Agricultural Science · Lesson 17

Practical 4: records, Pearson square, plant population, fertiliser, depreciation and profit

WAECNECO

What the syllabus asks

WAEC: farm records (inventory, diary, production, labour, feeding, health, breeding, sales and purchases), cash analysis, profit and loss account, balance sheet, and farm calculations: Pearson square, plant population, seed rate, fertiliser rates, depreciation, costs and profit, poultry performance.

NECO: farm records (inventory, diary, production, labour, feeding, health, breeding, sales and purchases), cash analysis, profit and loss account, balance sheet, and farm calculations: Pearson square, plant population, seed rate, fertiliser rates, depreciation, costs and profit, poultry performance.

What you will learn

Identify and complete farm records.
Use the Pearson square to formulate a ration.
Calculate plant population, seed rate and fertiliser quantities.
Calculate depreciation by straight-line and reducing-balance methods.
Prepare a cash analysis and calculate gross margin and net profit.
Calculate poultry performance measures and due dates from breeding records.

Key points

Records help planning, loans, profit checks and early detection of problems.
Inventory = assets and values on a date; diary = daily activities.
Pearson square: differences across diagonals give parts; always check.
Population = 10,000 ÷ spacing area × plants per stand; seed rate allows for germination.
Fertiliser = nutrient ÷ nutrient fraction; scale to plot or plant.
Depreciation: straight-line (cost − salvage) ÷ life; reducing balance.
Gross margin, net profit, break-even yield; cash analysis balances.
Hen-day %, FCR, mortality %; due date = service date + gestation.

Start here: Farm records: why, and which ones

The farm management part of the WAEC practical syllabus expects you to recognise and complete farm records and to carry out simple farm calculations. A typical question gives a partly completed record (a feeding record, an inventory, a cash analysis or a profit and loss account) and asks you to complete it, calculate totals, and comment.

Why keep records?

To know whether the farm is making a profit or a loss.
To plan and budget for the next season.
To obtain loans: banks and the Bank of Agriculture ask for records.
To assess tax and to settle disputes (e.g. with workers or buyers).
To track the performance of each crop, animal or worker and to detect problems early (falling egg production, rising deaths).
For insurance claims and for inheritance or sale of the farm.

Qualities of a good record

Accurate, up-to-date (written the same day), simple, dated, complete, neat and kept safely (a hard-cover book, or a spreadsheet with a backup).

Problems of record keeping among Nigerian farmers

Low literacy, lack of time, belief that it is unnecessary for small farms, fear of tax, and loss of records to fire, termites or flooding. Extension agents and farmer cooperatives help by providing simple record books.

Sales and purchase records

Every sale and purchase is entered with the date, item, quantity, unit price, total and the name of the buyer or seller, with receipts kept. Example: “3/6/26 – 40 crates of eggs to Mama Nkechi, Ariaria market – ₦5,000 per crate – ₦200,000”. At the end of each month the sales total feeds into the cash analysis and the profit and loss account. A purchase record also shows when inputs were bought, which helps the farmer buy early next season when prices are lower.

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Practice questions

1. An inventory record lists

all farm assets and their values
daily activities
feed eaten
sales only

Show answer

A: all farm assets and their values
Stock-taking.

2. A farm diary records

only sales
assets
loans
daily farm activities

Show answer

D: daily farm activities
Day-to-day.

3. The Pearson square is used for

pest control
depreciation
feed formulation
land measurement

Show answer

C: feed formulation
Mixing feeds to a target protein.

4. Mixing maize (9% CP) and soybean meal (44% CP) to 16% CP needs parts of maize : SBM =

16 : 9
28 : 7 (80% : 20%)
7 : 28
50 : 50

Show answer

B: 28 : 7 (80% : 20%)
|44−16| : |16−9|.

5. Straight-line depreciation is

(cost − salvage value) ÷ useful life
cost × life
cost ÷ salvage
salvage − cost

Show answer

A: (cost − salvage value) ÷ useful life
Equal amount each year.

Key words

Inventory: List and value of all farm assets on a date.
Crude protein (CP): Protein content of a feed estimated from its nitrogen.
Pearson square: Method of mixing two feeds to reach a target nutrient level.
Plant population: Number of plants per unit area.
Depreciation: Fall in the value of an asset over time.
Salvage value: Value of an asset at the end of its useful life.
Fixed cost: Cost that does not change with output in the short run.
Variable cost: Cost that changes with output.
Gross margin: Revenue minus variable costs.
FCR: Feed conversion ratio: feed eaten ÷ weight gained.
Net worth: Assets minus liabilities.

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