GLOSSARY
Agricultural Marketing
Service (AMS)
Antibiotic
An agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that
oversees marketing agreements and orders, administers research and
promotion programs, and purchase commodities for federal food
programs.
A drug used to treat infections caused by bacteria and other microorganisms.
Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service
(APHIS)
USDA agency providing leadership in ensuring the health and care of
animals and plants. APHIS is responsible for port inspection and the
detection and eradication of unwanted organisms from the United
States and administers the Animal Welfare Act.
Artificial insemination
(AI)
Reproductive technology used by producers to take advantage of the
highest quality cattle genetics. It is performed by placing semen into
the female reproductive tract.
Auction market
A live animal market at which an auctioneer sells cattle to the highest
bidder.
Backgrounding
Program for raising calves from the time they are weaned until they
are sent to the feedlot for finishing.
Beef
Beef belt
Beef Checkoff
Beef producer
Beef Quality Assurance
(BQA)
Beef Industry Food
Safety Council (BIFSCo)
Bovine
Boxed beef
Meat from cattle other than calves. Meat from calves is called veal.
The general area of the central United States (North Dakota to Texas)
where commercial beef production, slaughter, and processing are
concentrated.
Program funded by beef producers to conduct beef promotion,
research and education activities. One dollar per head of cattle is
collected each time an animal is sold.
An individual who raises cattle to produce beef.
Proven system of science-based management practices that help
improve the quality and safety of beef. The BQA program provides
educational programs for beef producers.
Industry group bringing together experts from all segments of the
beef production chain to develop industry-wide, science-based
strategies to eliminate the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 and other
foodborne pathogens in beef.
A ruminant mammal belonging to the genus Bos. The biological
subfamily Bovinae includes cattle, bison, water buffalo and yak.
Cuts of beef packed in boxes for shipping from packing plant to
retailers. Beef carcasses are cut into primal (round, loins, ribs and
chuck) and subprimal cuts that are boxed for further processing into
cuts available at the grocery store and in restaurants.
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GLOSSARY
Branded beef
Breakeven price
A beef product specifically labeled and differentiated from commodity
items by its brand name. Certified Angus Beef ® is an example.
Sale price needed to recover the cost of production.
Breed
Cattle of common origin and having characteristics that distinguish
them from other groups within the same species.
Breeder
The owner of the dam (mother) of a calf at the time she was mated
or bred to produce offspring.
British breeds
Bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE)
Bull
Bullock
Byproduct
Calf
Calve or calving
Case-ready
Cash market price
Certified organic beef
Breeds of cattle, such as Angus, Hereford and Shorthorn, originating
in Great Britain and first brought to the United States in the late
1700s. Compared to Continental breeds, British breeds are generally
smaller in size, reach mature size at an earlier age, have less growth
potential, excel in fertility and calving ease, attain higher quality
grades and yield carcasses with a lower percentage of saleable
product.
Frequently called “mad cow” disease, BSE is a degenerative
neurological disease affecting the central nervous system (CNS) in
cattle. BSE affects older cattle, typically more than 30 months of age.
The vast majority of the cattle going to market in the United States
are younger than 24 months old.
Bovine male, also called a sire. The term usually denotes animals of
breeding age.
Young bull, typically less than 20 months of age.
Also referred to as the drop, the byproduct is comprised of the nonmeat items, such as the hide, cheek meat, liver, and tripe (intestine),
derived from a slaughter steer. There are 23 byproduct items.
Young male or female bovine animal less than 1 year of age.
Giving birth to a calf.
Pre-packaged beef cuts received by retailers not requiring further
processing before being put in the retail meat case.
Price that results when cattle go to market.
Beef certified by USDA as being from cattle raised according to
National Organic Program (NOP) standards, which require that cattle
be fed 100-percent organic feed and are not given hormones or
antibiotics for any reason. Sick animals cannot be denied treatment
but those receiving antibiotics are not eligible for inclusion in the NOP.
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GLOSSARY
Chemical
decontamination
Chuck
Colostrum
Conjugated linoleic acid
Continental breeds
Cow
Cow-calf operation
Crossbreeding
Cud
Cull
Custom feeding
CWT
Dry (cow)
Ear tag
One of a series of interventions employed at meat packing plants to
eliminate potential bacteria. The process involves applying chemical
decontaminates such as organic acids or sodium chloride.
Wholesale cut (shoulder) of the beef carcass.
First milk given by a female following delivery of a calf. High in
antibodies that protect the calf from harmful microorganisms.
A polyunsaturated fatty acid found in beef and dairy products that
health professionals believe has cancer-fighting properties.
Continental European breeds also are commonly referred to as
"exotic" breeds and include Charolais, Chianina, Gelbvieh, Limousin,
Maine Anjou, Salers and Simmental. Most of these breeds are new to
the U.S., introduced in the late 1960s and early 1970s primarily to
improve the growth rate and leanness of existing breeds.
Sexually mature female bovine animal that has produced a calf.
Production operation that maintains a breeding herd and produces
weaned calves. Also the production site where cattle spend the
majority of their lives.
Mating animals from different breeds. Utilized to take advantage of
hybrid vigor (heterosis) and breed complimentary.
Portion of feed that cattle regurgitate for further chewing.
To eliminate one or more animals from the breeding herd or stock.
Cattle feeding operation providing facilities, labor, feed and care as a
service. Custom feeders often do not own cattle on their operations.
Abbreviation for the term per hundredweight (100 lb).
Refers to a non-lactating female.
Method of identification by which a numbered, lettered and/or colored
tag is placed in the ear.
E. coli O157:H7
A strain of the bacterium Escherichia coli that produces a virulent
toxin and causes human illness.
Embryo transfer
Transfer of fertilized egg(s) from a donor female to one or more
recipient females.
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GLOSSARY
Clean Water Act
Environmental
Stewardship Award
Program (ESAP)
European breed
Food and Drug
Administration (FDA)
Environmental Protection Agency’s set of laws passed in 1972 to
regulate water pollution in the United States. This was the first-ever
federal regulation of water pollution, which gave the EPA the right to
set standards and enforce them. The goal of this act was to
completely stop the discharge of pollutants into U.S. water and make
all bodies of water in the United States suitable for fishing and
swimming.
NCBA program which annually recognizes seven regional beef
producers exhibiting outstanding commitment to protecting the
environment and improving fish and wildlife habitats while operating
profitable cattle operations.
Breed originating in European countries other than England (these are
called British breeds); a larger dual-purpose breed such as Charolais,
Simmental and Limousin; also called continental or exotic breed in
the United States.
Responsible for protecting public health by assuring the safety,
efficacy and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological
products, medical devices, the food supply, cosmetics and products
that emit radiation.
Fed cattle
Steers and heifers that have been fed a high-energy ration, usually
for 4 to 6 months in a feedlot.
Feeder
Either: 1) cattle that need further feeding prior to slaughter; or 2) a
producer who feeds cattle.
Feedlot
Cattle operation in which the animals are fed grain and other
concentrates for usually 90-120 days. Feedlots range in size from
fewer than 100-head capacity to thousands.
Finished cattle
Fed cattle that have completed their time in the feedlot and are now
ready for slaughter.
Forage
Grazed or harvested herbaceous plants that are consumed/eaten by
cattle.
Food Safety and
Inspection Service
(FSIS)
USDA agency with the mission of protecting consumers by ensuring
that meat, poultry and egg products are safe, wholesome and
accurately labeled. FSIS also monitors the use of drugs in livestock by
routinely sampling for residues in food animals.
Foot-and-mouth
disease (FMD)
Highly contagious disease among cattle, sheep, goats, deer and other
cloven-hooved ruminant animals. It does not affect humans or food
safety.
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GLOSSARY
Futures market
Grade and yield
Grain-fed beef
Grass-finished beef
Growth promotant
Harvest
Electronic market through which buyers and sellers trade contracts on
commodities or raw materials. Futures contracts are available for a
variety of delivery months. However, delivery of actual products
seldom occurs. Futures markets are used as a risk management tool
or as a speculative venture.
Grade designates the quality of the beef (Prime, Choice, Select) and
yield designates the percentage of meat that a carcass will produce.
The grade and yield determine the price a producer/feeder will be
paid for the animal.
Grain-fed cattle spend most of their lives eating grass in pastures,
then generally move to a feedlot where they eat a high-energy grain
diet for four to six months. The most widely produced kind of beef.
Designation of beef produced from cattle raised on pasture their
whole life.
Hormones typically administered through a small pellet implanted
under the skin on the back of an animal’s ear to help cattle grow
more efficiently and produce more lean muscle and less fat. Pellets
release tiny amounts of hormone and safely dissolve as treatment is
completed.
The process of turning cattle into beef, generally occurring at a
packing or processing plant.
Heifer
Young female bovine cow prior to the time that she has produced her
first calf.
Heiferrette
Heifer that has calved once and is then fed for slaughter, its calf has
usually died or been weaned at an early age.
Herd
Hide
High-temperature/
steam vacuuming
Integration
Intermuscular fat
Intramuscular fat
Group of cattle (usually cows) that are in a similar management
program.
The skin from a single head of cattle.
An intervention used in packing plants to eliminate potential bacteria
such as E. coli O158:H7.
Bringing together two or more segments of beef productions and
processing under one centrally organized unit.
Fat located between muscle systems. Also called seam fat.
Fat within the muscle. Also called marbling.
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GLOSSARY
Kosher meat
Livestock auction
market
Legume
Loin
Long yearling
Marbling
Maverick
Meat
Middle meats
Natural beef
Nutrient density
Packing plant
Pathogen
Pasture rotation
Purebred
Purveyor
Meat from land mammals that chew their cud and have cloven hoofs
that have been slaughtered in accordance with Jewish law.
A live animal market at which an auctioneer sells cattle to the highest
bidder.
Any plant type within the family Leguminosae, such as pea, bean,
alfalfa and clover.
The portion of the beef carcass from which T-bone, porterhouse
tenderloin and sirloin steaks are derived. See beef cut chart at
http://www.beefretail.org/uDocs/bmezretailcutchart.pdf
Animal between 19 months and 2 years of age.
Flecks of intramuscular fat distributed in muscle tissue. Marbling is
evaluated by examination of the ribeye area between the twelfth and
thirteenth ribs.
Unbranded animal, usually on the range.
Muscle tissue of the animal carcass used for food.
Rib and loin of a beef carcass. These primals generally yield the
highest-priced beef cuts.
Designation for a kind of beef. The term may be used in labeling if
“the product does not contain any artificial flavor or flavoring, coloring
ingredient, or chemical preservative or any other artificial or synthetic
ingredient;” and “the product and its ingredients are not more than
minimally processed.” The government’s definition of natural does not
relate to the way animals are raised or what they are fed.
Amount of essential nutrients relative to the number of calories in a
given amount of food.
Facility in which cattle are slaughtered and processed.
A biological agent that causes disease or illness in its host.
Rotation of animals from one pasture to another so that some pasture
areas have no livestock grazing on them during certain periods of
time.
Animal eligible for registry with a recognized breed association.
Firm that purchases beef (usually from a packer), then performs
some fabrication before selling the beef to another firm.
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GLOSSARY
Quality grades
Ration
Retail cuts
Rib
Roughage
Rumen
Ruminant
Short yearling
Silage
Sire
Steer
Stocker
Stunning
Veal
Withdrawal period
Weaning (wean)
Yearling
Yield
Grades such as Prime, Choice and Select that group slaughter cattle
and carcasses into value- and palatability-based categories. Grades
are determined primarily by marbling and age of animal.
Feed provided to an animal during a single 24-hour period.
Cuts of beef in sizes that are purchased by the consumer.
The part of the carcass from which ribeye steaks, ribeye roasts, rib
roasts and back ribs are derived. See cut chart at
http://www.beefretail.org/uDocs/bmezretailcutchart.pdf
Feed that is high in fiber, low in digestible nutrients and low in energy
(e.g., hay, straw, silage and pasture).
A compartment of the ruminant stomach that is a large fermentation
pouch where bacteria and protozoa break down fibrous plant material
swallowed by the animal.
Mammal whose stomach has four parts — rumen, reticulum, omasum
and abomasum. Cattle, sheep, goats, deer and elk are ruminants.
Ruminant animals are cud chewers.
Animal is more than one year of age but less than 18 months of age.
Forage, corn fodder or sorghum preserved by fermentation that
produces acids similar to the acids used to make pickled foods for
people.
Male parent.
Bovine male castrated prior to puberty.
Weaned cattle that are fed high-roughage diets (including grazing)
before going into the feedlot.
A process used in packing plants to instantly render cattle insensible
to ensure they do not feel pain at slaughter.
Meat from young cattle. Veal typically comes from dairy bull calves.
Specified time period between when an animal is treated with an
antibiotic and when it can go to a meat packing plant.
Separating young animals from their dams.
An animal that is one year old, or not yet two years old.
Percentage of meat recovered from an animal.
Funded by The Beef Checkoff
For more information, please contact:
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association  9110 East Nichols Avenue  Centennial, CO 80112  303/694-0305  www.beef.org
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