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Glossary

The following are terms you will find as you read through the Cater to the Earth Education Pages, as well as other food-related literature. It is our goal in Cater to the Earth to make the somewhat complicated issue of food and its relationship to the environment, society, and personal health as accessible as possible. We will continue adding to this glossary as we expand the Education Pages. If there are terms that you have seen and would like to see defined here, email us.

Anabolic Steroids are hormone-based steroids that stimulate bone growth and appetite. 1 Steroids are given to beef cows to help them grow to their maximum capacity as quickly as possible.

Animal Feeding Operations (AFOs) are agricultural operations where animals are kept and raised in confined situations. AFOs congregate animals, feed, manure and urine, dead animals, and production operations on a small land area. Feed is brought to the animals rather than the animals grazing or otherwise seeking feed in pastures, fields, or on rangeland.2 A Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) is a type of AFO.

One animal unit equals 1,000 lbs. of the live weight of an animal, (for example, four 1,250-pound cows equal five animal units of cattle, while 125 eight-pound chickens make up one animal unit of chicken).3

Aquaculture is the farming of fish and aquatic plants and organisms.
Beef is meat from full-grown cattle about two years old. A live steer weighs about 1,000 pounds and yields about 450 pounds of edible meat.⁴

Bycatch. Unwanted species caught (and most often killed) while attempting to catch another type of fish. Most bycatch is thrown overboard (regardless of whether dead or alive) and goes unused.

Carbon dioxide equivalency (CO2 equivalent or CDE) is a quantity that describes, for a given mixture and amount of greenhouse gas, the amount of CO2 that would have the same global warming potential when measured over a specified timescale (generally, 100 years)5

The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the cornerstone of surface water quality protection in the United States. (The Act does not deal directly with ground water nor with water quantity issues.) The statute employs a variety of regulatory and nonregulatory tools to sharply reduce direct pollutant discharges into waterways, finance municipal wastewater treatment facilities, and manage polluted runoff. These tools are employed to achieve the broader goal of restoring and maintaining the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters so that they can support the protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife and recreation in and on the water.6

Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are larger versions of AFOs. The EPA used to judge a CAFO vs. an AFO based on animal units, but now defines CAFOs as small, medium, or large based on the number of animals confined.7

Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forest land for use such as arable land, pasture, urban use, logged area, or wasteland.8

Free-Range/Free-Roaming/Cage-Free. Terms that apply to the way poultry, meat, eggs or milk are grown or produced. In order to be considered free range, animals must be provided conditions like open-air exercise areas, sufficient indoor space to stand and lay down, indoor ventilating systems and a clean living environment. The USDA has official labeling requirement for free range poultry only. These requirements are lax in nature because they do not specify the amount of space given to a chicken or the amount of time that a chicken has access to the outside. Furthermore, there is no on site investigation to prove free-range conditions in a given facility.

Genetically Engineered Food. Food produced from crops whose genetic makeup has been altered to produce a desirable trait. This is done by a process known as gene splicing, where a gene that produces a specific genetic trait in an organism, such as bacterium, fungus or another plant, is identified and separated from the rest of the genetic material. That gene is then placed into the DNA of a specific crop. For example, BT corn has been given genetic traits that increase its tolerance to pesticides.

Great Corn Boom. The increase of funding in sciences post-WWII allowed for the development of new pesticides and fertilizers, as well as heartier breeds of corn. U.S. farmers began growing larger and larger crops of corn, more than what the human population could possibly consume. Consequently, we began looking for new ways to use corn, including new high-calorie, high fat corn-based feed for livestock. 9

Homestead Act of 1862. A federal law that gave any adult citizen, including freed slaves, up to 160 acres of undeveloped, surveyed government land outside the original 13 colonies, in an effort to settle more of the country. Those approved for land were required to improve the plot by building a home or cultivating the land, and after five years, the land would be theirs for the keeping after paying a minor fee to the government. Because many of the Homesteaders lacked agricultural tools and knowledge as well as money to buy seed and livestock, the situation gave way to fraud. Relatively few small farmers benefited from this law.10

Hybrid. A plant resulting from the cross between two parents that have specific desirable traits that will be dominate in their offspring. As result, hybrid plants will have best characteristics of their parent plants. They can be larger in size, resistant to pests or disease and can produce higher yields. Farmers use hybrid seeds that will grow in different soils and weather conditions Hybrid plants allow farmers to produce greater quantities on fewer acres. Since the 1930s, corn has been one of the most extensively hybridized plants in the world.

Industrial Agriculture. A food system that emerged in the 20th century that provides large scale agricultural production. Industrial agriculture has had a tremendous impact on the world's water resources and soil quality because of the massive use of chemical pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and fertilizers. Industrialized food systems do not encourage sustainable development in developing countries. Cheap food is exported to these countries making it difficult for communities to develop their own local community farming systems.

Lagoons are large open-air storage basins in which animal waste is stored, sometimes for several months, before it can be used as manure in spraying crops for fertilizer. Sometimes the size of several football fields combined, lagoons are prone to leaks and spills, in addition to overflowing in times of inclement weather.

Land degradation implies a reduction of resources potential by one or a combination of processes acting on the land, such as: soil erosion by wind and/or water; deterioration of the physical, chemical, and biological or economic properties of soil; and long-term loss of natural vegetation.11

Land-Grant College (also known as land-grant universities or land grant institutions). Institutions of higher education in the U.S. designated by each state to receive the benefits of land grants of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. The 1862 Act set forth teaching agriculture to the working class as one of its primary goals, and this was expanded by the Hatch Act of 1887 and Smith-Lever Act of 1914, which provided federal grants to start agricultural experiment stations as well as pass lessons learned about soil and plant growth to farmers.12

Buying local refers to the practice of buying food that is produced, grown or raised close to home. Currently, the food that is purchased at the average grocery market has traveled close to 1800 miles from its place of production. Fossil fuels are used to transport the food in turn emitting carbon dioxide, a main contributor to global warming. Those that purchase locally produced food are diminishing their carbon footprint and ensuring that their food is free of preservatives.

Marbling is created by the white flecks of fat within the meat muscle. The greater amount of marbling in beef, the higher the USDA grade is for the cut of meat.13

Monoculture is a term used agriculturally to describe the planting of a single species of a crop. Currently a bulk of the world's food source is comprised of a few monocultures made up of genetically modified seeds that are patented. This can raise concerns for the security of the global food system. With a lack of diversity in their genetic make up, crops are more susceptible to large scale disease caused by a single pest.

A monogastric (or non-ruminant) animal has a simple single chambered stomach. Examples of monogastric animals include humans and pigs.14

Organic Food. Food that is grown and produced without antibiotics, growth hormones, pesticides or bioengineering. Organic farmers use different agricultural practices that conserve water and soil by eliminating pollution caused by harmful fertilizers and pesticides. Organically raised livestock are allowed to graze outside, are fed organic feed and are provided living conditions that minimize disease. It is important to recognize organic food labels when determining whether a food company's claim to organic certified is legitimate. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed standards and inspecting procedures to ensure quality organic food. Look for the USDA Organic label on food packages to recognize food products that meet government standards.

Overfishing occurs when the fish population is being depleted faster then it can reproduce itself. This can be scene by the decreasing size of the fish caught till they are so young they can no longer reach reproductive age.
Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER). The calculation used to describe an individual protein's ability to sustain growth. Legally required method of labeling protein nutrition on food in the USA until 1991. The FDA's former basis for the daily recommended allowance of protein.15

A ruminant is a mammal that digests plant-based food by initially softening it within the animal's first stomach, known as the rumen, then regurgitating the semi-digested mass, now known as cud, and chewing it again. The process of rechewing the cud to further break down plant matter and stimulate digestion is called ruminating. Ruminants include cattle, goats, and sheep, among others.16

Sustainable Agriculture. Agricultural practices that seek to preserve environmental integrity, foster integrate farming communities, increase farm profitability based on diversified activities, and enhance political systems that take into account all stakeholders in the farming community.

USDA Grades of Beef: Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, or Canner. Prime makes up a mere three percent of graded beef and is usually sold exclusively to steakhouses. Choice is what you buy in the supermarkets, such is Select, which a shade tougher. Standard and Commercial are stringy enough to be ungraded and only appear masked under brand-name plastic. The rest is the stuff for frankfurters.17

The U.S. farm bill is the primary agricultural and food policy tool of the Federal government of the United States. The comprehensive omnibus bill is passed every several years by the United States Congress and deals with both agriculture and all other affairs under the purview of the United States Department of Agriculture.18

Zoonses. Any disease and/or infection which is naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to man is classified as a zoonosis. Over 200 zoonoses have been described and they are known since many centuries. They involve all types of agents: bacteria, parasites, viruses and unconventional agents.19 Commonly recognized examples of zoonoses are salmonella, E.coli, giardia, rabies, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (more commonly known as mad cow disease).