fallow barren; to leave a field unseeded after plowing.
federal crop insurance insurance provided to farmers from the U.S. government to protect against unforeseen hardship, such as storm damage, early frosts, plant diseases, pests, etc.
feed a mix of grains and nutrients fed to livestock.
feed grains corn, milo, and soybeans.
feed lot an enclosed area where cattle are fed a high grade of feed to fatten them for market.
fertilizer any nutrient added to the soil to enrich it for growing crops.
flail a threshing or husk-loosening tool composed of two or more sticks attached by a chain that is swung at grain, largely outmoded due to modern harvesting methods.
flail chopper a machine used to cut and load standing forage crops.
fodder livestock feed, such as cornstalks, hay, and straw.
forage harvester a machine that cuts up forage such as corn.
4-H an agricultural organization through which children and teens learn various aspects of farming.
frost hollow a low area or hollow that tends to draw cold air from higher elevations and thus produces more killing frosts—avoided by farmers.
furrow the long channel or rut cut into soil by a plow.
grain elevator a large storage facility for grain, usually made up of multiple bins, silos, or tanks.
grange a local organization of farmers that serves as a social outlet and center for support.
green manure crop a crop, such as legumes, that restores nitrogen to the soil.
harrow an implement having either spikes or disks for leveling, breaking up clods, and refining plowed soil.
harvest to pick crops by hand, or to gather them through use of a farm machine, such as a combine.
harvester any reaping machine.
hay any grasses cut and prepared for livestock feed. As a verb, to cut and prepare grasses for fodder.
haycock see cock.
hayfork a pitchfork.
hayloft an upper story of a barn, where hay is stored.
headland the unplowed perimeter of a field, where the tractor and equipment can be driven and maneuvered without damaging crops.
herbicide any chemical used to kill weeds.
humus nutrient-rich part of soil that contains naturally composted plant matter or manure.
husbandry the business of farming.
hydroponic a method of growing through which plants are fed nutrients without the use of soil.
insecticide any chemical used to kill insects.
ley farming sowing an arable plot with grass to be used as pasture for several years.
livestock any farm animals, such as cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, or others, usually raised for profit.
manure waste matter from farm animals, often spread on soil to enrich it.
manure spreader a machine used to spread fertilizer uniformly.
moldboard plow the classic, wedge-shaped plow, used by farmers for centuries.
monoculture the raising of the same crop in the same fields year after year.
mower a machine that cuts or mows hay.
organic farming natural farming that uses no chemicals, artificial fertilizers, insecticides, etc.
pastoral farming the breeding and raising of cattle, sheep, horses, goats, reindeer, or other grass-eating animals.
pasture grass fields for grazing livestock.
pesticide any chemical used to kill insects.
planter a seeding machine that meters out and distributes seeds at uniform depths and intervals.
plow to turn over the soil to prepare it for planting, often done by a tractor. Also the tractor itself.
plowshare the cutting edge of a moldboard plow.
rake a tined or toothed implement pulled by a tractor to gather loose hay or to windrow hay for baling.
rotation of crops changing the type of crops grown in a field each year or every few years to help control weeds, pests, and diseases and to help maintain the fertility of the soil.
scythe an old-fashioned implement composed of a long, curving blade held by a bent handle, used for mowing and reaping.
sickle a small version of a scythe with a straight, one-handed handle.
silage chopped feed that may be composed of any numbers of crops, including grasses, corn, clover, or sorghum, and fermented in storage for use in winter.
silo a cylindrical storage building for fodder.
spreader any machine used to spread manure, lime, or other material in a uniform fashion.
straw the stems of plants, such as wheat, used for animal bedding.
subsistence farming crops and animals raised not to be sold but to be consumed by the farmer's family.
terracing plowing a shelf into a slope to slow water runoff.
thresh to separate grains or seeds from straw by beating the stems and husks.
thresher a machine that threshes.
tiller an implement having rotary tillers or blades for breaking up or plowing soil.
timothy the most commonly grown hay grass on U.S. farms.
truck farming intense farming of vegetable crops and their quick shipment to market by trucks.
waterway any human-made, canal-like trough for catching and directing runoff away from cultivated areas.
weed any unwanted plant that competes with crops for nutrients and water.
windrow a long pile of hay left to dry in a field before being baled or bundled.
firefighting
air tanker a large airplane equipped with a tank for dropping water or chemicals on a forest fire.
borate a saltlike substance used to put out fires.
borate bomber a large airplane equipped with a tank for dropping borate on a fire.
bucket brigade nickname for rural firefighting team comprising people in a line handling down buckets of water.
conflagration a huge, out-of-control fire that extends over a large area or through several buildings.
coop the communication center where calls are received in a fire station.
fire break a strip of land burned or plowed to stop the spread of an oncoming fire.
fire door a heavy door designed to hold back fire for at least 30 minutes.
fire wall a fireproof wall.
fog pattern a broad cloud of water sprayed continuously over an area to keep firemen cool while they work.
gooseneck crane a hinged crane equipped with water nozzles, used for fighting fires high up. Also known as a snorkel.
mars light the red, flashing beacon atop a fire truck.
outrigger a support leg that extends out the side of a ladder truck to help stabilize it.
pack pump a water tank worn on the back, used to carry water to brush fires.
resuscitator apparatus that forces air into the lungs of people suffering from smoke inhalation.
snorkel see gooseneck crane.
superpumper a huge pump used to draw water from a river, lake, or other body of water.