Agricultural Glossary
Key farming terms and definitions every farmer, agronomist, and agricultural student should know.
NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium)
NPK refers to the three primary macronutrients essential for plant growth, represented by their chemical symbols on fertilizer labels.
Bushel
A bushel is a unit of volume used to measure and trade agricultural commodities such as grain, soybeans, and corn.
Hundredweight (CWT)
Hundredweight (CWT) is a unit of weight equal to 100 pounds, commonly used for pricing livestock, feed, and certain crops.
Test Weight
Test weight is the weight of a volume of grain measured in pounds per bushel, used as a quality indicator at grain elevators.
Soil pH
Soil pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of soil on a 0–14 scale, critically affecting nutrient availability to plants.
Buffer pH
Buffer pH is a secondary soil test measurement that determines how much lime is needed to raise soil pH to the target level.
Evapotranspiration (ET)
Evapotranspiration is the combined process of water evaporating from soil and transpiring from plant leaves, used to determine irrigation needs.
Germination Rate
Germination rate is the percentage of seeds in a sample that successfully sprout under standard test conditions within a specified time period.
Stocking Rate
Stocking rate is the number of animal units grazed on a given area of land over a defined time period.
Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR)
Feed conversion ratio is the amount of feed required to produce one unit of weight gain in livestock.
Acre-Inch
An acre-inch is the volume of water needed to cover one acre of land to a depth of one inch, equal to about 27,154 gallons.
Crop Rotation
Crop rotation is the practice of growing different crops in sequence on the same field across seasons to improve soil health and reduce pest pressure.
No-Till Farming
No-till farming is a conservation practice where crops are planted directly into undisturbed soil residue without plowing or tilling.
Cover Crop
A cover crop is a plant grown primarily to protect and enrich the soil between cash crop seasons rather than for harvest.
APH Yield (Actual Production History)
APH yield is the average of a farmer's historical crop yields over 4–10 years, used as the basis for federal crop insurance coverage.
Break-Even Price
Break-even price is the minimum commodity price per unit a farmer must receive to cover all production costs without a profit or loss.
USDA Hardiness Zone
USDA hardiness zones divide North America into 13 zones based on average annual minimum winter temperatures, guiding plant selection.
Days to Maturity
Days to maturity is the number of days from planting (or transplanting) until a crop is ready for harvest.
Seed Inoculation
Seed inoculation is the process of coating seeds with beneficial bacteria, typically rhizobia, to promote nitrogen fixation in legume crops.
Lime Application
Lime application is the practice of adding calcium carbonate or similar materials to soil to raise pH and reduce acidity.