LC Agricultural Science Animal + Crop Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering pig, sheep, dairy, and beef production, as well as crop management (potatoes and kale) and general agricultural health and terminology.

Gilt

A young female pig that has not yet farrowed.

Sow

A female pig after she has had her first litter.

Boar

An entire (uncastrated) male pig.

Barrow

A castrated male pig.

Weaner

A piglet after it has been weaned from the sow.

Farrowing

The process of giving birth in pigs.

Gestation (Pig)

The pregnancy period of a sow, approximately $115$ days (memory aid: $3$ months, $3$ weeks, and $3$ days).

FSH

Follicle Stimulating Hormone; responsible for follicle development in pigs.

Oestrogen

Hormone responsible for heat/oestrus behaviour in pigs.

LH

Luteinizing Hormone; responsible for triggering ovulation in pigs.

Progesterone

Hormone responsible for maintaining pregnancy.

Oxytocin

Hormone responsible for uterine contractions and milk let-down.

Prolactin

Hormone responsible for milk production.

Creep Feed

High-quality feed introduced to piglets before weaning to help the gut adapt to solid feed.

MMA

A disease complex in sows standing for Mastitis-Metritis-Agalactia, resulting in poor milk production and a sick sow.

FCR/FCE

Feed Conversion Ratio/Efficiency; the ability of an animal to turn feed into live weight gain (Lower FCR is better).

Ewe

An adult female sheep.

Ram

A male sheep used for breeding.

Wether

A castrated male sheep.

Hogget

A young sheep between $1$ and $2$ years old.

Lamb

A young sheep under $1$ year old.

Prolificacy

The number of lambs born or reared per ewe mated (e.g., $1.7$ lambs per ewe).

Flushing

The practice of increasing the plane of nutrition for ewes before mating to increase the ovulation rate.

Flystrike

An infestation where maggots from blowflies attack dirty or wet fleece, causing pain and infection.

Dagging

The removal of dirty wool from around the sheep's tail to prevent flystrike.

Synchronisation

Using hormone treatments, such as progesterone sponges, to ensure ewes come into heat at the same time.

Colostrum

The first milk produced after birth, high in antibodies and energy, vital for passive immunity.

Spring Calving

A dairy system aimed at matching peak grass growth with peak milk production to reduce feed costs.

Body Condition Score (BCS)

A measure of fat cover; for dairy cows, the ideal score before calving is around $3.0-3.25$.

Dry Period

A rest period of about $6-8$ weeks before calving when a cow is not milked to allow for udder repair.

Mastitis

An inflammation or infection of the udder characterized by clots in milk and swollen quarters.

Milk Fever

A calcium deficiency occurring around calving, causing weakness or a 'downer cow.'

Ketosis

A metabolic disorder caused by an energy deficit after calving.

Milk Solids

The fat and protein content of milk, which determines payment and processing value.

Calf Digestive System Development

The transition where a calf's rumen develops from eating hay, straw, and concentrates, while the abomasum handles milk initially.

Oesophageal Groove

A groove that directs milk past the rumen to the abomasum in young calves to prevent fermentation.

Compensatory Growth

Faster growth after a period of restricted feeding when animals return to high nutrition (e.g., spring grass).

ADG/DWG

Average Daily Gain / Daily Weight Gain; calculated as weight gained divided by the number of days.

Creep Grazing

A management system where young animals access fresh grass through a creep gate that excludes older animals.

Livestock Unit (LU)

A standard unit (where $1$ unit = one mature dairy cow) used to compare the grazing demand of different animals.

Stocking Rate

The total number of livestock units per hectare ($LU/ha$).

Kill-out Percentage

The proportion of the live animal that becomes saleable carcass, calculated as (carcass weight / live weight) $\times 100$.

Earthing Up

The process of mounding soil around potato shoots to protect tubers from frost, light, and greening.

Potato Blight

A disease caused by the fungus-like organism $Phytophthora\,infestans$, causing leaf lesions and tuber rot.

Solanine

A poisonous glycoalkaloid found in potatoes that have turned green due to light exposure.

Chitting

Pre-sprouting seed potatoes before planting to lead to faster emergence.

Kale

A forage/catch crop used for out-wintering or grazing livestock in autumn and winter.

Poaching

Compaction and damage to wet/soft soil caused by animal hooves.

Volatilisation

The loss of nitrogen to the atmosphere, specifically ammonia from urea or slurry.

Legumes

Plants like clover and peas that fix nitrogen with $Rhizobium$ bacteria in their root nodules.

Gramineae

The family of plants including grasses and cereals (monocots) like wheat, barley, and oats.

Stubble

The residue and stem bases left in a field after a cereal crop has been harvested.

Pathogen

A disease-causing organism, such as a bacterium, virus, fungus, or protozoan.

Zoonosis

A disease or infection that can be transmitted from animals to humans (e.g., ringworm, TB).

Babesia/Redwater

A protozoan parasite spread by ticks that causes red urine in cattle due to blood cell breakdown.

Grass Tetany

A magnesium ($Mg$) deficiency disease in livestock, often occurring on lush spring grass.

Twin Lamb Disease

An energy deficiency occurring in late pregnancy in ewes carrying multiple lambs.

Deficiency Disease

A disease caused by the lack of a specific nutrient, mineral, or vitamin (e.g., anaemia from lack of iron).

CAP

Common Agricultural Policy.

BOD

Biochemical Oxygen Demand; the oxygen required by microbes to break down organic matter in water.

Hydroponics

The method of growing plants in a water-based nutrient solution instead of soil.

Pheromones

Chemical scents released by animals that affect the behavior of others, often used for heat detection.