Agricultural Language

B

Betsy Og

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Like most industries, farming has its own lingo, probably made more complicated by colloquial and regional expressions. Most of this seems to surround dairying which, though I'm from a farming area, I know little about, therefore list and explain words or phrases that arent obvious or outline and rebut common myths etc: (Macra should have a dictionary section on their site but dont)

to start off:

beastings - milk produces by cow in first few days after calving, very good for calf due to anti-bodies etc. passed on, not suitable for creamery

calving jack - device hooked on to calfs legs and cows hind quarters, working on the ratchet principle, to pull the calf. To be used with care to avoid horror film sequence, might be best left to vet.

(any takers for stripper, springer, explaining the different categories of heifers etc. etc.)
 
Have been duly informed by my work colleague that a "Springer" is a cow or heifer about to give birth. For the last month or so of pregnancy her udder starts to spring (grow/swell) in preparation for milk production.

A "Stripper" is an old cow well past her prime.

A "Maiden" is a virgin heifer, ready for mating - usually between 1 and 1 1/2 yrs old.

BB
 
Chorioptic Mange Mite and Sarcoptic Mange Mite (I thought the latter was 'psychotic mange mite' for years :) )
 
Ah the good ol' days of agricultural ads on TV and radio.Took me ages to figure out what AI was. After that i counldn't sit in the same room as my parents when the radio was on.
 
...and having "hoose", "warble fly" and "liver fluke" yelled at you from the radio while you had your lunch....yuch!
 
Seem to remember a radio ad. (a fairly long ad. at that!) that always seemed to be on in the ams about 'mastitus' in cows or something? Without fail every morning!
 
Why pick on agriculture for examples of arcane language? What about the world of finance. Terms like gearing for example. I recall a high powered businessman advising me on getting my "gearing" right some years ago. He has since gone bankrupt so he mustnt have understood the term either.

Hunting is one of the best for odd language but then all sports and societies have their own special terminology, probably to show up outsiders when they dare try and join the selected group. Ignorance of hunting was really obvious on the Joe Duffy show recently when callers referred to the hounds as "dogs" Then of course hounds dont have tails but have sterns. They dont bark but give tongue instead. Foxes dont live in burrows but in dens or earths. Squirrels live in dreys. Ok, back to agriculture. I do like the term stripper which you dont hear much nowadays but the term "canner" also referred to an old cow that was only fit for the canning trade ie. the lowest end of the meat business. Elderly and antagonistic ladies were also sometimes referred to disrespectfully as "aul canners"!!!

Finally, if the collective noun for a group of killer whales is a "pod" what is the collective noun for a group of stockbrokers? How does one describe a group of solicitors?? Oh dear, why do I automatically link these eminent people with killer whales?
 
Lads and Lassies

What about "the cow/heifer is bullin(g)" - meaning looking for AI or the bull

A fairly new one is "sponging" for ewes - all looking for the ram on the same day or week.

"Cut the bull" which you can guess makes the bull a bullock via an incision or by the "burdizzo" which can lead to a "rig" - one whose vasectomy was not a complete success, still a bit of a bull!

I tell ye I would rather if there was a living in it (and believe me on farms less than 150 acres there is not a full time one) putting the mastitis cure up the "teat " (never called that on a farm) than keeping vpn's and IT networks going!
 
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