THE HAY BARN GLOSSARY

Paddock - A grazing area that is a subdivision of a grazing management unit and is enclosed and separated from other areas by a fence or barrier.

Palatability - The relish with which a particular species or plant part is consumed by an animal.

Pasture — Land used for livestock grazing or forage harvesting that is managed to provide feed value and maintain or improve soil, water, and vegetative resources. See pastureland.

Pastureland — Land used for livestock grazing or forage harvesting that is managed to provide feed value and maintain or improve soil, water, and vegetative resources. See pasture.

Premium - A physical description of hay quality. Early maturity, i.e., pre-bloom in legumes and pre-head in grass hays, extra leafy and fine stemmed-factors indicative of a high nutritive content. Hay is green and free of damage.

Perennial - A plant or group of plants that persists for several years, usually with new growth from a perennating part.

pH - A numerical measure of the acidity of a soil. The neutral point is pH 7.0. All pH values below 7.0 are acid and all above are alkaline.

Phloem Vascular tissue of plants that conducts synthesised foods e.g. sugars, proteins, through the plant.

Plains bluestem - A perennial, warm-season forage which stockpiles well and should last well into the winter with adequate protein supplement.

Prairie grass hay - The industry generally recognizes prairie hay as a native grass. It is normally described and traded as prairie grass hay and the quality is understood by the industry. Since prairie grass is usually cut only once a year, specifying the time of cut (i.e., early, mid, or late, cutting season) should provide additional information on the hay quality.

Producer — A person who engages in the business of growing or producing food, fiber, feed, and other agricultural-based consumer products.

Protein, crude - An estimate of protein content based on a determination of total nitrogen (N) content multiplied by 6.25 because proteins average about 16% N.

Proximate analysis - Analytical system for feedstuffs that includes the determination of ash, crude fiber, crude protein, ether extract, moisture (dry matter), and nitrogen-free extract.

The Hay Barn Glossary