Farm team
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A farm team, or farm club, generally refers to a minor league baseball league in the United States which are at a lower pay level and play in smaller cities and towns than do Major League Baseball, and which are under the control of the two major leagues and are used for development of younger players. The meaning of the name is unclear, and it could either refer to the more rural location of many of the teams or to the idea that the major league team is using the minor league team as a farm to grow young talent into seasoned players.
The existence of the minor league system is partly due to major league baseball's ability to include a reserve clause in the contracts with minor league baseball players which gives a major league team exclusive rights to a player even after the contract has expired. This is possible in baseball because of a 1922 Supreme Court decision which grants baseball a special immunity from antitrust laws.
The term is also used as a metaphor for any organization or activity that serves as a training ground for higher-level endeavors. For instance, sometimes business schools are referred to as "farm clubs" for the world of business.
The teams of the National Hockey League also have their own farm teams. They are primarily in the American Hockey League.