Farm records are written documents that show all activities, events, and transactions that take place on the farm. They include information about money spent and received, inputs used, labour, sales, production, and assets.

Farm records help the farmer to know what has happened, what is happening, and what is yet to happen on the farm.

Book keeping is the systematic recording of all financial transactions of a farm. It involves writing down all money coming in (income) and money going out (expenses) in an organised manner.

Book keeping provides the financial part of farm record keeping.

Farm Records	Book Keeping
Covers all farm activities including labour, weather, production, inventory	Focuses mainly on money and financial transactions
Both financial and non-financial information	Only financial information
Used for technical management of the farm	Used for financial management
Examples: production records, input records, farm diary	Examples: cash book, ledger, invoices

1. It helps to improve planning of farm operations.


2. It helps to improve budgeting and estimating future needs.


3. It helps to improve decision making based on facts.


4. It helps to improve measurement of profit and loss.


5. It helps to improve access to loans because banks demand proper records.


6. It helps to improve accountability and transparency.


7. It helps to improve monitoring of labour, inputs, and output.


8. It helps to improve farm management by identifying profitable enterprises.

1. Accuracy: Information must be correct.


2. Clarity: Records must be simple.


3. Timeliness: Information must be recorded immediately.


4. Completeness: All details must be written.


5. Consistency: Style should remain the same.


6. Neatness: Records should be clean and organised.


7. Safety: Records must be kept safely.

1. Farm Diary: Daily record of events such as weather, labour, and operations.


2. Input Record: Shows quantities and costs of supplies used.


3. Output / Production Record: Quantity of crops harvested or animals produced.


4. Sales Record: All products sold and income received.


5. Purchases Record: Items bought for farm use.


6. Labour Record: Workers, hours worked, wages paid.


7. Inventory Record: List of all items on the farm.


8. Cash Book: Money received and spent.


9. Farm Asset Register: Buildings, tools, and machines.


10. Production Cost Record: All costs of producing crops or animals.


11. Profit and Loss Record: Shows financial performance.


12. Egg Record: Daily egg production.


13. Animal Health Record: Vaccination and treatment details.


14. Breeding Record: Mating and birth information.

1. Cash Book: Records cash received and cash spent.


2. Sales Book: Credit sales only.


3. Purchases Book: Credit purchases only.


4. Ledger: Contains accounts such as sales, purchases, wages, assets.


5. Receipt Book: For issuing receipts.


6. Invoice Book: For recording goods sold on credit.


7. Trial Balance: Checks accuracy of ledger accounts.

1. Single Entry System: Simple and used by small farmers.


2. Double Entry System: More accurate and records debit and credit.

1. To know if the farm is making profit.


2. To determine production cost.


3. To support loan applications.


4. To avoid theft or misuse.


5. To help government plan agricultural programmes.


6. To determine best planting and harvesting periods.

Example 1 — Cash Book (Simple)

Transactions in one week:

1. Monday: Sold vegetables Naira 4,000.


2. Tuesday: Bought fertilizer Naira 1,500.


3. Wednesday: Paid labour Naira 1,000.


4. Friday: Sold eggs Naira 2,000.

Cash Book Summary:

Total received = 4,000 + 2,000 = Naira 6,000

Total paid = 1,500 + 1,000 = Naira 2,500

Balance = Naira 3,500

Example 2 — Stock Record (Fertilizer)

Opening stock = 5 bags

Received = 10 bags

Used = 7 bags

Closing stock = 5 + 10 − 7 = 8 bags

Example 3 — Sales Record

Sold 3 crates of tomatoes at Naira 3,200 each.

Total sales = 3 × 3,200 = Naira 9,600

Example 4 — Production Record (Poultry)

Eggs laid this week = 210

Broken eggs = 12

Good eggs = 210 − 12 = 198 eggs

Example 5 — Profit Calculation (Crop Enterprise)

Total cost of producing okra = Naira 20,000

Total sales from okra = Naira 28,000

Profit = 28,000 − 20,000 = Naira 8,000

1. Poor literacy.


2. Carelessness.


3. Lack of time.


4. Misplacement of documents.


5. Lack of training.


6. Natural disasters.

1. Train farmers.


2. Use notebooks or apps.


3. Keep records safely.


4. Employ assistants.


5. Write immediately.


6. Use waterproof files.

1. Neat


2. Honest


3. Organised


4. Patient


5. Accurate


6. Time conscious


7. Responsible

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Summary

Farm records and book keeping are essential for successful farm management. They help farmers to calculate profit, monitor resources, plan effectively, and make better decisions.