Glossary
Raising Small-Scale Livestock for Profit

Agricultural Zoning
Zoning regulations are put in place for the overall welfare of the community and are divided into separate and distinct categories.  Agricultural zoning is a type of zoning used by communities that wish to protect the viability of agriculture in their region by setting aside land, typically isolated from housing developments, to be used for agricultural purposes.   Agricultural zoning aims to limit the density of development and maintain the integrity of farm and ranch lands.

American Grassfed Association (AGA) and Pasture Finished Ruminant Standards
The American Grassfed Association (AGA) and Pasture Finished Ruminant Standards emphasize open pasture, humane animal care, preclusion of the use of antibiotics and hormones, the production of nutritious and healthy meats, and support for family farms.   Products from grassfed animals include beef, bison, lamb, pork, poultry, eggs and dairy products.

American Humane Certified
The American Humane Certified program (formerly known as the Free Farmed program) provides third-party, independent verification that certified producers’ care and handling of farm animals meets the science-based animal welfare standards of the American Humane Association.  

American Meat Institute
AMI is a national trade association that represents companies that process 95 percent of red meat and 70 percent of turkey in the US and their suppliers throughout America.   Based near Washington DC, AMI stays on top of legislation, regulation and media activity that impacts the meat and poultry industry and provides rapid updates and analyses to its members to help them stay informed. AMI also conducts scientific research designed to help meat and poultry companies improve their plants and products. 

Ammonia
Ammonia is an important atmospheric pollutant that plays a key role in several air pollution problems. It is a corrosive substance and exposure to high concentrations of ammonia in air causes burning of the eyes, nose, throat and respiratory tract and can result in blindness, lung damage or death. Inhalation of lower concentrations can cause coughing, and nose and throat irritation.  Emissions of ammonia from livestock farming are responsible for the acidification and eutrophication in the environment.

Animal Welfare
Animal welfare refers to both the physical and psychological well-being of animals, which is measured by indicators including behavior, physiology, longevity, and reproduction.  There are human concerns about livestock animal ethics and rights with respect to how the animals are treated, how they live, and how they are killed.

Animal Welfare Approved
Animal Welfare Approved is an organization that audits and certifies family farms’ humane treatment of their animals according to the standards of the World Society for the Protection of Animals.  AWA is the only free third-party animal welfare certification program.

Antibiotics (with respect to livestock production)
Antibiotics, also called antibacterials, are used to fight bacterial infections.    Livestock animals are regularly given doses of antibiotics once one animal is diagnosed with an infection as a preventative measure since they cannot be treated individually due to the large scale.  Antibiotics also cause weight gain in the animals.  There is concern over this practice because excessive use can cause bacterial resistance to antibiotics in animals, and can go un-metabolized into the environment.   

Audits
An audit is an evaluation of a person, organization, system, process, enterprise, project or product conducted by an independent body.

Beak Trimming
Beak trimming is removing part of the top and bottom parts of the beak.  It is also called de-beaking; however, the beak is not completely removed.   It is done in commercial poultry operations to prevent injuries and death caused by cannibalism, bullying and feather and vent pecking.  This is often considered controversial to animal rights activists, as it is considered to be a painful experience for the bird.

Cage-free
Laying hens are “cage-free” as long as they are not at any time confined to cages.  However, this designation implies nothing about other aspects of the birds’ welfare.

Candling
Candling is a procedure used to determine the quality of eggs.  It is done in a darkened room with the egg held before a light. The light penetrates the egg and makes it possible to observe the inside of the egg. This helps determine the condition of the air cell, yolk, and white. It detects bloody whites, blood spots, or meat spots, and enables observation of germ development. 

Castration
Castration is the removal of reproductive organs of animals, either male or female, to prevent conception.  The purpose of castration is not only to prevent reproduction, but to improve the fattening and meat production capability and to make the animal more docile and easy to handle. This procedure is sometimes seen as questionable and painful procedure by animal welfare supporters.  

Certified
The term "certified" implies that the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Agriculture Marketing Service have officially evaluated a meat product for class, grade, or other quality characteristics.  When used under other circumstances, the term must be closely associated with the name of the organization responsible for the certification process, e.g., "HFAC Certified Humane."

Certified Humane
Certified Humane is a certification and labeling program whose stated goal is to improve the lives of farm animals by driving consumer demand for kinder and more responsible farm animal practices and to assure consumers that certified products meet the Certified Humane standards.

Certified Naturally Grown:
Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) is a non-profit organization that offers certification tailored for small-scale, direct-market farmers and beekeepers using natural methods.  CNG farms do not use any synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or GMO seeds, just like organic farms.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Community Supported Agriculture is based on a community of individuals who pledge in advance as “shareholders” to support a farm operation so that the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production. In return, consumers receive shares in the farm's production throughout the growing season. Through direct sales to community members, who have provided the farmer with working capital in advance, growers receive more stable prices for their crops, gain some financial security, and are relieved of much some marketing tasks also. 

Confinement (pertaining to livestock)
Confinement housing of livestock consists of very dense structures that are concentrated on a relatively small land base. Defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a confined animal feeding operation is one that confines animals for more than 45 days during a growing season, in an area that does not produce vegetation, and that meets certain size thresholds. 

Cooperative
Cooperatives, often referred to as co-ops, are collectively owned and managed institutions managed in cooperation with others for their mutual social, economic, and cultural benefit. 

Disbudding
Disbudding, also called dehorning, is a common practice done to remove horns from animals to prevent injury to other animals and humans.  It is often done in the first week of the animal’s life.

Earmarking
Earmarking is a cut or mark made on the ear of livestock to show ownership, year of birth, or gender.  

Ear notching
Ear notching is the practice of cutting a small section out of the edge of a pig’s ear soon after birth for identification purposes.  There are a few different systems used for ear notching, but the most common one is the 1-3-9 system.

Egg Safety Action Plan
The Egg Safety Action Plan is a U.S. FDA regulation that requires preventive measures during the production of eggs in poultry houses and requires subsequent refrigeration during storage and transportation.  This regulation was put in place to prevent foodborne illnesses and deaths caused by eggs contaminated with the bacterium Salmonella.

Euthanasia
Euthanasia is an act often done to elderly or sick animals suffering from an incurable, and especially a painful, disease or condition.  It is a practice that puts animals to death painlessly or by allowing them to die by withholding extreme medical care.

Environmental Stewardship
Environmental stewardship is an ethic that represents responsible planning and management of natural resources. When raising livestock, this includes using best management practices for manure and pasture management, properly disposing of your animal mortalities, monitoring and managing storm water runoff from your operation, mitigating dust and odors, and maintaining quality housing and animal environments.  Environmental stewardship is related to, and can have an effect on, biosecurity, animal health, and food safety and quality.

Fly Strike
Fly Strike, also known as Myiasis, is a disease that often infects sheep, cattle, deer, and rabbits.  It can also affect humans.  It is caused by fly larvae that feed on both dead and living tissue.  The files lay their eggs on susceptible tissue such as open wounds, skin that is made wet by urine or feces, eye drainage, matted hair or poor skin conditions.  The fly larvae tunnel under the host’s skin, causing fluid and protein loss which leads to painful lesions that can become infected if left untreated.

Food Alliance
Food Alliance (FA) offers comprehensive certification programs that build upon USDA organic standards.  FA standards appeal to North American producers whose values include minimization of environmental impact, the humane treatment of animals, and fair labor practices.

Free-Range
According to the USDA, free-range poultry must be allowed access to the outside.  However, it is not specified that poultry have access to grass or other pasture.  By definition, other free-range livestock are those that are allowed to roam freely and are not confined in any manner.  However, the USDA definition applies only to poultry.

Food Safety and Inspection Service
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health agency responsible for ensuring that the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged. 

Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)
Genetic modification is a process that involves the deletion or insertion of specific genes into plant or animal DNA for the purpose of enhancing desirable traits in the plant or animal. Genetically-modified organisms have had alterations made to their DNA with the use of genetic engineering techniques.

Global Animal Partnership
Global Animal Partnership is a nonprofit organization founded in 2008 with the goal of improving the welfare of animals in agriculture.  Comprising farmers, scientists, ranchers, retailers and animal advocates, Global Animal Partnership’s 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating Standards program recognizes and rewards producers for their welfare practices, promotes and facilitates continuous improvement, and better informs consumers about various production systems.  Independent, third-party certification companies perform the audits of animal production operations.

Grade A
Grade A indicates the highest quality product that is virtually free of defects. In meat this refers to carcass maturity, firmness, texture, and color of lean, and the amount and distribution of marbling within the lean. In milk, this refers to milk produced under sufficiently sanitary conditions to qualify for fluid (beverage) consumption.

Grading
Livestock grading is dependent on the type of livestock.  It provides a uniform system  to facilitates the production, marketing, and distribution of livestock, an livestock products such as meats and dairy.

Grassfed
The term “grassfed” currently does not imply adherence to official standards.  The American Grassfed Association, through its AGA Grassfed certification program, is pushing the USDA to adopt a formal definition for “grassfed.” 

Grass Finished
Grass-finished beef refers to cattle that are not finished on grain, as many cattle typically are, but are either moved to or remain on pasture until slaughter. There is no certifying program to substantiate this claim.

Growth Hormones
Growth hormones help animals grow faster and increase muscle mass while minimizing fat production.  Common genetically engineered hormones rbGH and rbST are commonly used in dairy cattle to increase milk production.  

Halal and Zabiah Halal
Products prepared by federally inspected meat packing plants identified with labels bearing references to "Halal" or "Zabiah Halal" must be handled according to Islamic law and under Islamic authority.

Heritage Breed
Heritage breeds are traditional livestock breeds with unique genetic traits that were raised by farmers in the past, before the current reduction of breed variety.  However, there is no official definition or certification for “heritage” animals.

Humane Farm Animal Care 
Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) is a nonprofit organization that has developed industry-independent, scientifically-sound standards to protect the welfare of animals during the food production process. The organization offers a certification and labeling program to ensure that animals providing meat, eggs, dairy and poultry to consumers are raised according to HFAC Animal Care standards from birth through slaughter.

Humanely Raised
An unregulated term implying the humane treatment of food production animals.

Husbandry
Husbandry is the careful management and breeding of livestock based on scientific principles in agriculture.

Kosher
Kosher foods are those that are processed and prepared according to the customs and beliefs of the Jewish faith.  Kosher animal products must pass inspection by an agency or individuals authorized by the Jewish faith.

Litter
Bedding placed on the floor in livestock housing used to manage animal manure and urine, maintain air quality, and prevent diseases.  Absorbent materials, such as straw, wood shavings, sawdust, and shredded sugar cane, are often used.  

Livestock
Domestic animals, such as cattle, horses, and poultry, that are raised for home consumption or for commercial production, but are not kept as pets.  Typically livestock reside on a farm or ranch.  

Manure management
Manure management involves managing the chemical and biological factors that influence the decomposition of livestock manure, which is primarily water and organic matter, in order to decrease environmentally degrading emissions.  There are different types of manure management systems such as “dry” or “liquid.”

Milk Hauler
Milk haulers are licensed by state governments to represent the producers, processors, and the regulatory agencies. The hauler methodically and carefully brings the milk from the dairy farm to the lab to grade it and determine the quality and acceptability of the milk in each milk tank. These sample collections are fundamental to the process of evaluating the producer's milk to determine compliance with legal bacteriological and chemical standards and for milk fat.  These results are used for payment and quality control.

Milk Receiving Station
A receiving station is a facility that receives, collects, handles, stores, or cools raw milk for transfer to a dairy plant.   

Milk Sampler
A milk sampler collects milk samples from farms, dairy plants, and tank cars and trucks for laboratory analysis.  

Milk Tester
Milk testers test milk or cream by various methods for the purpose of determining the percentage of butterfat or milk fat.  They are required to hold a current tester's license in the state they are working. 

Molting
Feathers are lifeless structures that must be replaced once or twice a year since they cannot be repaired.  A bird will molt in response to hormonal changes that are brought about by seasonal changes or lifecycle period and will shed either part or all of its feathers.  Molting rejuvenates the hens’ reproductive system. Forced molting refers to the practice of causing an entire flock of hens to molt simultaneously, by altering light and withholding food and water. 

National Organic Program
The USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) regulates the standards for any farm, wild crop harvesting, or handling operation that wants to sell an agricultural product labeled as organically produced. 

Natural
“Natural” is a commonly used label by food producers but has no relevance to animal welfare.  Thus, it can be misleading to consumers and does not signify product differentiation for producers.

Nose Rings
Nose rings are most commonly given to pigs and bulls through the nasal septum.  It prevents pigs from rooting, which prevents damage to pastures but is a natural behavior for the pig.  It is often a requirement for bulls in agricultural shows and is used to assist the handler in controlling the animal.  It is considered to be a painful experience for the animal and is banned in many European countries.

No Antibiotics
The terms "no antibiotics added" may be used on labels for meat or poultry products if sufficient documentation is provided by the producer to the USDA demonstrating that the animals were raised without antibiotics.

No Hormones
The term "no hormones administered" may be approved for use on the label of beef products, if sufficient documentation is provided to the USDA by the producer, showing no hormones have been used in raising the animals.  Since hormones are not allowed in the raising of pigs or poultry, the label “no hormones added” can only be used if it is followed by the statement, “Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones.”

Omega-3 Eggs
An unregulated term that implies that hens have been fed feeds like flax and canola (a source of one type of omega-3) or fishmeal and algae (sources of two other types of omega-3) in order to increase the presence of a fatty acid which has been shown in rigorous, large-scale studies to slow the buildup of plaque in the arteries, lower triglycerides in the blood, and reduce the risk of irregular heartbeat and of cardiac events in people who have already suffered a heart attack. However, in eggs it may be difficult to consume enough to realize those benefits, especially given that eggs are high in cholesterol.

Organic Cost Share Program
A program developed by the USDA that reimburses eligible producers for portions of the costs of obtaining organic certification.  The program recognizes the prohibitive factors of certification and allows for it to be more affordable.   

Pasteurization
A heat treatment originally developed to kill the bacterium that causes tuberculosis.  Pasteurization is effective in destroying the bacteria in milk that cause tuberculosis,
salmonellosis, diphtheria, typhoid fever, and other illnesses without adversely affecting the milk’s nutritional content, flavor or quality.  

Pasture Raised (or Pastured)
According to the USDA, “pasture raised” poultry and livestock “…are raised outdoors using movable enclosures located on grass and fed an organic diet (free of hormones or non-organic additives) and/or raised without antibiotics.”

Retail Food Establishment License
Retail food establishment licenses are required for retail operations that serve, store, prepare, or package food for sale to consumers directly or indirectly through a delivery service.

Roosting
Roosting is when birds, typically in groups, perch above ground in a tree or provided object to sleep or rest.  

Ruminants
Ruminants are various hoofed, even-toed, usually horned mammals such as cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and giraffes. They characteristically have a stomach that is divided into four compartments and chew a cud consisting of regurgitated, partially-digested food.

Stocking Density
Stocking density refers to the number of animals per unit area in a drylot pen or pasture, the number of animals per free stall in a free stall pen, or the number of feet of bunk space. An important step in improving the production efficiency of a livestock system is to consider the interrelationship between space, time and the number of animals those conditions will support.

Tail Docking
Tail docking, or tailing, is done in commercial agriculture for a variety of reasons.  It can prevent injury from other animals chewing or biting each other’s tails when kept in close quarters.  It is also done to prevent disease from feces build up, as is often the case with sheep.  Incorrect tail docking can result in other problems for the animal.

Toe Trimming
A practice in poultry farming that amputates the bird’s toes just behind the claw in order to reduce claw-related injuries.  It is thought to be a painful procedure for the bird.

United Egg Producers Certified
United Egg Producers (UEP) is a certifying organization made up of members that have a commitment to house and manage their animals at the highest levels of husbandry and welfare.  The UEP Certified program and the resulting seal featured on egg cartons is assurance to customers and foodservice representatives that those eggs originate from farms dedicated to following responsible, science-based farming methods designed to ensure hen welfare. 

USDA Organic
The 1990 Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) established uniform national standards for the production and handling of foods labeled as “organic.” The Act authorized a new USDA National Organic Program (NOP) to set national standards for the production, handling and processing of organically grown agricultural products. Producers who meet standards set by the NOP may label their products as “USDA Certified Organic.”

Vegetarian Feed
Vegetarian feed contains no animal by-products.  This feed includes grasses, hay, silage, corn, and other feed found on pasture or in a field.  An animal fed vegetarian feed is not necessarily raised outdoors.

Voluntary National Poultry Improvement Plan
The National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) is a completely volunteer-run effort established in the 1930s where individuals with a responsibility for disease prevention had their flock tested for pullorum-typhoid disease.

Weaning
Weaning is a natural process mammals go through as they gradually stop consuming their mother’s milk and start eating foods that will be their adult diet.  There are many agricultural practices that can minimize this stressful time for livestock infants.  

Zoning
Zoning is used by local governments to regulate the uses and/or development forms of land and provide property owners and the government agency with an expectation of how areas will develop and change over time. Land use limitations may apply to the height of buildings, use of green space, density (number of structures in a certain area), use of lots, and types of businesses. There are many types of zoning including municipal, county, residential, commercial, industrial, historic, agricultural and rural.