Agriculture and Weather Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering farming, agricultural machinery, farm types, land tillage, severe natural phenomena, and seasonal weather patterns.

Plough (Plow)

An agricultural implement used to turn over soil and dig a furrow before planting seeds.

Combine harvester

A farm machine designed to reap, thresh, and clean grain in a single operation.

Sheaf

A bundle of cut grain stalks bound tightly together after reaping.

Threshing machine

A mechanical device that separates grain seeds from the stalks and straw.

Intercrop

A secondary crop grown in the spaces between rows of a main crop.

Farmstead

A farmhouse along with its adjacent agricultural outbuildings and farmyard.

Oast

A specialized building or kiln used specifically for drying hops.

Micro-farm

A small-scale farm that typically covers an area of less than $5\,acres$.

Subsistence farm

A farm that produces food primarily to feed the owners, yielding little to no surplus for commercial sale.

Commercial farm

A large-scale farm operated mainly to produce crops and livestock to generate an income.

Polyculture farm

A mixed farm that simultaneously cultivates multiple crops or rears different kinds of livestock.

Lying fallow

Leaving arable land uncultivated and unseeded for a growing season to restore soil fertility.

Drought

A prolonged period of abnormally dry weather caused by a severe lack of rainfall.

Waterborne diseases

Infectious illnesses caused by microscopic pathogens transmitted through contaminated flood water.

Landslide (Landslip)

The rapid downward sliding of a heavy mass of earth, rocks, or debris from a mountain or cliff.

Black ice

A thin, transparent, and extremely hazardous layer of ice formed on road surfaces.

Dog days

The hottest, most sultry, and oppressive period of the summer season.

Heat haze

An atmospheric distortion caused by hot air shimmer rising from ground heated by high temperatures.

Pea-souper

A very thick, yellowish fog historically common in British industrial cities.

Smog

An atmospheric fog heavily intensified by smoke, soot, and industrial air pollutants.

Hoarfrost

A grayish-white deposit of ice crystals that forms on cold ground surfaces or foliage during freezing conditions.

Sleet

Precipitation consisting of frozen raindrops or a cold mixture of melting snow and rain.

Barometer (The glass)

An instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure to predict oncoming weather shifts.

Weather vane

A revolving device placed atop a building to show the direction from which the wind is blowing.

Sunny spell

A brief period of bright sunshine occurring between cloud cover or showers.

Driving rain

Heavy, pelting rainfall propelled forcefully by high wind gusts.