April 26, 2025
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MHC

MHC: abbreviation moisture holding capacity. Understanding moisture holding capacity can help farmers manage soil and crop irrigation more effectively, ensuring better growth and productivity.

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Macroclimate

macroclimate: the climate over a large area such as a region or country. Understanding macroclimate can help farmers plan their crop production and manage risks associated with climate variations, ensuring better crop yield and farm sustainability.

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Moist

moist: slightly damp, containing a small amount of water. Understanding soil moisture levels can help farmers manage irrigation and crop health more effectively, ensuring better productivity and sustainability.

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Macronutrient

macronutrient: a nutrient that an organism uses in very large quantities, e.g. oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium or iron. Knowing the macronutrient requirements of crops and livestock can help farmers ensure proper nutrition, leading to better growth and yields, ultimately improving farm productivity and profitability.

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Millet

millet: a cereal crop grown in many of the hot, dry regions of Africa and Asia, where it is a staple food. Genera: especially: Panicum or Eleusine. The two most important species are finger millet and bulrush millet. Millet grains are used in various types of food. They can be boiled and eaten like rice, made into flour for porridge, pasta or chapatis, and mixed with wheat flour to make bread. Millets can be malted to make beer. Millets are also grown as forage crops, and the seed is used as a poultry feed. Growing millet can provide farmers with a versatile and high-yield crop, particularly in regions with suitable climates, contributing to food security and economic stability.

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Myoglobin

myoglobin: the iron-containing protein that binds oxygen in muscle tissue, similar to the haemoglobin in blood. Understanding the role of myoglobin can help farmers manage livestock health and meat quality more effectively, ensuring better productivity and marketability.

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Modified Atmosphere

modified atmosphere: an oxygen-depleted atmosphere enriched with carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide, used for disinfestation of pests or for increasing the shelf life of food. Abbr MA. Understanding the uses and effects of modified atmosphere can help farmers manage pest control and food preservation more effectively, ensuring better crop and product quality and marketability.

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Methyl Phosphine

methyl phosphine: a compound with specific action against phosphine-resistant strains of storage pests. Understanding the uses and effects of methyl phosphine can help farmers manage pest infestations in stored products more effectively, ensuring better storage and marketability.

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Marjoram

marjoram: a Mediterranean aromatic herb (Origanum), the dried leaves of which are used as flavoring. Growing marjoram can provide farmers with a high-value crop, particularly for markets interested in culinary herbs and natural flavorings.

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MFHA

MFHA: abbreviation Master of Foxhounds Association. Understanding the role of the Master of Foxhounds Association can help farmers engaged in foxhunting activities manage their operations more effectively.

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Medium

medium: a substance in which an organism lives or is grown. Understanding the characteristics and uses of different media can help farmers optimize their crop and livestock production, leading to better yields and productivity.

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Micron

micron: a measurement of thickness, one millionth of a metre, used in measuring the fineness of hair or wool. Understanding micron measurements can help farmers manage wool and other products more effectively, ensuring better quality and marketability.

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Meadowgrass

meadowgrass: varieties of grass of the genus Poa. Understanding the characteristics and uses of meadowgrass can help farmers manage their grazing and hay production more effectively, leading to better livestock health and productivity.

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Manure Spreader

manure spreader: a trailer with a moving floor conveyor and a combined shredding and spreading mechanism, used to distribute manure over the soil. Also called muck spreader. Using a manure spreader can help farmers efficiently apply manure to their fields, improving soil fertility and crop growth.

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Maintenance Ration

maintenance ration: the quantity of food needed to keep a farm animal healthy but not productive. Knowing the maintenance ration for livestock helps farmers manage feed costs and ensure animal health, leading to better resource allocation and farm efficiency.

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Multiple Cropping

multiple cropping: the growing of more than one crop on the same piece of land in one year, especially using early crops followed by later ones. Understanding multiple cropping can help farmers optimize their crop production and improve soil health, ensuring better productivity and sustainability.

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Mahogany

mahogany: a tropical hardwood tree producing a dark timber, now becoming rare. Sustainable management of mahogany resources is important for preserving this valuable timber species, ensuring long-term availability and protecting biodiversity.

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Mule

mule: 1. an animal which is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse, usually used as a pack animal in rough terrain 2. a crossbreed between a Bluefaced Leicester ram and a Swaledale ewe. Understanding the characteristics and uses of mules can help farmers optimize their livestock production and marketability, ensuring better profitability.

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Migrant

migrant: an animal or bird that moves from one place to another according to the season. Understanding migration patterns can help farmers manage livestock and crop production more effectively, ensuring better productivity and sustainability.

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Marrow

marrow: a large vegetable (Cucurbita pepo) of the pumpkin family, which may be grown as bush or trailing varieties. Growing marrows can provide farmers with a versatile and high-yield crop, particularly for markets interested in fresh vegetables.

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Marbling

marbling: the appearance of muscle with intramuscular fat, seen on the cut surface of meat. Understanding marbling can help farmers improve the quality of their meat products, leading to better marketability and higher prices.

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Mangel

mangel: a plant similar to sugar beet, but with larger roots. Mangel is mainly grown in southern England as a fodder crop. Also called mangold. Varieties of mangels include Globes, Tankards (oblong-shaped), Longs and Intermediates. Mangels contain less than 15% dry matter and are normally harvested before maturity and dried off in a clamp. Growing mangels can provide a valuable fodder crop for livestock, especially in regions with suitable climates.

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Monopoly

monopoly: an organisation which controls the supply of or trade in a commodity or service, and therefore controls its price. Understanding monopolies can help farmers navigate market dynamics and improve their business strategies.

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Maine

Maine: Refers to Bleu du Maine and Maine-Anjou breeds. Understanding the characteristics of these breeds can help farmers make informed decisions about livestock management and breeding, ensuring better productivity and farm sustainability.

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Milk Ripe Stage

milk ripe stage: a stage in the development of grain such as wheat where the seed has formed but is still soft and white and full of white sap. Also called milky stage. Understanding the milk ripe stage can help farmers manage grain production more effectively, ensuring better yields and quality.

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Maggot

maggot: a soft-bodied, legless larva of a fly such as a bluebottle, warble fly or frit fly. Maggots may attack crops and livestock. Controlling maggot infestations can prevent significant damage to crops and livestock, ensuring better farm productivity and reducing economic losses.

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Moisture Deficit

moisture deficit: the difference between the amount of water in the soil and the amount needed by the crop. Understanding moisture deficit can help farmers manage irrigation and crop health more effectively, ensuring better productivity and sustainability.