Banter involving cattle food (5)
I believe the answer is:
chaff
'banter' is the definition.
(synonyms)
I can't explain the remainder of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for chaff that I've seen before include "Winnowed husks of grain" , "Husks - jokes" , "Worthless material (from corn)" , "Corn-husks separated from the grain" , "shells" .)