C

CF See crude fiber. 
CIP (cleaned-in-place) Most milk-handling equipment are cleaned by circulating washing solutions through them without disassembly.
CP See crude protein and intake protein. 
California Mastitis Test (CMT) A mastitis screening test useful for determining the somatic cell content in milk. A reagent is required to react with nuclear material of cells present in milk to form a gel.
Calving interval The average number of days between the latest two calving dates for individual cows or a herd. 
Can milk That milk placed in 10-gallon cans on the farm for cooling and transportation to a dairy product manufacturing plant.
Capriculture The study of goat keeping. 
Carrying capacity The number of animals that a pasture can properly carry with feed for a certain period of time. 
Casein The major protein of milk and cheese. 
Castration The removal of male reproductive organs (testicles) to reduce sexual activity and increase fattening of meat animals.
Cellulose The principal carbohydrate constituent of plant cell membranes. It is made available to ruminants through the action of cellulolytic bacteria in the rumen.
Centrifugal separation Removal of one substance from another mechanically by centrifugal force, as with cream which is less dense than skim milk.
Certified milk Milk produced and distributed under conditions which conform with high standards for cleanliness and quality set forth by the American Association of Medical Milk Commissions.
Check-offs The practice of deducting a portion of the payment to a farmer for his or her produce. 
Cholesterol A white, fat-soluble substance found in animal fats and oils, in bile, blood, brain tissue,, nervous tissue, the liver, kidneys, and adrenal glands. It is important in metabolism and is a precursor of certain hormones.
Clarification The process of removing suspended material; in milk processing, clarification is achieved by centrifugal treatment which removes sediment (extraneous matter) and somatic cells.
Class I base plan The system used in some Federal Milk Marketing Orders whereby a producer is allowed to deliver a specific quantity of milk based on production during the lowest production period of the previous year, at one price, but receives a lower price for remaining deliveries.
Classification An appraisal program offered by a breed association to evaluate each animal's resemblance to the breed's ideal. A numerical score is assigned to each animal.
Classified pricing A pricing plan by which handlers are charged for market milk according to the products in which it is used, hence the term use classification. Class I milk goes into fluid products and demands the highest price. Prices of surplus milk, Class II or III, depending on the Federal
Milk Marketing Order, are about the price of manufacturing milk.
Clean A lay term commonly used by cattle breeders to mean that a cow has shed her afterbirth. Also refers to the natural, wholesome flavor of dairy products.
Close breeding A form of inbreeding, such as mating brothers to sisters, sire to daughter, and son to dam.  
COD (chemical oxygen demand) An indirect measure of the biochemical load exerted on the oxygen of a body of water when organic wastes are introduced into the water. If wastes are readily biodegradable, COD and BOD are nearly the same.
Coliform bacteria Bacteria from the intestinal tract of warmblooded animals. Presence is considered indicative of fecal contamination.
Colostrum The first milk secreted after calving. Higher in total solids than normal milk. 
Compaction Closely packed feed in the stomach and intestines of an animal causing constipation and/or digestive disturbances.
Complete ration A blend of all feedstuffs (forages and grains) in one feed. A complete ration fits well into mechanized feeding and the use of computers to formulate least-cost rations. Sometimes called total mixed ration or TMR.
Components The nutritional solids in milk other than water, like fat, protein, lactose, and minerals. 
Concentrate A feed high in nitrogen-free-extract (NFE) and total digestible nutrients (TDN) and low in crude fiber (less than 18 percent). Included are cereal grains, soybean oil meal, cottonseed meal, and by-products of the milling industry such as corn gluten and wheat bran. A concentrate may be low or rich in protein.
Concentrated milks Milk, skim milk, and components of these that have been concentrated by removing varying amounts of water under carefully controlled conditions of heat and/or vacuum. Concentrated milks may be reconstituted by adding appropriate quantities of water.
Conception Fertilization or penetration of the ovum by a sperm cell. 
Conception rate Total number of conceptions obtained divided by total number of services. 
Condition Refers to the amount of flesh (body weight), quality of hair coat, and general health of animals. Also called body condition.
Confidence range (CR) Indicates the accuracy in the estimation of a sire's genetic merit in a sire proof by giving a probable range for future summaries.
Confinement Livestock kept in corrals or housing for maximum year-round production. Facilities may be partial or complete, usually with a solid floor and enclosed, or covered.
Conformation The body form or physical traits of an animal; its shape and arrangement of parts. 
Conjunctiva The tissue covering the anterior portion of an eyeball. 
Contemporaries Cows of the same breed that were born and raised, and initiated their lactations during similar periods. Usually separated into two lactation groups for comparison--first lactation and all other lactations.
Contemporary comparison Method for estimating the transmitting ability of bulls and cows using information on contemporaries.
Cooperative A form of business owned and controlled by the people who use its services, such as a milk marketing or processing cooperative.
Cooperative Extension Service (CES) The state, university and county educational outreach service of each state land-grant institution. This service extends the research results and educational programs of land-grant institutions to all the people in the state.
Cow A mature female bovine. 
Cow-hocked A condition of a cow in which the hocks are close together and the fetlocks (located just above the hoof) wide apart.
Crampiness A condition among cattle, especially bulls in confinement, in which involuntary contractions of muscles of the hind legs result in pain and discomfort. Affected animals shift from foot to foot.
Creamery A butter factory or, more commonly, a milk processing plant. 
Crimped Rolled with corrugated rollers. The grain to which this term refers may be tempered or conditioned before crimping, and may be cooled afterward.
Crossbred Offspring of parents of different breeds. 
Crossbreeding Mating animals of different breeds. 
Crude fiber (CF) That portion of feedstuffs composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and other polysaccharides which serve as structural and protective parts of plants (high in forages and low in grains). Not soluble in acid or alkali detergents.
Crude protein (CP) Total protein in a feed. To calculate the protein percentage, a feed is first chemically analyzed for nitrogen content. Since proteins average about 16 percent (100 ö 6.25) nitrogen, the percentage of nitrogen in the analysis is multiplied by 6.25 to give the CP percentage.
Cud A bolus of regurgitated food (common to ruminants). See rumination. 
Culling The process of eliminating nonproductive or undesirable animals. The removal of cows from a herd as a result of low production or other factors that reduce the profitability of the cow.
Culture In microbiology, a population of microorganisms in a growth medium or the act of growing bacteria in media for identification. A pure culture contains only organisms that initially arose from a single cell. Cultures are used in manufacturing cultured dairy products and most cheeses.
Curd The coagulated or thickened part of milk. Curd from whole milk consists of casein, fat, and whey, whereas curd from skim milk contains casein and whey but only traces of fat.
Cwt. Hundredweight or 100 pounds of milk