Business / Agriculture Glossary

Animal Drugs: Drugs intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in animals. The Food and Drug Administration has the broad mandate under the Federal Food Drug . . . View Full Definition

Animal Feeding Operation: Facilities where animals are kept and raised in confined situations: feed is brought to the animals. The General Accounting Office estimates that there are 450,000 such operations nationwide . . . View Full Definition

Animal Identification And Traceback: Currently, the private marketing system, assisted by computerization of records, generally can trace products back to their original suppliers, although not necessarily all the way to the fa . . . View Full Definition

Animal Protein: Protein used in livestock feed that is derived from meatpacking or rendering plants, surplus milk or milk products, and marine sources.

Animal Unit: A standard measure, based on feed requirements, used to combine various classes of livestock according to size, weight, age, and use. For federal lands, an animal unit represents one mature . . . View Full Definition

Animal Unit Month (AUM): An animal unit month (AUM) is the amount of forage needed to sustain one animal unit, or its equivalent, for one month. Grazing fees for federal lands are charged by animal unit months or he . . . View Full Definition

Animal Welfare Act: P.L. 89-544 (August 24, 1966) was enacted to curb the theft and mistreatment of dogs and cats for experimental and research purposes. The principal federal animal protection law, it has been . . . View Full Definition

Antemortem: Before slaughter. As used in the meat and poultry inspection program, the term refers to the examination that USDA meat inspectors are required to conduct of all live animals just before the . . . View Full Definition

Antibiotics: Chemical substances produced by microorganisms or synthetically that inhibit the growth of, or destroy, bacteria. Antibiotics are used at therapeutic levels to fight disease in humans and an . . . View Full Definition

Antidumping Duty: A duty or levy imposed under authority of Title VII of the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930. Title VII states that if the U.S. Department of Commerce determines that an imported product is being sold . . . View Full Definition

Appraised Stumpage Price (Or Appraised Rate): On national forests, the Forest Service estimate of the market price for timber to be cut and removed. It cannot be less than the base rates. The appraised price is the advertised minimum fo . . . View Full Definition

Aquaculture: The National Aquaculture Act of 1980 defines aquaculture as 'the propagation and rearing of aquatic species in controlled or selected environments, including ocean ranching.' The Act divides . . . View Full Definition

Aquifer: An underground geological formation, or group of formations, containing usable amounts of groundwater that can supply wells or springs for domestic, industrial, and irrigation uses. Removing . . . View Full Definition

Area Yield Options Contract: A contract entitling the holder to receive a payment when the area yield is below (above) the put (call) option strike yield. The strike yield is the yield at which the holder of an option c . . . View Full Definition

Arid: A relatively dry climate in which annual precipitation is less than 10 inches, which generally is insufficient for crops to be grown without irrigation. Such areas usually are the focus of d . . . View Full Definition

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum: Established in 1989, APEC is a formal institution with a permanent secretariat located in Singapore. Its original 12 members include Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Japan, . . . View Full Definition

Asian Long-Horned Beetle: A serious pest of hardwood trees in its native China that by 1998 had been found in 14 states in the United States, where it has no known natural enemies. APHIS is now working to detect and . . . View Full Definition

Assessment: Generally an automatic or mandatory deduction from a producer’s marketing receipts used to fund activities that promote or otherwise support a particular farm product. Under certain agricult . . . View Full Definition

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