Get Your Record Keeping Set Up Before Spring Hits

Going into the sciences, I discovered the value of writing things down - general advice being, “the more notes the better.” But, admittedly, this takes discipline and may be impractical. In my work I encounter many farmers whose main record keeping tool is their memory. I’m always impressed by the level of detail a farmer can pull out of their head – how many bales they took off a field last year compared to this, or what the weather was like ten years ago. This level of attention to detail is what makes a good farmer. I'm not trying to replace this first-hand knowledge, but I am trying to help farmers in their decision-making process. Making decisions by the seat of one’s pants might work if you are clever or lucky, but it is not a reliable way to make decisions. When a farmer needs to make critical deci­sions it can be helpful to have easily access­ible written records to analyze. How much time or effort you spend getting accurate and precise numbers should depend on the type of decision you are making. But, there is probably some measuring and record keeping all farm­ers can use to improve their operation. Like­wise, when making financial decisions, the ability to have accurate accounting greatly improves the likelihood of making financial decisions based on a correct assessment of risk