Category: L

Lacaune: Lacaune is a breed of sheep found mainly in Aveyron, France, and used mainly for milk production. Raising Lacaune sheep can enhance dairy production, offering high-quality milk for cheese and other dairy products, thus increasing farm income.

Litre: A litre is a measure of capacity equal to 1000cc or 1.76 pints. Symbol l, L. Understanding measurements like litres can aid in precise farm planning and product management.

Litter: Litter is 1. a group of young mammals born to one mother at the same time. The sow had a litter of ten piglets. 2. bedding for livestock. Straw is the best type of litter, although bracken, peat moss, sawdust, and wood shavings can be used. To litter means to leave rubbish in a place or to give birth. Bears litter in early spring. Properly managing livestock litter can enhance animal welfare and hygiene.

Leaf Roll: Leaf roll is a viral disease of potatoes, transmitted by aphids. The leaves roll up and become dry, and the crop yield is affected. Managing leaf roll through pest control and disease prevention can protect potato crops and improve yields.

Long Ton: Long ton is the same as ton. Understanding measurements like long tons can aid in precise farm planning and product management.

Livery: Livery is a stable which keeps a horse for the owner and usually feeds, grooms, and exercises the horse. Utilizing livery services can support equine management and welfare.

Linseed: Linseed is a variety of flax (Linum usitatissimum) with a short straw. It produces a good yield of seed used for producing oil. Growing linseed can provide farmers with a nutritious and marketable crop.

Lumpy Jaw: Lumpy jaw is the same as actinomycosis. Managing lumpy jaw through proper treatment and prevention measures can protect livestock health and productivity.

Little Red Tractor: Little Red Tractor is the symbol used on food packaging in the UK to show that it comes from a British Farm Standard-approved supplier. Adhering to quality standards like Little Red Tractor can enhance product marketability and consumer trust.

Lleyn: Lleyn is a breed of sheep native to the Lleyn peninsula in North Wales. The animals are small, hornless, and hardy, good milkers, and very productive, often producing triplets. Raising Lleyn sheep can enhance farm productivity and provide high-quality wool and meat.

Ling: Ling is a variety of heather (Calluna vulgaris). Understanding plant species like ling can help farmers manage pastures and biodiversity.

Livestock Auction: A livestock auction is an auction sale where livestock are shown in a ring and sold to the highest bidder. Participating in livestock auctions can provide farmers with a platform to sell animals and gain competitive prices.

Low Loader: A low loader is a farm trailer with its flat floor near the ground to make loading easier. Using low loaders can enhance farm efficiency and reduce manual labor.

Lodging: Lodging is the tendency of cereal crops to bend over, so that they lie more or less flat on the ground. Managing lodging through proper crop management practices can ensure healthy growth and high yields.

Lowlands: Lowlands is an area of low land where conditions are usually good for farming, as opposed to hills and mountains, or highlands. Vegetation in the lowlands is sparse. Utilizing lowlands for farming can provide optimal growing conditions and enhance farm productivity.

Linking Environment and Farming: Linking Environment and Farming is the full form of LEAF. Partnering with organizations like LEAF can enhance sustainable farming practices and public engagement.

Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme: Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme is a former government scheme providing financial support to ensure that farming continued in mountainous or hilly areas. Accessing support schemes can help farmers maintain agricultural activities in less favourable areas.

Larva: Larva is the form of an insect or other animal in the stage of development after the egg has hatched but before the animal becomes adult. (NOTE: The plural is larvae.) Understanding larval stages helps farmers manage pest populations effectively.

Leachate: Leachate is 1. a substance which is washed out of the soil, and 2. a liquid which forms at the bottom of a landfill site. Properly managing leachate can prevent environmental contamination and improve waste management.

Large Black: Large Black is a dual-purpose hardy breed of pig that is black with long lop ears. Raising Large Black pigs can diversify farm operations and provide high-quality pork.

Leatherjacket: Leatherjacket is the larva of the cranefly (Tipuda paludosa) which hatches from eggs laid on the ground and feeds on the young crop in spring. When grass is ploughed for cereal crops, the larvae feed on the seedling wheat, damaging the plants at or just below ground level. Managing leatherjacket infestations through pest control measures can protect crops and improve yields.

Ladder Farm: A ladder farm is a farm with a series of small long narrow fields. This type of farming layout can help optimize land use and improve crop management strategies.

Loose Smut: Loose smut is a fungus (Ustilago nuda) affecting wheat and barley. Masses of black spores collect on the diseased heads; the spores are dispersed in the wind, and only a bare stalk is left. Managing loose smut through disease prevention and control measures can protect wheat and barley crops and improve yields.

Lay: To lay means to produce an egg. A layer is a flat area of a substance under or over another area. In geological formations, layers of rock are called strata; layers of soil are called horizons. Understanding laying patterns in poultry can improve egg production efficiency.

Land Improvement: Land improvement is the process of making the soil more fertile. Enhancing soil fertility through land improvement practices boosts crop productivity and sustainability.

Lanolin: Lanolin is a fat extracted from sheep’s wool used in making soaps, skin creams, and shampoos. Utilizing lanolin adds value to wool production and diversifies farm income streams.

Lifter: A lifter is the same as a lifting unit. Utilizing lifters can enhance the efficiency of harvesting root crops.

Liquorice: Liquorice is the root of a plant (Glycyrrhiza glabra) used in making sweets and soft drinks. It also has medicinal properties. Growing liquorice can provide farmers with a versatile crop for culinary and medicinal uses.

LHLH: LHLH stands for Leptospira Hardjo. Understanding and managing Leptospira Hardjo can protect livestock health and prevent zoonotic diseases.

Lodgepole Pine: Lodgepole pine is a slow-growing tree which thrives on poor soil and is used as a pioneer crop (Pinus contorta). Growing lodgepole pine can provide farmers with a sustainable source of timber and improve soil health.

Legume: Legume is 1. a member of the plant family that produces seeds in pods, e.g., peas and beans. Family: Leguminosae. 2. a dry seed from a single carpel, which splits into two halves, e.g., a pea. There are many species of legume, including trees, and some are particularly valuable because they have root nodules that contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Such legumes have special value in maintaining soil fertility and are used in crop rotation. Peas, beans, clover, and vetch are all legumes. Utilizing legumes in crop rotation can enhance soil health and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers.

Leaf Cutting: A leaf cutting is a piece of a leaf, root, or stem cut from a living plant and put in soil where it will sprout. Using leaf cuttings for propagation can help farmers multiply plants efficiently.

Let-Down: Let-down refers to the let-down of milk, the release of milk from the mammary gland. The hormone oxytoxin activates the release of milk. The let-down lasts between seven and ten minutes, when the extraction of milk from the udder is easiest. Understanding the let-down process helps dairy farmers optimize milking efficiency.

Leaf Area Index: Leaf area index is the area of green leaf per unit area of ground. Abbr LAI. Monitoring leaf area index can help farmers assess crop health and optimize irrigation and fertilization.

Liquid Fertilizer: Liquid fertilizer is a simple solution, not kept under pressure, of the normal raw materials of solid fertilizers, as opposed to pressurized solutions such as aqueous ammonia. Utilizing liquid fertilizers can improve nutrient delivery and crop growth.

Loam: Loam is 1. dark soil, with medium-sized grains of sand, which crumbles easily and is very fertile, and 2. a mixture of clay, sand, and humus, used as a potting compost. Utilizing loam can improve soil health and crop growth.

Loess: Loess is a fine fertile soil formed of tiny clay and silt particles deposited by the wind. Utilizing loess can improve soil health and crop productivity.

Llanwenog: Llanwenog is a breed of sheep found in many parts of West Wales. The fleeces are considered to be the finest produced in the UK. The wool has a very soft handle. Raising Llanwenog sheep can provide farmers with high-quality wool and enhance farm profitability.

Livestock Unit: A livestock unit is the part of a farm where livestock are reared. Managing livestock units effectively can enhance farm productivity and animal welfare.

Label: Label is a piece of paper attached to produce, showing the price and other details. It can also be a verb to identify something by using a label. Government regulations cover the labelling of food; it should show not only the price and weight, but also where it comes from, the quality grade, and a sell-by date. Proper labelling ensures that farmers’ products meet regulatory standards and consumer expectations, promoting transparency and trust in the marketplace.

Lactose: Lactose is a sugar found in milk. Understanding lactose is crucial for farmers and dairy producers, especially when catering to markets with lactose-intolerant consumers.

Low-Intensity Land: Low-intensity land is land on which crops are not intensively cultivated. Managing low-intensity land can enhance biodiversity and soil health.

Lop Ears: Lop ears are long ears which hang down on either side of the animal’s head. Understanding animal anatomy, such as lop ears, can aid in livestock management and breeding.

Loghtan: Loghtan refers to Manx Loghtan. Understanding and preserving rare breeds like Loghtan can enhance genetic diversity and resilience in sheep farming.

Let-Down: Let-down refers to the let-down of milk, the release of milk from the mammary gland. The hormone oxytoxin activates the release of milk. The let-down lasts between seven and ten minutes, when the extraction of milk from the udder is easiest. Understanding the let-down process helps dairy farmers optimize milking efficiency.

Leaf Stripe: Leaf stripe is a disease of barley and oats (Pyrenophora graminea) where the young leaves show pale stripes and seedlings often die. Managing leaf stripe through disease prevention and control measures can protect barley and oat crops and improve yields.

Light Sussex: Light Sussex is a dual-purpose breed of poultry, one of the several varieties of the Sussex breed. The birds are white, with black stripes to the feathers of the neck and black feathers on the wings and tail. Raising Light Sussex chickens can enhance poultry production and farm profitability.

Linkage: Linkage is the process of two or more genes situated close together on a chromosome being inherited together. Understanding genetic linkage can help farmers make informed breeding decisions.

Lion Quality: Lion Quality is the symbol used on eggs in the UK to show that they come from a British Egg Industry Council-approved supplier. Adhering to quality standards like Lion Quality can enhance product marketability and consumer trust.

Leptospira Hardjo: Leptospira Hardjo is a bacterium which infects cattle and humans, causing leptospirosis and Weil’s disease. Abbr LH, lep hardjo. Understanding and preventing leptospirosis can protect livestock health and prevent zoonotic diseases.