Forage: any non-grain or non-starch containing plant the cattle consume that are either currently growing or have been harvested to be fed, (these are not plant byproducts like those found in processed feeds which have had something of value removed from them)
 
100% Grassfed to finish: other than mothers milk and some trace mineralized salt, these cattle have eaten only whole green or harvested forage until the day they are slaughtered, when animals are advertised as grassfed that doesn’t guarantee they were not also grain finished, a short period of grain finishing can destroy many of the benefits accumulated by a lifetime of grass feeding only. Look for labeling that states 100% grassfed.
 
Marbling: fat that is contained within the muscle bundles that give meat its flavor, also used with a degree of error to indicate tenderness of the meat
 
Stocker cattle: cattle that have been weaned from their mothers but are not yet mature enough to be in the finishing phase
 
Strip cropping: creating alternating fields of high erosion row crops such as corn or soybeans with fields of soil protecting sown crops like hay or small grains with the goal of lowering total farm soil loss
 
Contour planting: a method of field layout, with the goal of reducing water erosion, that has rows of crops going around a hill rather than up and down the hillside, usually used in conjunction with strip cropping on highly erodible lands
 
No till farming: a concept that reduces the actual tillage of the soil in preparation for planting, as compared to organic farming it utilizes multiple applications of herbicides in place of mechanical tillage for weed control
 
Functional Foods: foods that specifically promote health or reduce the risk of disease beyond its basic nutritional function.