Category: M

MP: same as member of parliament. Understanding the role and influence of MPs can help farmers navigate political and regulatory changes, ensuring better compliance and advocacy.

milk sinus: the space in each teat into which the milk is secreted. Understanding the function of the milk sinus can help farmers manage dairy production more effectively, ensuring better milk quality and yield.

MCPA: a herbicide that kills the most persistent broad-leaved weeds, such as nettles, buttercups, charlock, dock seedlings, plantains and thistles. Understanding the application and effects of MCPA can help farmers manage weed infestations more effectively, ensuring better crop health and yields.

magnesium: a light, silvery-white metallic element that burns with a brilliant white flame. The addition of magnesium to soil may prevent deficiency diseases in crops or in livestock, such as interveinal yellowing of leaves in potatoes and sugar beet, and hypomagnesaemia or ‘grass staggers’ in grazing animals. Ensuring adequate magnesium in soil and livestock diets is crucial for healthy crop and livestock growth, leading to better yields and farm sustainability.

mill: a factory where a substance is crushed to make a powder, especially one for making flour from the dried grains of cereals. Proper management of mills can help farmers process their crops more effectively, ensuring better quality and marketability.

Meatlinc: a new breed of sheep used as a terminal sire. Only the rams are sold. Understanding the characteristics and uses of Meatlinc sheep can help farmers improve their breeding programs and meat production, leading to better yields and profitability.

Merinolandschaf: a breed of sheep found in South Germany. Large traveling flocks are common. Raising Merinolandschaf sheep can provide farmers with a versatile and productive breed, contributing to better income and farm sustainability.

maltster: a person who makes malt for sale to breweries. Understanding the role of a maltster can help farmers connect with potential buyers and improve the marketability of their barley.

marginal: referring to areas of land such as field edges or banks beside roads which are at the edge of cultivated land. Cultivating marginal areas can help farmers utilize all available land resources, potentially increasing productivity and income.

metamorphosis: a process of change into a different form, especially the change of a larva into an adult insect. Understanding metamorphosis can help farmers manage insect life cycles more effectively, ensuring better pest control and crop protection.

minimal cultivation: a system of cultivation which subjects the land to shallow working and minimises the number of passes of machinery. No ploughing is needed. Although suitable for cereal production, minimal cultivation is not suitable for all crops or soil conditions. Crops like sugar beet and potatoes need a deeper tilth than that obtained by minimal cultivation. Understanding minimal cultivation can help farmers optimize their soil and crop management practices, ensuring better productivity and sustainability.

microclimate: The climate of a small, specific area that may differ from the surrounding general climate. Understanding microclimates helps farmers optimize growing conditions for different crops.

milk producer: a farmer who is registered with Defra, and produces milk in compliance with the regulations concerning clean milk production. Understanding the regulations and requirements for milk producers can help farmers ensure better quality and marketability of their milk products.

mosquito: a flying insect, some species of which feed on the blood of mammals, and may carry diseases such as malaria. Understanding and managing mosquito infestations can help farmers protect their livestock and crops, ensuring better health and productivity.

marl: a fine soil formed of a mixture of clay and lime, used for making bricks. Marl can be an important resource for farmers engaged in building or improving farm infrastructure.

metabolised energy: the proportion of energy from feed which is used by an animal through its metabolism. Abbr ME. Understanding metabolised energy can help farmers manage livestock nutrition more effectively, ensuring better growth and productivity.

metabolise: to break down or build up organic compounds by metabolism. Understanding the metabolic processes can help farmers manage livestock nutrition and health more effectively, ensuring better growth and productivity.

maize gluten: a type of animal feedingstuff obtained after maize has been milled. It is high in protein. Using maize gluten can provide a high-protein feed option for livestock, supporting their growth and health, leading to better meat and milk production.

myxomatosis: a viral disease of rabbits which causes tumours on the skin, and usually kills the animal. It is spread by mosquitoes and fleas. Managing and preventing myxomatosis is crucial for maintaining the health and productivity of rabbit populations.

malting: the process by which barley grain is soaked in water, then sprouted on a floor to produce an enzyme. It is then dried in a kiln and the roots and shoots are removed to leave the malt grains. Understanding the malting process can help farmers produce high-quality barley, leading to better marketability and income.

midden: a heap of dung. Understanding the role and management of middens can help farmers improve soil fertility and waste management.

Mn: symbol manganese. Understanding the role of manganese in soil and livestock nutrition can help farmers prevent deficiencies and ensure better crop and animal health and productivity.

maw: a stomach, especially the last of a ruminant’s four stomachs. Understanding the function of the maw can help farmers manage livestock nutrition more effectively, ensuring better digestion and health.

monophyletic: derived from a single ancestral type. Understanding monophyletic relationships can help farmers improve their breeding programs and ensure better genetic diversity and productivity.

mulch: A layer of material applied to the surface of soil to conserve moisture, improve fertility, and reduce weed growth. Using mulch can enhance soil health and crop yields.

management practice: practical ways of using management decisions to organise the use of resources or materials. ‘Vaccination of ewes and lambs is one of the more common management practices performed by sheep producers each and every year. Some producers will vaccinate their flock for “everything”, while others choose a more conservative approach.’ [Farmers Guardian]. Understanding and implementing effective management practices can help farmers improve productivity and sustainability.

monera: same as prokaryote. Understanding the role and characteristics of prokaryotes can help farmers manage soil and crop health more effectively, ensuring better productivity and sustainability.

mycelium: the main part of a fungus, a mass of hyphae that grows underground or in wood. Understanding the role of mycelium can help farmers manage soil and crop health more effectively, ensuring better productivity and sustainability.

mastitis-metritis-agalactia: full form of MMA. Understanding and managing mastitis-metritis-agalactia is crucial for maintaining the health and productivity of livestock, reducing mortality rates and ensuring better economic outcomes for farmers.

maltose: a sugar formed by digesting starch or glycogen. Understanding the role of maltose in livestock nutrition can help farmers manage animal diets more effectively, leading to better growth and productivity.

moisture content: the percentage of water contained in something such as the soil, hay or straw. Understanding moisture content can help farmers manage irrigation, crop storage, and livestock feed more effectively, ensuring better productivity and sustainability.

malt culms: roots and shoots of partly germinated malting barley. A by-product of the malting process, the culms are used as a feedingstuff for livestock. Utilizing malt culms can provide an additional feed source for livestock, reducing feed costs and improving farm sustainability.

miscarry: same as abort. Understanding and managing miscarriage can help farmers ensure the health and productivity of their livestock.

ME: abbreviation 1. metabolisable energy levels in concentrates 2. metabolised energy. Understanding metabolisable energy can help farmers manage livestock nutrition more effectively, ensuring better growth and productivity.

milking parlour: a building in which cows are milked, and often are also fed, washed and cleaned. There are four basic designs of parlour: the herringbone parlour, where the cow stands at an angle of 45° to the milker, is commonest for large herds; the abreast parlour, where the cows stand side by side with their backs to the milker; the tandem parlour where they stand in line with their sides to the milker; the most expensive and complex of the four systems is the rotary parlour, where the cows stand on a rotating platform with the milker in the middle. Proper management of milking parlours can ensure better milk quality and yield, contributing to farm profitability and sustainability.

mixed grazing: a grazing system where more than one type of animal grazes the same pasture at the same time. Mixed grazing regimes provide a range of sward lengths which are attractive areas for birds to nest and feed and encourage regeneration of grassland and moorland areas. Understanding mixed grazing can help farmers optimize their livestock management practices, ensuring better productivity and sustainability.

milk sugar: same as lactose. Understanding the role of lactose in milk can help farmers manage dairy production more effectively, ensuring better quality and marketability.

marine flora: the plants that live in the sea. Understanding marine flora can help farmers engaged in mariculture manage their resources more effectively, ensuring better productivity and environmental sustainability.

mealworm: the larva of various beetles of the genus Tenebrio that infests and pollutes grain products. Managing mealworm infestations can help farmers protect their grain products and ensure better storage and marketability.

metaldehyde: a substance used in the form of pellets to kill slugs and snails, or in the form of small blocks to light fires. Understanding the application and effects of metaldehyde can help farmers manage pest infestations more effectively, ensuring better crop health and yields.

milch cow: a cow which gives milk or is kept for milk production. Proper care and management of milch cows can ensure better milk yield and quality, contributing to farm profitability and sustainability.

mildew: a disease caused by a fungus which produces a fine powdery film on the surface of an organism. Understanding and managing mildew can help farmers protect their crops and ensure better yields.

malted meal: a brown wheat flour mixed with flour made from barley. Understanding the uses of malted meal can help farmers diversify their products and find new market opportunities.

milking machine: a machine which imitates the sucking action of a calf, used to extract milk from the cow’s udder. It uses a pulsator mechanism to apply pressure to the teats, causing the release of the milk. The milk is then passed into a collecting jar or may pass by pipeline to a large tank. Proper use and maintenance of milking machines can ensure better milk quality and yield, contributing to farm profitability and sustainability.

multipurpose breed: a breed of animal such as the Large White pig which can be used for various purposes, e.g. milk production, draught or meat production. Understanding the characteristics and uses of multipurpose breeds can help farmers optimize their livestock production and marketability, ensuring better profitability.

mull: neutral humus. Compare moder, mor. Understanding the role of mull in soil health can help farmers manage soil fertility more effectively, ensuring better crop yields.

Moiled: Irish Moiled. Understanding the characteristics and uses of Irish Moiled cattle can help farmers optimize their livestock production and marketability, ensuring better profitability.

Masham: a crossbred type of sheep which results from a Wensleydale or Teeswater ram mated with a hill ewe of the Swaledale type and has black markings on the face and legs. The breed is an economical ewe with a good lambing average and a useful fleece. Raising Masham sheep can provide farmers with a versatile and productive breed, contributing to better income and farm sustainability.

mattock: a heavy hoe. Using a mattock can help farmers manage soil and crop cultivation more effectively, leading to better farm productivity.

multicell: referring to crops that are planted in clusters of seeds, which are thinned to allow the strongest plants to develop. Understanding multicell planting can help farmers optimize their crop production and improve yields and sustainability.