Category: S

steppe: a wide grassy plain with no trees, especially in Europe and Asia. (NOTE: The North American equivalent of a steppe is a prairie.) Managing steppes supports sustainable grazing and biodiversity, promoting ecological balance and agricultural productivity.

Single Farm Payment Scheme: An initiative under the CAP which calculates farmers’ subsidies with reference to the amount of land used in production, as well as the total eligible livestock or crop output. It replaces individual subsidy schemes. Abbr SPS. Farmers benefit from engaging with the Single Farm Payment Scheme for financial support and resources in farming operations.

subfertility: a situation where an animal is less fertile than expected. Properly managing subfertility ensures healthy breeding programs and improves livestock productivity, supporting farm profitability.

shading: The action of cutting off the light of the sun. Parts of the field near tall trees suffer from shading. In Scotland, shading of weed growth by late-drilled wheats was more important in the spring and early summer than in southern Europe where growers placed more importance on preventing weed growth in the winter and early spring. Farmers benefit from managing shading to optimize crop growth and reduce weed competition.

Solari piggery: a type of housing for pigs, with fattening pens on each side of a central feeding passage, housed in an open-sided Dutch barn. Proper management of pig housing, such as Solari piggeries, ensures the health and productivity of pigs, supporting efficient livestock production.

Scottish Blackface: A very hardy breed of small mountain sheep. The fleece gives a long coarse springy wool, valued for making carpets. Older ewes are crossed with Border Leicester rams to give Greyface hybrids. Farmers benefit from raising Scottish Blackface sheep for their hardiness and valuable wool production.

scrub: 1. Small trees and bushes 2. An area of land covered with small trees and bushes. Farmers benefit from managing scrubland to maintain biodiversity and prevent invasive species.

sericulture: Raising silkworms for the production of silk. Farmers benefit from engaging in sericulture for the production of valuable silk products.

switchback: an acute disease of sheep that produces paralysis of the legs. Managing switchback disease ensures sheep health and productivity, supporting farm profitability.

stillbirth: the birth of a dead animal or abortion at a late stage of pregnancy. Properly managing stillbirths ensures livestock health and productivity, supporting farm profitability.