Wisconsin DATCP's commercial application guidance requires an application record for each application, ordinarily retained for two years, and separate written information for the customer. A single document can serve both purposes when it includes the contents of both columns in DATCP's checklist. Begin with the record and customer-information comparison, then organize quantities, location, delivery timing, and the archive. [1]
Internal record and customer copy
The DATCP comparison covers applicator and business records under ATCP 29.33 and 29.21 and customer information under 29.22. The document explains that the combined record can be copied to the customer while the business keeps its own copy. Retain which completed version was delivered so both parties can identify the same service if a question arises. [1]
| Information group | Business or applicator record | Customer information |
|---|---|---|
| Applicator | First and last name | First and last name and license number |
| Customer | Customer name and address | Information addressed to the recipient |
| Treatment | Crop/site, precise location, date and start/stop | Corresponding treatment information |
| Product | Product identity and EPA registration | Corresponding product identity and EPA registration |
| Quantity | The stated amount-recording alternatives | Corresponding amount information |
| Additional items | Relevant mix/load location | Contact information, precautions, and label-copy information |
The table is a condensed reading aid for DATCP's side-by-side checklist. Use the original field descriptions when comparing a completed form, especially where one combined heading might omit information needed for the other purpose. [1]
The location must stand on its own
DATCP says the written location record must be understandable, accurate, and detailed enough for a person who did not observe the application to locate the site using only the description. It allows maps and diagrams. Prepare the location key before copying working names from field notes into the final register. [1]
For an orchard or vineyard, connect the customer address to the actual block, row section, or other treated area description. Preserve that correspondence with the season. For a service covering several places at one property, describe what was treated and identify exceptions rather than relying on an undifferentiated whole-property label.
As an editorial review exercise, give a colleague the record and the map without an oral explanation. Ask them to point to the treatment location and describe the area excluded from the work, if any. Write down which abbreviation or landmark required explanation and improve the location key before the next treatment is recorded.
Use one complete quantity method
DATCP's example describes two alternatives for recording the amount: concentration plus total quantity applied, or pesticide applied per unit area plus total area treated. Keep both parts of the chosen alternative. A concentration without an amount, or a rate without a treated area, does not express the complete pair shown in the example. [1]
Design the worksheet with distinct quantity meanings. Read the product or mixture figure beside its unit and identify the area or total quantity paired with it. Preserve the source of a converted value when preparing a spreadsheet. Avoid treating the number of tank loads as a substitute for the amount description when it does not provide the stated data.
For an acceptance exercise, use blank headings to demonstrate where a concentration and total quantity belong, then compare them with the headings for rate and area. Ask the person transcribing the notes to explain which alternative the source record uses. Resolve a missing partner value with the applicator rather than inferring it from a neighboring job.
Identify a different mixing or loading location
DATCP's comparison includes the mix/load site when it differs from the business location. Its example specifies this location information for mixing and loading into equipment with capacity greater than five gallons of liquid pesticide or fifty pounds of dry pesticide. Keep this condition with the relevant location field when reviewing your worksheet. [1]
A practical attachment key can distinguish the customer's treatment site, the business address, and a separate loading place. Use recognizable descriptions and preserve a map reference where that helps identify the location. Do not merge these three locations into a single address column merely because the rest of the application record fits on one page.
Customer delivery timing depends on the service
The guidance says written information is supplied immediately for applications requiring customer awareness of post-application safety precautions, landscape applications, and structural residential applications. Other types receive the information within 30 days. Post-application precautions are supplied in time for the customer to take the necessary measures. [1]
Electronic delivery requires customer consent to electronic notification before the application. Preserve that consent with the customer record and connect the delivered information to the application reference. An internal export waiting in the office is a different event from providing the information to its recipient. [1]
For a farm-service handover, identify the person receiving the information and the channel agreed for delivery. Note which attachment contains the application description and which contains the relevant precautionary statements. Retain the dispatch reference so another office employee can confirm what the customer received without searching a personal inbox.
Include relevant precautions and label-copy information
DATCP's customer-information column includes post-application precautions, with examples such as preharvest and restricted-entry intervals and irrigation restrictions. It also includes a pesticide-label copy or notice that a free copy is available on request. Take the actual precautions from the product information used for the job instead of copying an example interval into a live service record. [1]
Keep the label reference beside the exact product identity and the treatment. If the customer information is generated separately from the application register, compare the two outputs for consistency before dispatch. Preserve the full name of the applicator and the business contact details identified in the checklist so the customer can relate the information to the service provided. [1]
Ordinary retention and the atrazine exception
DATCP's ordinary commercial guidance says records are kept for two years and identifies three years for applications containing atrazine. The separate Wisconsin atrazine guide explains the additional record details and same-day timing for that product category. Retain the pesticide identity and application date in the archive index so the relevant retention category remains apparent. [1]
A spreadsheet filter for the current season should not determine which older records are preserved. Keep a retention index describing the application year, category, and supporting documents. When moving data between software systems, include the location key and quantity dictionary needed to interpret the older register.
Use forms as layouts and the checklist as a comparison
The University of Wisconsin PAT application-record PDF provides a worksheet with treatment, product, applicator, weather, and other spaces. It is a university extension layout. DATCP's commercial comparison separately explains the record and customer-information contents. Choose the layout for your work, then compare its completed contents with the applicable checklist. [3][1]
Before adopting a custom form, review a completed single-location job and a job with a separate loading location. Ask a colleague to identify the quantity alternative used, locate the customer consent where electronic delivery applies, and find the dispatched copy. Keep a short correction log identifying the document and the specific field changed.
These are proposed implementation checks for the guidance above. Preserve the distinction between the farm's underlying application information, the contractor's business record, and the information provided to the customer. That distinction gives each person a concrete task in the handover and makes the stored file easier to retrieve later.
Use the extension worksheet's site instructions
The UW PAT worksheet permits attaching a map, including a map generated by spray-rig software. Its instructions say that a field-numbering system is accompanied by the farm plan in the record file. Preserve the map version or legend that explains the field reference instead of saving only the number. [3]
Its site examples distinguish field corn, sweet corn, and stored corn. For a storage structure such as a grain bin or potato warehouse, the instructions identify whether it was empty at treatment. That level of description explains why a general crop label or property address can leave the actual site ambiguous. [3]
The worksheet also tells users to record each product separately when two or more are tank mixed. During a review, compare the individual identities and quantities with the source note rather than assigning all material to a shared mixture nickname. Keep the registration information beside its corresponding product and preserve any quantity clarification with the applicator's original description. [3]
For a worksheet trial, ask an unfamiliar colleague to locate the field plan, identify the specific crop or storage setting, and explain the product rows. Resolve the first unclear abbreviation with a written key. These are practical uses of the extension instructions, while DATCP's comparison remains the basis for the separate business and customer-information review.
Calculation notes and a working record
Use the tank mix calculator to prepare quantity calculations and the spray record sheet guide to choose a printable worksheet or official form resource. Keep the preparation note attached to the treatment it describes.