Barnyard vocabulary
Brush up on some of the common words used around the farm.
Bulk tank. A large refrigerated storage tank that holds fresh milk. As cows are milked, the milk travels though the milking machine and through pipes in the barn into a bulk tank. Milk trucks pick up milk from the farms every other day and bring it to a processing plant.
Butterfat. Also known as milkfat, this is the natural, fatty portion of milk.
Calf. A young heifer (female cattle) or bull (male cattle).
Compost. Soil fertilizer made with manure, leaves, sawdust, grass clippings, soil and water.
Cow. A mature female of cattle.
Cud. Partially digested food that is regurgitated from a cow’s rumen (stomach) into its mouth to be chewed again. A cow can spend 10 hours a day chewing her cud.
Culled from the herd. Said of a cow that been sold to market for beef.
Dry cow. A cow that is not producing milk.
Dry period (dried off). The time during which the cow does not produce milk. Typically for the last two months before a cow is due to freshen (give birth), a farmer will stop milking her. This allows the cow to relax her body and build up strength for the upcoming birth.
Forage. Cow feed that is high in fiber and low in nutrients, such as corn stalks; oat, barley or wheat grains; legumes; or grasses.
Free-stall barn. A building that provides farm animals with a clean, dry, comfortable resting area and easy access to food and water. Cows that are housed in free-stall barns are not restrained and are free to enter, lie down and leave the barn whenever they choose.
Freshen. To give birth to a calf.
Grain. A mixture of dried seeds from a variety of grasses.
Graze/Grazing. To eat the ground cover in a pasture.
Hay. Dried feed such as rye, alfalfa, clover, grass or oats. Hay is gathered by a piece of farm machinery (a baler) that processes it into rectangular or round bales.
Heifer. Young cow that has not yet given birth to a calf.
Herd. A group of cows on a dairy farm. Cows are often placed into herds with other cows their age (such as heifers) or milking status (such as dry cows).
Lactation period. The time during which a cow produces milk. Lactation begins for the cow after the birth of her calf and usually lasts 305 days.
Manure. Cow droppings, used as fertilizer because of the helpful bacteria and nutrients it contains.
Milking parlor. A special area on a dairy farm where cows are milked.
Organic farming. Organic refers to the way agricultural products—food and fiber—are grown and processed. Organic farming methods rely on healthy, rich soil to produce strong plants that resist pests and diseases. Toxic persistent pesticides and chemical fertilizers are not allowed. In the case of livestock such as dairy cows, antibiotics and artificial hormones are prohibited.
Pasture. Land that is covered in different types of grass or legumes. On a dairy farm, pastures are used for grazing dairy cows.
Roughage. Term used for high-fiber plants such as fruits, legumes, vegetables and whole grains.
Runoff. Water from rain, snowmelt or other sources that flows over the land surface and is a major component of the water cycle. Dairy farms take measures to control the amount of runoff from their farms through the use of drainage systems and retention ponds.
Silage. Fermented, high-moisture feed for dairy cows, made from corn and grass crops.
Silo. A tall storage facility that holds food for animals.
Teat. The part of a cow’s udder that the milk comes out of. Dairy cows commonly have four teats.
Udder. A sac that hangs from the underside of the cow’s belly between and in front of the hind legs, and holds the cow’s milk.
