When we discuss records, another area that must be addressed is our production record keeping. Perhaps if there is one area of our record keeping that is abused and neglected, it is probably this area. There are several formats that can be used. There are no excuses for NOT keeping accurate production records. Production history in a farming/ranching operation must be recorded by classification correlating to the smallest crop or sometimes field needing our direction and evaluation for future decisions. These decisions can be very simple, i.e., whether or not to utilize no till versus minimum till or the complex process of evaluating the soil condition versus the required micro and macro nutrients each type of plant requires to succeed and produce a fruit or a by product. This applies to livestock as well as it does to any type of plant that we may produce. Accurate production records for the lender and for yourself will help analyze your performance. Reference again the FSA 2036 Farm Business Record Book. It has many pages provided that will aid you in keeping records straight.
Lawsuits in our legalistic society become very costly both time wise and dollar wise. Be extremely careful in everything you do in keeping accurate records. This is imperative. Trust me on this, we know from first-hand experience and thank goodness all of our records were in place. So by all means, keep accurate records that can be found and referenced as needed.
