X
XML:
Standard internet data interchange protocol
X-Ray:
High-energy electromagnetic radiation used to take radiographs
Y
Yard – Weaning:
The practice of weaning cattle within a confined environment (yards)
Yardage:
Charges incurred each day that the cattle are in the feedlot. These charges vary depending on the lot. Yardage is usually expressed on a cents per head per day basis
Yearling:
Animals that are approximately 1 year old
Yearling Weight:
Weight of a calf at one year of age; typically measured within a certain age window around 365 days of age and then adjusted back to 365 days of age
Yearling Weight EPD:
A genetic estimate of yearling weight of a bull’s progeny compared to other bulls in the same sire summary
Yearling Weight Ratio:
Yearling weight of a calf divided by the herd average. Usually calculated within sex
Yeast:
An organism that can grow and develop in the udder, causing mastitis
Yellow Fever:
(see Anaplasmosis)
YG:
(see Yield Grade)
Yield:
(see Dressing Percentage)
Yield Deviation:
A weighted average across a cow’s lactations of the amount that she differs from her herdmates
Yield Grade:
A numerical score ranging from 1 (high yield) to 5 (low yield) reflecting the expected proportion of boneless, closely – trimmed cuts from the beef carcass. It is estimated from a USDA prediction equation that includes measured or estimated values for hot carcass weight, ribeye area, fat thickness, and estimated percentage of kidney, pelvic and heart fat
Young Bulls:
Male calves that have not been castrated
YW:
(see Yearling Weight)
Z
Zero Tolerance:
The standard to which U.S. beef processors must adhere when it comes to fecal and ingesta carcass contamination. In layman’s terms, no visible contamination is allowed on beef carcasses. (Executive Summary of the National Non‐Fed Beef Quality Audit, 1994. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Englewood, CO.)
Zona Pellucida:
Shell surrounding the oocyte and embryo. In cattle, embryos hatch out of this shell 7–8 days after fertilisation
Zone of Thermoneutrality:
The environmental temperature (about 65°F) at which heat production and heat elimination are approximately equal for most farm animals
Zoonosis:
An infection of animals that can then infect human beings, for example, leptospirosis. The animal may, or may not, show any symptoms
Zoonotic:
A term used to describe any disease or infection that is naturally transmissible from animals to humans
Zoonotic Diseases:
Diseases which are communicable from animals to humans
Zygote:
Fertilised egg before it undergoes cleavage