Livestock & BreedingGlossary
A practical reference to the key terms, metrics, and concepts used across the Australian cattle and sheep breeding, genetics, and sales industries. Whether you are a seasoned stud producer or new to seedstock marketing, this glossary will help you speak the language of livestock with confidence.
Genetics & Genomics
Australian Sheep Breeding Value (ASBV)
The genetic evaluation metric for Australian sheep, providing comparable estimates of an animal's breeding merit across flocks.
BREEDPLAN
Australia's national genetic evaluation system for beef cattle, producing EBVs used by stud and commercial producers across all major breeds.
EPD (Estimated Progeny Difference)
A genetic prediction of how an animal's offspring will perform compared to the progeny of an average animal in the same breed, widely used in North American systems.
Estimated Breeding Value (EBV)
A statistical estimate of an animal's genetic merit for a particular trait, expressed as a deviation from the breed average.
Genomic Testing
DNA-based analysis that enhances the accuracy of breeding values by directly measuring an animal's genetic makeup.
Sire Summary
A published report listing the breeding values of sires within a breed, enabling producers to compare genetic merit across bulls or rams.
Breeding & Production
Breeding Objective
A defined production goal that guides genetic selection decisions, balancing the traits most important to a producer's enterprise profitability.
Carcase Traits
Measurable characteristics of an animal's meat yield and quality, including eye muscle area, rib fat, rump fat, and intramuscular fat (marbling).
Fleece Weight
The total weight of greasy wool shorn from a sheep at shearing, a key production and breeding value trait for wool-producing breeds.
Maternal Sire
A sire breed or individual selected for its ability to produce female progeny with strong reproductive, milking, and mothering traits.
Stud Stock
Registered, pedigree-recorded livestock bred specifically for genetic improvement and sold as breeding animals to other producers.
Terminal Sire
A sire breed or individual used in crossbreeding programs where all progeny are sold for slaughter, maximising carcase and growth traits.
Trait Leader
An animal that ranks in the top percentile of its breed for a specific EBV or ASBV trait, often highlighted in sale catalogues and sire summaries.
Weaner
A young animal that has recently been weaned off its mother, typically aged around four to ten months, sitting between the calf or lamb and the yearling. Sometimes misspelled "weiner".
Yearling
A young animal in its second year of life, older than a weaner but not yet mature. In cattle and sheep it describes stock aged roughly between one and two years.
Sales & Auctions
Average Price
The mean sale price achieved across all lots sold at a livestock auction, commonly reported alongside top price and clearance rate.
Bull Sale
An organised sale event where registered or commercial bulls are offered for purchase, typically conducted as an auction with a published catalogue.
Clearance Rate
The percentage of lots offered at a livestock sale that are successfully sold, used as a key indicator of sale success and market demand.
Helmsman Auction
A simultaneous, timed auction format where all lots are open for bidding at the same time, commonly used for livestock sales conducted online.
Lot System
The method of organising individual animals or groups into numbered lots for sale at auction or private treaty events.
On-Property Sale
A livestock sale conducted at the vendor's property, allowing buyers to inspect animals in their breeding environment.
Ram Sale
A sale event where stud or flock rams are offered to buyers, commonly held on-property or through multi-vendor sales and online platforms.
Reserve Price
The minimum price a vendor will accept for a lot at auction; if bidding does not reach the reserve, the animal is passed in.
Sale Catalogue
A printed or digital publication listing all lots offered at a livestock sale, including pedigree, performance data, and breeding values.
Marketing & CRM
Buyer Database
A structured record of past, current, and prospective buyers maintained by a stud or agent to drive targeted marketing and repeat sales.
Livestock CRM
A customer relationship management system built specifically for livestock producers, tracking buyer interactions, sale history, and marketing across the sales cycle.