California's leading enterprises
- Fruits, nuts, and vegetables
- Dairy
- Wine and table grapes
Whatever you run, the same principle holds: a record is only worth keeping if it can answer the question someone will eventually ask it. For the fields every record needs, see what belongs on a farm record template.
Who asks for your records in California
Farm records get requested by more parties than most operators expect. In California the usual list includes the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and its pesticide and licensing programs; federal programs administered through USDA; organic certifiers, if you are certified or transitioning; and the buyers, packers, and auditors you sell to. The specifics vary by program, so treat the agencies below as the authority, not this page.
For a fuller picture of the audiences a record has to satisfy, see who asks for farm records.
Records that matter most for California operations
Spray and input records
For every application, record the product, the rate, the field or lot, the target, and the pre-harvest and re-entry intervals from the label. Restricted-use pesticide applications carry federal record-keeping requirements on top of anything the state adds.
Lot and traceability records
Give each harvest a lot code and keep it identical everywhere it appears, so a lot traces back to the inputs applied to it and forward to the customers it shipped to.
Field and planting records
Keep a record per field and planting so inputs, scouting, and harvest all attach to the right ground.
More on the application side is in spray and input records, and you can start on paper with the free printable templates.
Where to verify the specifics
The authorities for California record-keeping requirements are the state's land-grant extension service and its department of agriculture. Check the current rules with them before relying on any summary, including this one.
- University of California Cooperative Extension (UC ANR)
- California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)
Keep California records that hold up
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