farm glossary

alfalfa plant grown to feed cattle.
bale a pressed package of hay.
barbed sharp, metal points, usually on a fence
boll seed pod
branding cattle mark made by burning animal with a hot iron that shows who owns the cattle
breed a kind of animal or to mate animals
comb fleshy top piece on the head of a chicken.
conveyor belt a machine that moves something from one place to another.
corn husks outer, leafy covering of corn
cotton swabs small sticks with cotton on the end of them. Q-tips.
cross-pollinate where the pollen from one flower goes by wind, bees, or other ways to another plant.
digest after food is eaten, when the body does this, it breaks down food into parts that the body can use.
embryo a young animal or living thing.
fowl birds raised for food
graze to eat what grows on the ground in a pasture or field.
hen mature female chicken
herd a bunch of cattle.
kernel seed
lacquers a varnish; shiny stuff put on the wood of furniture to protect it
livestock farm animals raised for use or to sell.
pasture land used for grazing
protein extra vitamins and minerals put into animal food.
pullet female chicken under 1 year old
reproduce make babies
rodent a rat, or mouse.
rayon a kind of clothing material.
roost place where chickens spend the night; also called a perch
ruminant any animal that chews something that it has already swallowed.
selective breeding mating animals so that they produce a baby that has the characteristics that the farmer or rancher wants.
Tassel silky strands at the top of the corn plant.
textile woven or knit cloth.
trough a long, shallow container that holds animal food or water OR a shallow ditch where manure goes before it is taken away.
wattle fleshy piece on the neck of poultry