Know the Flow: Homestead Recordkeeping

(↑ Working on what each of the 3 gardens needs for its custom amendment mix)

I've found it is absolutely crucial to record as much information about farm processes as I can. There are 2 reasons I do this. The first is that I have chronic Lyme disease and the first serious symptom was cognitive dysfunction. Lyme has eaten my memory. If it’s not documented, I’ll never remember it.

The second reason is that having as much solid information as I can helps me make informed decisions on anything farm or money related.

I keep notes on all things financial, track all money to the penny, keep records of how much food is stored each year in the pantry, root cellar, and freezers. Track how much the animals cost and what it costs for a dozen eggs. Keep records of soil management/amendment done per soil tests. Keep notes on things pertinent to the animals: feed changes, deaths, predators, etc. Keep notes on how each variety does in the gardens, what I did starting the seeds, how often weeded or foliar sprayed, etc.

I am also a Neanderthal and do not trust computers, etc. So almost everything has a paper copy. If I lose power, I still have my “memory”.

The first and most important thing I do is make sure all financial transactions are entered into the Quicken program every month. (I used to do it all on paper, but the Lyme has eliminated that option.) And that they balance to the penny. I use this program to find out when the U joint on the truck was last replaced, how many bags for feed were bought for the broilers each month, and numerous other things. Then at the end of the year, I print out reports for taxes.

To do this means I have to have a good paper trail of receipts, both income and outgo. And a decent filing system so I can find receipts/info I need. All receipts go into the month’s envelope. At the end of the year, they are sorted by category and put into labeled envelopes.

I make notes of how much food I store in the freezers or the root cellar as I generate it. Above are all the cuts and weight of all the meat we butchered in 2017. This includes hanging weights and chicken carcass weight by breed and sex.

Every day the eggs are weighed and recorded by weight, and condition (clean, broken, etc.). I also make notes about the flock and at the end of the month do the figures for Rate of Lay (ROL), eggs sold and income.

I also keep a diary about the flock.

These are 4 inventories I do every year. The black notebook has the freezer and root cellar inventory done in June. The stacked 3 forms are seed inventories for Flowers, Herbs, and Vegetables. The next form is an inventory of all amendments, seed starting mix, peat pots, and other disposable items. The last form is an inventory of the dehydrated herbs I stored for the layers for the winter.

The above is the inventory of all meat in the freezers done in late June before butchering starts.

The start of the gardening year is in October when I make the 3 new garden plans. Once those are done, I do a seed inventory then I go through the various seed catalogs and work up my orders. I keep a copy for each company.

I do 3 soil tests in early November and when I get the results, I work up the amendment mixes for each garden. Then I seek out sources, do pricing and availability, and work up orders for what I need for the year.

Once the seeds come in the next job is to put biology in each packet and file it in a bag with the date it is started (March 1, March 15, etc.) Then using my garden plan, I fill in a chart detailing how many pots, seedlings, trays, bags of mix, starting preferences, etc. for each starting date.

When I start seeds I keep detailed notes on seed depth, light, heat, where seeds came from, how old they are, etc. These notes go back to 1998.

At some point in all of the above, I have to prepare for taxes. This sums up all the income and expenses for the year. In addition I have the ledgers I keep on the cost of raising each species of animal.

Once I get past taxes, it’s nearly time to start working in the gardens. I have kept notes on each garden and the plants and bulbs in it since 1998. Each garden’s notes have a section for Bulbs, Plants, Amendments, Notes, and a map.

It’s a lot of paperwork but it insures we have accurate information when we want to decide if raising 3 pigs instead of 2 is feasible, or if the Partridge Rocks we tried one year did as well as we needed them to in the time frame allowed.

Mostly it is being disciplined enough to make the notes and then record them where they can be accessed. I’ve just made it a habit to record the info as I work. It’s part of the process, like cleaning up after canning.

I’ve read where people love using their phones for this work. But I am really concerned about when the power goes out, or the phone dies with info on it. For me, that would be a HUGE hole in my “memory”.

I find it far easier to carry a notepad and pencil and make notes as I work in the gardens. Again, part of the process, like putting tools away when done. I keep them on a chair under the tree in the shade, and go and sit and write as needed. Makes a nice short break and time to check out what the birds and animals are doing around you.