Glossary

This glossary is intended as an explanation in plain language of certain terms frequently used in cattle production. It is not meant to be a scientific reference but simply a tool facilitating understanding of our site.

Backgrounding:	Growth phase of the feeder calf between weaning and finishing
BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy):	Progressive fatal diseases of the cattle nervous system associated with the presence of an abnormal protein called prion
Cull cattle:	Dairy or beef cattle at the end of their career marketed for meat
Dairy calf:	Young dairy calf marketed for growing for the purpose of veal production (generally males) or for dairy production (females)
Fed cattle:	Beef cattle grown for beef production
Feeder calf or cow-calf:	Feeder calf fed on its mother’s milk and pasture grass
Feedlot:	Pens used to grow the animals
Finishing:	Last phase of cattle production during which cattle are grown to an ideal weight for slaughter
Grain-fed calf:	Dairy calf fed mainly with grain corn for the purpose of veal production
Heifer:	Young female that has not yet given birth to a calf
Milk-fed calf:	Dairy calf fed mainly with milk (milk replacer) for the purpose of veal production
Preconditioning:	Action of preparing the feeder calf (vaccinating, weaning, castrating, dehorning, deworming) with the aim of continuing to grow it
Weaning:	Action of ceasing to feed a calf on a diet mainly consisting of milk to replace it with a solid diet