An important tool for any vegetable or crop production farming operation, regardless of size, is having and maintaining a recordkeeping system for crop production. A common question that often gets asked is why should I keep production records? There are a number of reasons as follows: keeping records meets the requirements of various state and federal regulations; complete and accurate records help demonstrate your protection of soil, water and other environmental resources; records will help you analyze the performance of your farm’s cropping system; records may provide liability protection in the event of a complaint or lawsuit concerning your farming operation; and complete records demonstrate conformance with Michigan Right-to-Farm guidelines and are needed for Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) system verification.
For Michigan vegetable and field crop producers, Michigan State University Extension Bulletin E-2342, “Recordkeeping System for Crop Production,” updated March 2009, is available free of charge from MSU Extension county offices or from the MSU Extension Bookstore.
The “Recordkeeping System for Crop Production” is designed for recording pesticide applications, nutrient applications, manure applications, animal burial and composting, irrigation, employee training, and pesticide drift management plans. Individual application records are organized by field with up to 39 field application records included in the bulletin.
Source: MSUE