How Many Of These Ranching Terms Do You Know?

Agriculture is one of Wyoming's top industries. With just under 12,000 farms and ranches in the state, the industry contributes just over $2.5 billion to the state's economy.

Of the nearly 12,000 farms and ranches, 5,700 are cattle ranches. Wyoming has more cattle than people by double, with 1.2 million cattle and calves.

You likely have family or friends who own or work on a ranch. So, you should know what they're talking about when they're talking about their ranch.

Some ranching terms and phrases are simple and are common terms you've heard before, like:

• Cow - A female bovine
• Calf - baby cow
• Horse - The animal ridden by cowboys
• Roundup - Gathering of cattle

There are some that you may not have heard before, like:

• Horn Iron - Used to help heal a horn base after de-horning cattle
• Leppy - An orphaned calf
• Waddle - Another way of marking cattle is by cutting a piece of skin so it will grow distinctively.
• Batwings - A style of chaps cut wide with a flare at the bottom.
• Cold-backed - A horse that isn't fond of being ridden early in the day.
• Pogonip - Fog that contains ice crystals that settle onto surfaces, causing ice crystal sculptures.

Thanks to the popularity of TV shows like Yellowstone, the ranching lifestyle has become an occupation that some have never considered. If you're going to own or work on a ranch, you need to understand the lingo.

Certain words or phrases may have more than one meaning depending on the type of ranch and its location.