BAPF, FARM MANAGEMENT & RECORD KEEPING PDF Print E-mail
Farm Management/Record Keeping

Good farm management centres on keeping accurate records of your production practices.  Many farmers do not appreciate the need for maintaining records of what they do.  However, these records are quiet often of benefit to the individual farmer.  Documenting various practices on your farm and the results of these practices often assist farmers in identifying key strategies that they can use over or identify a possible point where a problem would have occurred.  As a result the farmer can utilise those strategies that would have reaped the best results and eliminate those that were harmful to the operation.  Additionally, in seeking funding from various institutions farmers often need to provide some tract record of their operations to prove to these institutions that they would be investing in a profitable venture.  Furthermore, when the BPFA and by extension the BAS make representations on behalf of the farmers to various institutions, the key issue is always data to prove that what is being defended or challenge is truly a legitimate issue.  This can only be done if the farmers keep accurate records of their practices and when called on by the BPFA & BAS to submit such information that they do so, with the confidence that the associations are make representations on their behalf, for their benefit and the industry as a whole.  

Examples of records that pig farmers need to maintain includes, how many piglets a sow gave birth to, how many are still born, how many were weaned, the feeding regime.  Additionally, farmers should keep accurate records of their bills & costing structures.