10 Words that Mean Something Completely Different as Farming Terms

Only two percent of Americans are farmers. Several more work with the industry while a few more simply live in rural areas. For all those people, these farming terms might be second nature, but for the rest of us, talking to a farmer can be really confusing!

Clear up your confusion about 10 agricultural words below!

1. Combine

What it usually means: To mix or merge – like you would combine the flour and baking soda in a recipe.

What it means on the farm: A machine that moves down the grain field removing the seeds from the stems of ripe plants of grains.

2. Elevator

What it usually means: A platform or compartment housed in a shaft for raising and lowering people or things to different floors or levels, i.e. “Take the elevator to the penthouse and look around.”

What it means on the farm: A building or terminal where grain is elevated and transferred to an alternate mode of transportation (e.g. truck to rail, rail to ship).

3. Head

What it usually means: The upper part of the human body typically separated from the rest of the body by a neck, and containing the brain, mouth, and sense organs.

What it means on the farm: The “scissors” of the combine – there is actually a “corn head” and a “bean/wheat head.”

4. Pen

What it usually means: An instrument for writing or drawing with ink.

What it means on the farm: A stall for an animal.

5. Pod

What it usually means: A detachable or self-contained unit.

What it means on the farm: The container for seeds on a legume plant.

6. Stalk

What it usually means: To harass or persecute (someone) with unwanted and obsessive attention.

What it means on the farm: The trunk or stem of corn.

7. Field

What it usually means: An area of level ground, as in a park or stadium, where athletic events are held.

What it means on the farm: An area of open land, especially one planted with crops or pasture, typically bounded by hedges or fences.

8. Hybrid

What it usually means: A car with a gasoline engine and an electric motor, each of which can propel it.

What it means on the farm: Seed produced by cross-pollinated plants; one of the main contributors to the dramatic rise in agricultural output.

9. Sprout

What it usually means: A vegetable that you cook with; usually a topping on a sandwich.

What it means on the farm: When a crop begins to grow; shoot forth, as a plant from a seed.

10. Maze/maize

What it usually means: A “maze” is series of paths that are designed as a puzzle through which one has to find a way.

What it means on the farm: “Maize” is the scientific term for corn.

Want to expand your farming knowledge? Check out 14 of our favorite farming books for kids.