity, pH, and
structure. that is not degraded or degrading but providing a full range
of functions (especially nutrient, carbon and water cycling) in such a
way that it maintains its capacity into the future. |
| Soil
Horizon |
A layer of soil, approximately
parallel to the soil surface, with comparatively uniform
characteristics produced by soil forming processes. One soil horizon is
commonly differentiated from an adjacent one on the basis of
characteristics that can be seen in the field. |
| Soil Map |
A map which showing the
distribution of soil types or other soil mapping units in relation to
the prominent physical and cultural features of the earth's surface. |
| Soil pH |
Hydrogen ion concentration
reflecting degree of soil acidity on a scale on 1 to 14, with 7 as
neutral. |
| Soil Pit |
A hole, usually dug by a back-hoe,
in which the various layers of the soil (the soil
horizons) are exposed for examination. |
| Soil
Profile |
Description of each of the layers (soil horizons) in the soil.
Examination of the profile is made to determine depth, drainage,
texture, structure and classification of the soil. |
| Soil quality |
The capacity of a specific kind of soil to sustain
plant and animal productivity, maintain or enhance water and air
quality and support human health and habitation. |
| Soil Salinization |
Process by which salts such as
sodium chloride accumulate to a concentration which adversely affects
plant growth. |
| Soil
Structure |
The arrangement of soil particles
into aggregates and the air spaces between them. |
| Soil Structure
Decline |
Many soils have an inherently weak
structure, i.e. the soil particles are loosely aggregated and have weak
cohesion. Structure breaks down from an aggregated form to a
homogeneous single grain structure as a result of a loss of organic
matter (and thus of biological activity) and a mechanical
disintegration of the aggregates or crumbs. |
| Soil
Texture |
The relative proportions of the
three individual particle size classes (i.e. sand,
silt and clay) in a soil. Some grades of soil texture. |
| Soil water |
Amount of water held by
soil. See Field
capacity, Wilting
point. |
| Soldier-settler block |
Soldier settlement refers to the occupation and
settlement of land throughout parts of Australia by returning
discharged soldiers under schemes administered by state governments
after World Wars I and II. A parcel of land sold or leased to a
returning soldier was termed a 'soldier settler block' (often in
fractions of a square mile (640 acres). |
| Sole
Proprietorship, Sole trader |
A form of business organisation in
which one operator or family owns the resources, provides the
management and who has full liability for any debts incurred. Syn. Sole
Trader |
| Solids Not
Fat |
A component of milk that consists
of dissolved or suspended solids other than butterfat. It therefore
includes protein (casein), minerals and lactose. |
| Solonised
Soil |
Soils where sodium compounds
dominate. |
| Solum |
The upper part of a soil profile,
above the parent material, in which the processes of soil formation are
active. The solum in mature soils includes the A and B soil horizon.
Usually these horizons are quite unlike those of the underlying parent
material. The living roots and other plants and animal life
characteristic of the soil are largely confined to the solum. |
| Solute |
A substance dissolved in a solvent. |
| Solvency |
The degree to which the liabilities of a
business
are backed up by assets
(ie assets>liabilities); the relationship between debt and equity capital (a long-run
concept - see liquidity). |
| Solvent |
1. The
liquid, often paraffin-type oils, in which an active chemical
(herbicide, insecticide, etc.) is dissolved when formulated.
2. Accounting - Assets
greater than liabilities |
| Somatic cell count |
Counts
the white blood cells in the milk to give an indication of sub-clinical
mastitis. Somatic
cells are part of the cow's natural defence mechanism and cell counts
rise when the udder becomes infected.
Can be estimated indirectly by rolling-ball viscometer and Coulter
counter. |
| Sorption |
The removal of a species in the gas
or liquid phase by its association with a solid phase. |
| Sorptivity |
A measure of the capacity of the medium to absorb or
desorb liquid by capillarity action. |
| Sound |
1. An animal with no structural
faults, such as lameness.
2. Wool without a tensile weakness. |
| Sound Mouth |
An animal with all adult teeth
intact and firm. |
| Southern
Oscillation Index (SOI) |
A measure of differences in
equatorial sea surface temperatures between the Indonesian region and
the eastern Pacific regions, and calculated from atmospheric pressures
in Tahiti and Darwin. A strongly negative index is associated with El
Niño episodes, a strongly positive SOI with La
Niña episodes. See El
Niño and La
Niña. |
| Sow |
Female
pig that has had at least one litter. |
| Sowing |
Planting,
Seeding. To place seed
in or on the ground by hand or machine for future growth |
| Sown tramlines |
Tramlines
are sown with shallow points or disc openers
to retain as much firmness as possible in the tramline and assist
traction while providing cover to reduce erosion. |
| Spay |
To remove the ovaries from a female
animal to prevent breeding. |
| Species |
A group of similar organisms
capable of interbreeding and more or less distinctly different in
geographic range and/or morphological characteristics from other
species in the same genus. |
| Specific leaf area |
The area per unit mass or weight of
leaf and is a
measure of leaf thickness: thin leaves have a higher specific leaf area. |
| Speculator |
Someone
who accepts risk. In futures markets they in effect assume
the hedger's risk of price movements and are aiming to profit by
accurately forecasting future price movements or levels. |
| Spermatophyte |
A seed
plant. |
| Spike |
An
elongated inflorescence resembling a raceme except that the flowers
have no pedicles (or stalks), e.g. common plantain, a widely
distributed weed. |
| Spiker |
Juvenile
male deer with two spikes rather than a set of antlers. |
| Spillers |
Palm points of fallow deer tines |
| Spinning |
In wool the process of drawing out
and spinning the top
into yarn for weaving into fabric. |
| Spore |
Single-celled or several-celled
reproductive body that becomes detached from the parent and gives rise
either directly or indirectly to a new individual. |
| Spot
Price |
The
current cash price of a commodity. |
| Spottie |
Young
deer (usually fallow) up to 3 months of age. |
| Spray &
Seed |
A way of pasture establishment by
direct drilling in which weed competition is eliminated by spraying
with a herbicide
prior to sowing. |
| Spray
Drift |
The movement of airborne spray
particles from the intended area of application, i.e. horizontal
displacement. |
| Spray
or Pasture Topping |
A technique for reducing grass seed
set in a pasture in the years before cropping. For good results
paddocks need
to be grazed heavily in winter and left free in early spring to ensure
that all grasses come to head at the same time. Low rates of knockdown
herbicides (such as Roundup®) are then applied to bum off the
seed heads before viable seed is set. |
| Spray-Grazing |
Involves application of low rates
of hormone-type herbicides (such as 2, 4-1) ester/amine of MCPA) early
in the pasture's growing season. This causes an increase in plant
sugars, making the weeds highly palatable to stock. Heavy grazing a few
days later reduces the number of weeds, and should stimulate vigorous
growth of pasture legumes. |
| Spray
mist |
The
mist of fine droplets which is produced when a liquid is atomised. |
| Spread
(Futures) |
See Basis |
| Spreader |
See Surface active agent. |
| Springer
(Springing) |
A female of any age that is
carrying a calf late in pregnancy. Classified as a forward or backward
springer according to the nearness to the point of calving |
| Squatters |
Graziers who use land without
paying for it. |
| Stability |
A
situation where there is minimal fluctuation over time i.e. there is a
low Coefficient of Variation (CV). In farming systems a
constancy of productivity in the face of small, usually cyclical,
disturbing forces. |
| Stable |
•
When used to describe formulations of pesticides the term implies that
there are negligible chemical or physical changes under normal
conditions of storage.
• When used to describe active ingredients of pesticides the
term implies that under certain stated conditions, such as in sunlight
or when incorporated in the soil, the chemical breaks down relatively
slowly.
• When used of emulsions or suspensions of powders the term
implies th the rate of settling is slow. |
| Stacked hybrids |
Bioengineered hybrid plants with two or more beneficial
traits |
| Stag |
1. An adult male pig or sheep castrated when mature.
2. Male red deer.
3. Adult male turkey. Also called a Jack |
| Stained pieces |
A term which refers to
urine-stained wool and small portions of yolk stained wool from the
crutch. |
| Stallion |
A male horse. |
| Stamen |
The male reproductive organ of a
flower consisting of a filament on which is borne an anther. |
| Staminate
flower |
A
flower containing stamens but no functional pistil
(a male flower). |
| Stamp
Duty |
I
>n Australia,
stamp duty is levied by the States on various instruments (i.e. written
documents) and transactions. The rates of taxation vary from State to
State as do the nature of the instruments or transactions subject to
duty. Major forms of duty include the transfer duty on the
sale of land, businesses, shares and other forms of dutiable property;
mortgage duty; lease duty and duty on the hire of goods. |
| Stand |
Area
immediately surrounding an individual shearing machine. |
| Standard |
A metal
post. |
| Standard
Deviation |
A measure of the variability of
possible outcomes for a particular event; equal to the square root of
the variance. |
| Standard
lifter |
A lever
for removing standards (metal posts). |
| Standard
plate count |
This is
used to measure the numbers of bacteria found in a sample from the bulk
milk in the vat. It
is usually indicates the cleanliness of the milking plant. |
| Standing Crop |
The total amount of plant material
per unit of space at a given time. Often is divided into aboveground
and below ground portions and further may be modified by the
descriptors "dead" or "live" to more accurately define the specific
type of biomass. cf. biomass. |
| Staple |
Wool fibres that naturally form
themselves into clusters or locks. Staples
are joined by cross-fibres (binders) which bind the fleece together. |
| Staple Strength |
The soundness of wool
under-extension, or the force (Newtons) required to break a staple of
given thickness (kilotex). |
| Staples |
U-shaped,
double-pointed nails used to secure wire to wooden posts. |
| Starch |
A
carbohydrate - the most common storage product in plants. |
| Statement |
A summary of transactions, eg a
profit statement. |
| Statement
Of Assets & Liabilities (Balance Sheet) |
An accounting summary which shows
the composition of assets
of a business, and the composition of liabilities
of the business, i.e. External liabilities and internal liabilities. |
| Statement Of
Cash Flows |
A summary of the actual cash
inflows and cash outflows experienced by a business during some past
time period. |
| Station |
A large property where livestock
are raised. Usually refers to properties in the pastoral zone of
Australia. |
| Station-hand |
A person employed under the federal
Pastoral Industry Award, including cooks. A station hand is the next
step beyond Jackeroo
or Jilleroo. |
| Stay |
A brace post in a fence, usually
attached to a strainer post,
where the fence ends or bends. |
| Stay
block, stay foot |
See breastplate |
| Steely |
Wool
with a shiny appearance that lacks crimp.
Associated with copper deficiency. |
| Steer |
A castrated male bovine (cattle
species) over one year of age. >Synonymous with
ox and bullock although the latter are applied only to fully grown
cattle. See Meat
Terminology |
| Stewardship
Role |
The responsibility which
landholders have to land as a permanent national resource. |
| Sticker |
A
substance added to formulations or spray mixes which assists the
adhesion of dry residues to treated surfaces. |
| Stigma |
In flowers part of the carpel that is receptive to
pollen. |
| Stigma and Style |
Female parts of a flower. |
| Stimulation |
Activation
of the cow's milk release or "let-down" by washing or massaging the
udder before milking. |
| Stipule |
An
appendage on either side of the basal part of a leaf. |
| Stirker |
An
under-finished and often poorly grown vealer
dressing out at 36 to 100kg. |
| Stock |
(a) A quantity of goods or
equipment for carrying on a business.
(b) Livestock - the animals belonging to a farm.
(c) American term for a share
in a company
(d) The part of the stem that receives the scion
in grafting. |
| Stock
Reconcilliation |
A calculation showing what has
happened to the stock on hand at the beginning of the period (year)
plus birth and purchases less deaths and sales. |
| Stock (Rootstock) |
The lower part of a plant graft. |
| Stock Equivalents |
See DSE. |
| Stock Unit |
Unit used in New Zealand instead of
DSE. Defined as a
pregnant ewe six weeks from lambing and weighing 56 kg. |
| Stocker |
1. A young bovine kept until fattened or matured and
suitable for a breeding establishment.
2. (US) A young steer or heifer that is fed chiefly pasture or other
roughage prior to more intensive feeding. c.f. Feeder |
| Stocking |
• Set
stock -
To leave herd or flock to graze uninterrupted in one paddock for a long
period or in several paddocks with gates open
• Mob stock - To move herd or flock from paddock to paddock a
short intervals (also called "intensive grazing" or "rotational
grazing").
|
| Stocking
Density |
The relationship between number of
animals and area of land at any instant of time. It may be expressed as
animal-units per hectare. cf. stocking
rate. |
| Stocking
Rate |
The number of specific kinds and
classes of animals grazing or utilising a unit of land for a specified
time period. Maybe expressed as animal unit months or animal unit days
per hectare, or the reciprocal (area of land/animal unit month or day).
When dual use is practised (e.g. cattle and sheep), stocking rate is
often expressed as animal unit months/unit of land or the reciprocal.
Syn. stocking level, cf. stocking density. |
| Stockman |
A general term used to describe an
employee working with stock. Also a person employed by a livestock
agent as a livestock salesperson |
| Stock Route |
A public way along which stock are
permitted to travel under permit. |
| Stocks |
(a) See inventory. (b) See livestock. (c) North
American term for Shares |
| Stolon |
The above-ground stem that lies on
the ground and may form roots as it comes in contact with the ground.
Kikuyu, spreads from stolons. |
| Stoma,
>Stomata |
A small opening in the epidermis of
leaves and stems, through which gases (including water vapour)
pass. The opening is between
two specialised epidermal cells called the guard cells |
| Store |
An animal that is not in prime
marketable condition. See also Restocker |
| Store Cattle |
Cattle not ready for slaughter. |
| Stover |
Consists
of the leaves and stalks of corn (maize), sorghum or soybean plants
that are left in a field after harvest. It can be directly grazed by
cattle or dried for use as fodder (forage).
It is similar to straw, the
residue left after any cereal grain or grass has been harvested at
maturity for its seed. |
| Straggler |
An animal missed in a muster; an
animal that is not the property of the holding on which it is found. |
| Straightbreeding |
The mating of males and females of
the same breed (or strain or bloodline). Purebreeding. |
| Strain |
(a) A general term used for animals
that have similar and distinct characteristics within a breed; for
example, the finewool strain in Merino sheep.
(b) To tighten the wire in a fence, using a tool called a strainer |
| Strainer
Post |
A fence post, usually at the end of
a line, from which the wire is strained. |
| Strategic
Management |
The process of charting the overall
long - term course of the farm or other business. See Tactical Management |
| Straw |
The
residue left after any cereal grain or grass has been harvested at
maturity for its seed. |
| Straw Walker
Tracks |
Piles of debris ejected from
field-crop harvesting machinery. They can be quite thick and if not
removed will limit the volunteer establishment or regeneration of
pastures. |
| Stringer |
Main
weight-bearing truss in a bridge. |
| Stringy |
Wool
with a thin staple. |
| Strip Cropping |
Is a system under which ordinary
farm crops are planted in narrow strips across the slope of the land. |
| Strip Grazing |
A grazing system in which stock are
allowed access to a limited area of fresh pasture up to twice daily by
means of a movable electric fence. This method limits damage by
trampling and fouling. |
| Strip-till |
A tillage method that retains most of the crop residue
left
from the previous year's harvest. Only a narrow strip of residue is
removed in which the seed is planted. Mounds may be created in this
narrow strip during fertiliser application, aiming to produce a warmer,
drier seedbed. |
| Stripping Out |
The complete removal of milk from
the udder using either machine or hand milking. |
| Strong
(Wool) |
Wool
with a coarse fibre diameter for its type.
Descriptive graduation between coarse and fine wool within a specific
type is extra-strong, strong, coarse, medium, fine, extra-fine. |
| Structure |
See Soil
Structure. |
| Structure
(of a system) |
How the system is organised. Closely related
to the function of the system. It includes the components and
their patterns of use; the flow of materials, energy, information,
labour, management and capital into, out of and within the system; and
the annual calendar of activities. |
| Stubble |
The dead plant material remaining
after a crop has been harvested. Syn. residue. |
| Stubble
Incorporation |
Plant residues from the previous
crop are cultivated into the surface layers of the soil. |
| Stubble Mulching |
Working of crop residues into the
soil surface as a protection against the erosive force of rain. |
| Stubble Retention |
Plant residues from the previous
crop are retained for the next crop, either incorporated or as a mulch
on the soil surface. |
| Stud |
A superior type of purebred,
registered animal used for breeding. Or a farm on which stud animals
are bred. |
| Stump-jump
Ploughs |
A plough that can jump over
impediments (stumps and roots) by a spring action. |
| Style |
1. The more-or-less elongated part
of the carpel between the ovary and the stigma.
2. Combined assessment of the degree of
excellence or fault of wool.
Involves a consideration of extent of staple crimp clarity, staple
tippyness, freedom from unscourable discolouration and extent of
vegetable matter contamination.
Graded as super, good, average, and inferior or by letters such as A,
BB, B, C, and D. |
Sub
clover
Subterranean clover |
An annual legume
(Trifolium subterraneum) widely used as a pasture
plant. There is a range of cultivars adapted to a variety of
enviromnents and growing season length. |
| Subjective
Probability |
A probability based only on
individual judgment and past experiences. |
| Subsoil |
The B
horizon of soils
with distinct soil profiles. In soils with weak profile development,
the subsoil can be defined as the soil below the soil in which roots
normally grow i.e. below the ploughed soil or its equivalent of surface
soil). Although a common term, it cannot be defined accurately. It has
been carried over from early days when "soil" was conceived only as the
ploughed soil and that under it as the 'subsoil'. |
| Subsoiler |
A tractor mounted implement used to loosen and break up
soil at depths below the level of traditional cultivating
implements.
Syn. mole plough, deep ripper. |
| Substitution
Ratio |
The ratio of the amount of one
input replaced to the amount of another input added, or the amount of
one output lost to the amount of another output gained. |
| Subsystem |
A system that, for the purposes of the investigation,
is part of a larger system |
| Subtropical
Climate |
Climate characterised by with mild
winters, reliable summer rainfall and highly variable winter
rainfall. |
| Succession |
(Of plants), progressive change in
composition of plant population during development of vegetation, from
initial colonisation to the attainment of climax. |
| Succession
Planning |
The pro-active planning by the
current business operator(s) and the next generation business
operator(s), to ensure the continual success of the business as it
passes, smoothly, through the various generations. Current business
operator(s) sould consider providing for their own retirement and for
those of the next generation not remaining in the farm business. |
| Succulent |
A plant
with fleshy water storing stems or leaves, e.g. cacti. |
| Sucker |
A shoot, especially of eucalypts,
which arises from the base of a plant which has been previously cut
down or bulldozed. |
| Sucker Lamb |
A lamb that is suckling its mother
and has grown sufficiently heavy for slaughtering. |
| Suckling
Pig, Sucker |
A piglet still suckling its mother. |
| Sudoriferous
Glands |
Glands in the skin, which in sheep,
are closely associated with the primary follicles
and secrete suint. |
| Suint |
Natural water soluble impurity of
wool grease. |
| Sulphate Of
Ammonia |
A nitrogenous fertiliser with the
chemical formula (NH4)2SO4
It contains 21% nitrogen. |
| Sundowner |
Dog
that leaves its work, especially when hot and noisy.
A lazy dog. |
| Sundry |
(a) Various, and usually difficult
to classify otherwise. (b) See overheads. |
| Sunk
Cost |
A cost that can no longer be
reversed, changed, or avoided; a fixed
cost. |
| Superphosphate |
Also called 'super'. An artificial
phosphorus fertiliser common in pasture improvement programs. Single
super contains about 8.8% phosphorus, and is manufactured from
phosphate rock treated with sulphuric acid. 'Double' and 'Triple'
superphosphate contain approximately two and three times the amount of
phosphorous as 'Single' superphosphate. |
| Supplement |
Nutritional additive (salt,
protein, phosphorus, etc.) intended to remedy deficiencies of the
animal's diet. |
| Supplementary
Enterprises |
Enterprises for which the level of
production of one can be increased without affecting the level of
production of the other. |
| Supplementary
Feed |
Feed given to animals to supplement
pasture. It may consist of hay,
grain, silage, concentrates. |
| Supply |
The
amounts of a product or service that will be offered for sale at a
range of prices c.f. Demand |
| Supply chain |
The system of organizations, people, technology,
activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or
service from supplier to customer. |
| Surface active agents |
Substances
added to active ingredients to influence their wetting and spreading
properties. These are also known as
"surfactants".
• Wetting agents
Assist in the suspension, mixing and stability of sprays. They also
help in
the deposition of spray droplets onto plant surfaces, i.e. "wet" the
leaves.
• Spreading agents
Enable the droplets, once they have contacted and "
wet" the leaves, to spread across the plant surface. Their action is
through a reduction in the surface tension of the spray droplet. Many
wetting agents,
included in the formulated product to help suspend the material in the
spray diluent, also act as spreading agents. |
| Surfactant |
(surface active agent). Materials
used in herbicide formulations to bring about emulsifiability,
spreading, wetting, sticking, dispersibility, solubilization or other
surface-modifying properties. |
| Surplus Milk |
Prior to de-regulation of milk
industry - excess milk production over and above the allocated quota.
Paid at a lower price. |
| Surrogate
Variable |
Are those that substitute for ones
that cannot easily be measured. |
| Surry
wools |
Wool
containing burrs such as clover burr and Bathurst burr. |
| Suspension |
A
dispersion of insoluble solid particles throughout a liquid. As with
emulsions, the
smaller the particle size of the material the more stable the
suspension. |
| Suspension
Capacity |
Ability of the air above the soil
to hold soil particles as dust. |
| Suspension Fence |
A fence with longer than usual
spans between posts using high tensile wire. |
| Sustainability |
In agriculture, sustainable
practices are those which are, and will continue to be, profitable for
farmers; that will conserve soil and water resources and protect the
environment; and that will assure adequate and safe food supplies. |
| Sustainable
Agriculture |
Is a set of goals or objectives for
agricultural systems. It is about managing the land with a healthy
ecological balance, a sensitivity to the land's capabilities, using
technologies and practices which have minimal impact while maintaining
production and economic viability. See Pannell
and Schilizzi |
| Sustainable
Development |
Development that meets the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their needs. |
| Sustainable
Society |
A society which, through population
control, land care and control of pollutants, is capable of permanent
quality of life. c.f. conservation,
stewardship role. |
| Sustained Yield |
Production of specified resources
or commodities at a given rate for a designated unit of time. |
| Swampy Back |
A depresion in the back of a sheep
between the shoulders and the loin. |
| Sward |
A community of pasture
plants. |
| Swath |
The
strip of a surface, appearing in the wake of a machine, which has been
covered or treated by the machine, e.g. the swath of a combine
harvester. |
| Swath grazing |
A grazing system used in cold climates where annual
cereals are planted in summer and swather (cut) in autumn to provide
feed for animals in winter. |
| Sweat
locks |
Short,
heavy condition wool staples from the upper inside of the legs |
| Sweating |
Method
of de-woolling skins dependent on induced bacterial degradation to
loosen the wool.
Used principally in France. |
| Sweepo |
Person
who sweeps the shearing board clean during shearing.
Also called broomie. |
| Swinging
foot |
Where
the foot is not fixed to
the post other than by the foot wire.
It is rammed separately into the post hole. |
| Switchgear |
Apparatus for the operation,
regulation and control of electrical installations. |
| Symbiosis |
An obligate relationship between
two organisms
of different species living together in close association for their
mutual benefit e.g. Legume-rhizobium symbiosis for
nitrogen fixation. |
| Synecology |
Ecology of communities as opposed
to individual species See autecology |
| Synergistic
Effect |
Combined activity of agencies e.g.
drugs, hormones, which separately influence a certain process in the
same direction such that an effect is produced greater than sum of
effects of each agency acting alone. |
| Synthetic Toxins |
Chemicals from man-made products
which accumulate to levels injurious to plants and animals. |
| System |
An organised unitary whole composed
of two or more interdependent parts, components, or subsystems and
delineated by identifiable boundaries (based on the inclusion of all
significant feedbacks) from its environmental
suprasystem. See hard,
soft system and subsystem. |
| System
function |
How a system operates or works |
| System
Operation |
Includes production and management and the flow of
materials,
energy, information, labour, machinery, and capital into, out of and
within the system; and the annual calendar of activities. |
| System Structure |
See Structure (of a
system) |
| Systemic |
Generally distributed throughout an
organism. |
| Systems Analysis |
An integrated, step by step
approach for helping a decision maker choose a course of action by
investigating the full problem, searching out objectives and
alternatives, and comparing them in the light of their consequences,
using an appropriate framework (in so far as possible analytic and
quantitative) to bring expert judgement and intuition to bear on the
problem. |
| Systems
Approach |
The systems approach is a
methodology for dealing objectively, and, as often as practicable,
scientifically, with the complexity of systems. Systems thinking is a
way to broaden the analysis in the direction of holism. cf. holistic |
| Systems Boundary |
See Boundary. |
| Systems theory |
An interdisciplinary field of science and the study of
the nature of complex systems in nature, society, and science. More
specifically, it is a framework by which one can analyse and/or
describe any group of objects that work in concert to produce some
result. |
