Glossary
The definitions below clarify terms used in this data product and related materials.
Added Sugars
Sugars and syrups that are added to foods during processing or preparation. Added sugars do not include naturally occurring sugars, such as those that occur in milk and fruits.
Beginning Stocks
Existing supplies of a farm commodity that are the remaining stock carried over from the previous year’s
production.
Boneless, Trimmed-Weight Equivalent
This series puts red meat (beef, veal, pork, lamb, and mutton), poultry
(chicken and turkey), and fish on a fairly comparable basis. For
most of these products, the measure excludes bones, edible offals,
and game consumption.
The exception is for boneless, trimmed poultry, which includes
skin, neck, and giblets and excludes the use of chicken for commercially
prepared pet
food.
Broilers
Mature, young chicken of either sex produced for meat. The terms "broilers," "fryers," and "young chickens"
are interchangeable.
Bushel
A unit of measure containing 2,150.42 cubic inches.
Carcass-Weight Equivalent (CWE)
The weight of meat cuts and meat products converted to an equivalent weight of a dressed carcass.
Includes bone, fat, tendons, ligaments, and inedible trimmings (whereas product weight may or may not).
Cereals
Generic name for certain grasses that produce edible seeds. Term also used for certain products
made from the seeds. Cereals include wheat, rice, and coarse grains, such as oats, barley, rye, millet,
corn, and sorghum grain.
Consumption
In economics, consumption is the using up of goods or services or the amount used up. In common usage, consumption can also mean the ingestion of food by eating or drinking. In ERS’s Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System, the food and nutrient availability series provide estimates of the amount of food and nutrients used up; the loss-adjusted food availability series provides estimates of food intake, or the amount of food eaten or ingested.
Conversion Factors
Conversion factors can be categorized into different types. One type of
conversion factor is used to convert raw agricultural commodities
into consumer products, such as when converting beef from a carcass
weight to a boneless
weight, or when converting a dozen shell eggs to kilograms of dried
egg. These factors may change over time with changes in agricultural
production and marketing practices. In contrast, conversion factors
for weights
and
measures for agricultural commodities and their products are constant
over time. For example, 2 pints of liquid always equal 1 quart.
Copra
Dried coconut meat used in extraction of coconut oil.
Corn Gluten
The byproduct of wet milling of corn.
Crop Year
The year in which a crop is harvested, as opposed to the marketing year. For wheat, barley, and oats, the crop year is from June 1 to May 31. For corn,
sorghum, and soybeans, it is from October 1 to September 30. For cotton, peanuts, and rice, it is from
August 1 to July 31.
Crush
The process of extracting oil from oilseeds using solvents.
Dextrose A sugar found in plant and animal tissue and derived synthetically from starch.
Dietary FiberNonstarch polysaccharide and lignin that are not digested by enzymes in the small intestine. Dietary fiber typically refers to nondigestible carbohydrates from plant foods.
Dietary Guidelines
Guidelines developed by USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services, emphasizing variety,
balance, and moderation in the total diet without making recommendations regarding specific foods to
include or to eliminate. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans provides recommendations based on gender, age, and level of physical activity.
Ending Stocks
The part of a current crop production carried over into the next crop year.
Endive
A variety of chicory that is used in salads. Also called escarole.
Escarole
A variety of chicory that is used in salads. Also called endive.
Farm Weight
The weight of a commodity as measured on the farm before further conditioning and processing.
Farmhouse Cheese
Cheese made by whoever produced the milk. Commonly made from raw/unpasteurized milk
because of pasteurization costs for relatively small quantities.
Filberts
Also called hazelnuts.
Fresh-Weight Equivalent
The weight of processed fruit and vegetables converted to an equivalent weight of the fresh produce.
Varies widely from season to season and among localities.
Grain-Equivalent Basis
Because data for grain, flour, and selected grain products are reported
in different measures (e.g., metric tons for grain exports and
kilograms for flour), it is often necessary to convert these to
a common measure when
calculating total use or making comparisons. For example, the flour
and selected products are first converted to grain-equivalent kilograms
(i.e.,
the quantity of wheat grain that would have to be milled to produce
1 kilogram of that flour or wheat product). Then the grain-equivalent
data are converted to bushels. The factors for the conversion are
2.204622 pounds
per kilogram and 60 pounds per bushel.
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
A corn sweetener derived from the wet milling of corn. Corn starch is converted to a syrup that is nearly all dextrose. HFCS is found in numerous foods and beverages on the grocery store shelves.
Hundredweight
One hundred pounds.
Kiwifruit
The small, fuzzy fruit of a vine native to Asia. A type of berry.
Landings
Quantities of fish, shellfish, and other aquatic plants and animals brought
ashore and sold. Commercial landings of fish may be in terms of round (live)
weight or dressed weight. Landings of crustaceans are generally on a live-weight
basis except for shrimp, which may be on a heads-on or heads-off basis.
Mollusks are generally landed with the shell on, but for some species only
the meats are landed, such as sea scallops. Data for all mollusks are published
on a meat-weight basis.
Leading Cheeses
In this data product, leading cheeses refer to Cheddar, Mozzarella, Swiss,
cream, and Neufchâtel.
Leading Meat
In this data product, leading meat refers to beef, pork, and chicken.
Legumes
A family of plants including many valuable food and forage species, such as peas, beans, soybeans,
peanuts, clovers, alfalfas, and sweetclovers. Legumes can convert nitrogen from the air to nitrates in
the soil through a process known as nitrogen fixation. In this data system, we used the term "legumes"
to include pinto beans, navy beans, great northern beans, red kidney beans, dry lima beans, black beans,
and other beans (blackeye, garbanzo, small white, small red, pink, cranberry, and other beans not elsewhere
classified), plus dry peas and lentils.
Liveweight
The weight of an animal before it is slaughtered.
Long Ton
A measure of weight equal to 2,240 pounds or 1,016 kilograms. See also metric ton
and short ton.
Marketing Year
The 12-month period following harvest during which a commodity may be sold domestically, exported, or
put into reserve stocks. Varies by country and commodity.
Meal
The coarsely ground and sifted grains of a serial grass; the solid residue left after extracting oil
from oilseeds (e.g., cornmeal).
Measurement Ton
A measure of volume generally equal to 40 cubic feet (1 cubic meter). Also known as cargo or freight ton.
Metric Ton
A measure of weight equal to 2,204.6 pounds or 1,000 kilograms. See also long ton
or short ton.
Milo
U.S. term for grain sorghum.
Nonfat Dry Milk (NDM)
Dried skim milk containing no more than 1.5 percent fat and 5 percent moisture. Includes buttermilk powder
but not whey powder.
Per Capita
Per person.
Product Weight
See retail weight.
Prune
A dried plum.
Pulses
The edible seeds of various leguminous crops, such as peas, beans, and lentils. Also called legumes.
Ready-To-Cook (RTC)
Dressed poultry, without feathers, head, feet, and most internal organs. Includes neck and giblets.
Red Meat
In this data product, red meat refers to beef, veal, pork, lamb, and mutton.
See also leading meat.
Render
To extract fat or oil from livestock or poultry by melting down or reprocessing meat, bone, feathers,
or other byproducts.
Resident Population
Includes all residents (both civilian and armed forces) living in the United States. The geographic universe for the resident population is the 50 States and the District of Columbia.
Resident Population Plus Armed Forces Overseas
Includes residents of the United States and members of the armed forces on active duty stationed outside the United States. Military dependents and other U.S. citizens living abroad are not included.
Retail Weight
The weight of a product as it is sold at the retail level. In the meat
trade, retail weight is differentiated from carcass-weight
equivalent, and may or may not include the weight of
bone, fat, or additional water. Also called product weight.
Serving Size
A standardized amount of a food, such as a cup or an ounce, used in providing dietary guidance or in making comparisons among similar foods.
Short Ton
A measure of weight equal to 2,000 pounds or 907 kilograms. See also long ton
and metric ton.
Sorghum
Also called milo.
Tallow
Edible and inedible rendered bovine and sheep fat, and inedible rendered hog fat. Food uses include
salad or cooking oils and margarine.
Ton
A measure of weight equal to 2,000 pounds or 907 kilograms. Also called short ton. See
also long ton and metric ton. A "ton" is
also a measure of volume (see measurement ton). Ton is the standard unit of measurement in this data series.
Utilized Production
Utilized production refers to production that is actually sold (i.e., production minus own-farm uses for seed, feed, food, and loss).
Value Added
Increased value of a good by further processing. Value-added products include soybean
meal and oil, frozen vegetables for retail consumption, and processed meats.
Whey
The liquid part of milk remaining after separation of the curd in cheesemaking. Types: fluid,
condensed, and dry.
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