the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products.

A soil pH of more than 7.0. The higher the number, the more alkaline (base) the soil will be. The pH scale ranges from 0-14 with 7 as neutral.

The process where animals are artificially selected and become accustomed to human care and control.

The proper breeding, feeding, and care of farm animals

A plant that completes its life cycle by growing from a seed and producing more seed for future crops before its death in one year or growing season.

A place where honey bees are kept; colonies of bees in hives.

A system of aquaculture in which the waste produced by farmed fish or other aquatic animals supplies nutrients for plants grown hydroponically, which, in turn, purifies the water

Dormant plants, ready for transplanting, shipping or storage with exposed roots (soil removed).

The use of genetically engineered crops in agriculture and DNA manipulation in livestock in order to increase production.

When a plant produces flowers or seeds prematurely instead of a crop. This is usually the result of excessive heat and sun exposure.

Family of animals that includes beef and dairy cattle.

A male goat. Also referred to as "billy".

A young male or female bovine under 1 year of age.

Agriculture undertaken primarily to generate products for sale off the farm

Organic residues, or a mixture of organic residues and soil, that have been piled, moistened and allowed to undergo biological decomposition for use in fertilizer.

A mature bovine usually having had at least one calf.

The practice of growing different crops in succession on the same land

A cultivated plant that is grown as food, especially a grain, fruit, or vegetable.

The act of cultivating. The act of caring for and growing plants; the ways farmers take care of crops.

A female of the goat, deer, or rabbit family. Female goats with kids are sometimes referred to as nanny goats.

Any agricultural tract of land, with improvements generating $1,000 or more in sales, or that normally would have been sold in the year, can be listed as a farm in the U.S. census.

A branch of the USDA. The FSA administers farm commodity, crop insurance, credit, environmental, conservation and emergency assistance programs for farmers and ranchers.

If a plant requires "full sun" then it needs at least six hours of direct sunlight each day to thrive.

One that fertilizes; specifically: a substance (manure, plant and animal byproducts, chemical mixtures, etc.) used to make soil more fertile by supplying plant nutrients

The period of time (about 12,000 years ago) when humans transitioned from hunting and gathering communities to settlement communities due to the use of plant and animal domestication.

A chemical substance used as a spray, dust, or disinfectant to kill fungi infesting plants, animals or seeds. Fungicides may be derived from natural (organic) or synthetic (inorganic) sources.

The result of a specific type of plant breeding where precise changes are made to the plant's DNA to give it characteristics that cannot be achieved through traditional breeding methods. Realistically, GMO refers to turning off or moving a gene from one place to another within the plant or inserting a gene from another source.

The beginning of growth in a seed; to sprout.

A glass building in which plants are grown that need protection from cold weather

A geographically defined zone determined by temperature that categorizes which plants can thrive where; hardiness zones are designated by a number (1-11), such as zone 7. Gardening books and websites can help in determining hardiness zones.

A young female cow that has not calved.

An open-pollinated plant variety that has remained unchanged through hybridization for at least 50-100 years.

An adult female chicken or turkey

Any agent used to destroy or habit growth of plants. A herbicide may be derived from organic or inorganic materials.

The art and science of cultivating plants

The part of soil created from decomposed plant matter

The cross breeding of two plants of different species or varieties with distinct characteristics.

Growing plants without soil; using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent.

An agent that controls or destroys insects. An insecticide may be derived from organic or inorganic materials.

rich soil consisting of approximately 25% clay, 50% silt and less than 50% sand; considered ideal soil for gardening and agriculture.

A chemical element essential to all life forms. Nitrogen is important for plant and animal growth.

Plants whose seeds develop through random, natural pollination such as weird, field movement, or insect activity- not through human involvement.

A fertilizer, pesticide or plant food that is of animal or vegetable origin; plants grown without the use of synthetic chemicals.

Plants grown for aesthetics, decorative and/or an attractive appearance.

Plants living for multiple growing seasons.

a philosophy in agriculture of working with, rather than against nature.

Any substance used to control or kill pests, such as insects, weeds, animals, or microbes; may be organic or synthetic.

The transfer of pollen from the stamen (male part of the flower) to the pistil (female part of the flower), followed by fertilization (germination the pollen grain), growth of the pollen tube down the style and into the ovule where a sperm cell fuses with an egg, resulting in the formation of a seed.

The process of trimming a shrub, tree or bush by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems to increase fruitfulness and growth or to maintain a certain size or shape.

An elevated garden bed offering better drainage, aeration and warmer soil than a conventional bed.

A plant that has just emerged from its seed with its first root, stem, and leaves

Plants not requiring pollen from another plant to produce fruit

Practices intended to protect the environment, expand the Earth's natural resource base, and maintain and improve soil fertility.

To remove plants from one place and replant them in another (or from a container into the ground).

The United States Department of Agriculture

The cultivation of earthworm for the betterment of human beings. Worms convert organic food into compost to enrich soil. The multiplication of earthworms is a simple process and can be easily handled by farmers.

A plant growing in the "wrong place".