Layman’s Guide to Livestock Terminology

If you are ever hanging around cattle or sheep farmers, here’s some good jargon to know so you can understand the nuances of what they’re talking about.

General Farming Terms:

Carcass Weight – (aka “dressed weight”) – Weight of carcass after organs, head hooves, etc removed.

Live Weight – Weight of the live animal.

Paddock – Another word for field

Run – v.  Raise, as in “we run 300 sheep”.

Cattle:

Angus – A breed of black cattle known for superior marbling. Originally from Scotland. More Info Here

Hereford – Like angus, this brown & white breed is known for better marbling.  More Info Here

Bull – Uncastrated male

Cow – Female for reproduction

Dam – Breeding female

Heifer – Young cow that hasn’t been bred.

Put a Bull to – breed via natural (i.e. not artificial) insemination

Sire – Breeding bull

Steer – Castrated male

Yearling – An animal over 1 year of age.  Also applied to horses.

Deer:

Cervena – Venison brand program focusing only on tender (& generally boneless) cuts of venison from animals under three years of age.

Faun – Young deer

Hind – Female deer

New Zealand Red Deer – The primary species raised in New Zealand.  Originally introduced for hunting.

Stag – Male deer

Sheep:

Ewe – Female sheep

Fattening Lambs – Lambs being finished before processing

Go to Ram – breed via natural (i.e. not artificial) insemination

Hogget – Juvenile sheep over 12 months

Lamb – n. Juvenile sheep aged 12 months or less
v.To give birth (to a lamb)

Lamb at Foot – Young un-weaned lambs following their mothers

Lambing Rate – % of replacement of ewes with lambs. 100% lambing rate means that in the herd, on average, ewes that are bred produce one lamb. Higher than 100% means that some ewes have twins.  Many farmers in New Zealand are breeding for specific genetics that promote a higher % of twins.

Merino – A Spanish breed of sheep prized for its exceptionally fine wool. Now quickly becoming known for its unique meat characteristics like a milder flavor. More Info Here

Mutton – Meat from an adult sheep

Ram – Uncastrated male sheep

Romney – (aka Romney Marsh) – a English sheep breed that plays an important role in New Zealand’s wool & meat exports.

Sire Ram – breeding ram

Some NZ Terms for Meat Cuts:

Eye Fillet – Beef tenderloin

Cube Roll – Whole boneless ribeye roll

Scotch Fillet – Ribeye steak