How to keep spray records: what to write down after every application

Every time you apply a plant protection product, you create information that matters later: for the next treatment, for a buyer who asks how the crop was grown, for a certification audit or for an inspector. A spray record turns that information into something you can actually find again. This guide covers what to write down, how long to keep it and how to make the habit stick.

Why spray records matter

• The law often requires them. Many countries oblige professional users of plant protection products to keep application records for a set number of years.
• They protect you. If a neighbor complains about drift, or residues turn up in a crop, a dated record with the product, rate and weather is your best evidence.
• They make you a better farmer. Records show which products you used on which field, so you can rotate modes of action, plan pre-harvest intervals and compare results from season to season.
• Buyers and schemes ask for them. Assurance schemes such as GLOBALG.A.P. and many supply contracts expect a complete history of applications.

What the rules say in a few major markets

Requirements differ by country, so always check the rules that apply to your farm. A few common examples:

• European Union. Article 67 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 requires professional users to keep records of the plant protection products they use for at least three years, including the product name, the time and dose of application, and the area and crop treated. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/564 sets out the content of these records in more detail and requires them to be kept in an electronic, machine-readable format; after a postponement, the electronic requirement applies from 1 January 2027.
• United Kingdom. The UK kept the same basic rule, so farms should keep records of plant protection product use for at least three years.
• United States. Under the USDA Pesticide Recordkeeping Program, certified private applicators must record applications of restricted use pesticides within 14 days and keep the records for two years. Many states add their own, stricter rules.

What to record after every application

Whatever the legal minimum, a complete record answers the questions anyone will ask later. A good entry includes:

1. Date and time of the application (start time, and end time for longer jobs).
2. Field or fields treated, and the treated area.
3. Crop and, ideally, its growth stage (for example on the BBCH scale).
4. Product name and its registration or authorization number.
5. Rate (dose per hectare or acre) and the total amount of product used.
6. Reason for the treatment: the weed, disease or pest you were targeting.
7. Weather conditions: temperature, wind speed and direction, and humidity.
8. Who applied it, and with which sprayer if you run more than one.
9. Remarks: tank-mix partners, water volume, nozzles, anything unusual.

The first five points are usually the legal core. The rest is what turns a record into something useful when you are trying to work out why a treatment did or did not work.

Common mistakes

• Filling records in at the end of the week. Memory fades fast, especially for weather and exact times. Record the treatment the same day, ideally right in the field.
• Copying the planned rate instead of the actual one. If you changed the rate or the area, the record has to say so.
• Using the forecast instead of what you saw. A weather forecast is a good starting point, but the record should hold the conditions that were actually present.
• Keeping the only copy in one place. A notebook in the tractor cab or a single spreadsheet on one laptop is easy to lose. Keep a backup.

Keeping spray records on your phone

A phone app removes most of the friction: it is always with you, it can suggest the date, fields and weather, and it calculates totals for you. In Agro Notes you record a treatment for one or more fields in a few taps: product, authorization number, rate, crop with its EPPO code, BBCH stage, reason and weather. The app works out how much product the treated area needs, works without signal, and lets you export the records to PDF or CSV whenever you need to show them or keep a copy elsewhere.

Whichever tool you use, the rule is the same: record every application, record it promptly, and keep a copy you can find in three years’ time.