cropping

noun3

1. •
   The act by which something is cut short or truncated.

   • The vet was regularly called upon to perform ear croppings.
2. •
   The growing of crops.
3. •
   An outcrop that is mined for the ore it contains.

   • Their croppings are either entirely barren or contain only a moderate amount of copper, but much richer ore is ordinarily found just above the chalcocite zone. — 1905