Organization is the key in running a successful no-till operation and having an efficiently-run farm office plays a very important role.

Efficient recordkeeping and using forms that track the information you need are essential in keeping your farm office running smoothly, says Elaine Hottel of Burkittsville, Md.

Hottel and her late husband Joe developed a recordkeeping system for Egypt Farms, a grain operation which owns 1,032 acres of land and rents an additional 7,500 acres.

Among the recordkeeping techniques Egypt Farms uses are two-part checks for more efficient recordkeeping, slick forms to meet state and federal trucking rules, fuel usage forms, labor management rules and farm maps.

Egypt Farms uses a special form for meeting both state and federal trucking regulations with a mileage report and also a daily truck inspection report.

The farm has separate forms to keep track of diesel fuel for both cars and pickup trucks and cargo vehicles.

A chemical records form keeps track of the brand, amount, crop, acres, total gallons and application method of all chemicals used.

Egypt Farms, which has five full-time employees and several part-time employees, even has a monthly worksheet to keep track of the simple IRA it offers to workers.

Egypt Farms also uses several different pieces of stationary. One is used for sending out bills, with finance charge information on it.

Another is used for letters or for faxing grain information to brokers with ticket numbers and dates of truck deliveries so the farm can be paid for its…