Farm Field Record Keeping Jim Dunn Agricultural Economist Penn State University

Serbian crop farm 30 employees 6 bookkeepers 1,600 acres Social security

Introduction Important to determine the profitability of a crop or livestock enterprise Also used to evaluate new seed, decide when to take a dairy cow from the herd, and other decisions

Record Keeping  Good records contribute to good decisions.  Records reduce environmental risk.  Decisions based on records are only as good as the data.  Records reduce environmental and legal exposure.

Record Keeping (continued)  A record-keeping database: –Helps organize good data. –Provides an operation and maintenance checklist. –Provides documentation of implemented conservation practices.

What Records Should be Kept?  Site information  Production information  Permits of certificates  Manure field application  Internal inspection data  Mortality disposal

Crop production records For each field What did you plant? Why? When did you plant? What seed? Did you get a soil test? What fertilizer did you apply? How much? What day?

Crop records (continued) Herbicide, insecticide, and fungicide applications –What product? When? How much? Other field work –Plowing, cultivating? Harvest activities What date? Total production? Quality? Problems?

Crop records (continued) How much time did each operation take? What did you pay for the purchased inputs?

Using Records Evaluating seed Evaluating fields Evaluating chemicals Making crop choices

Software Lots of links out of date Carl Shaffer – data base – developed his own –What field – history – map –dates planted, etc., variety – sprays, etc., yields, problems