Against the background problem of general non- or poor recordkeeping, the value and relevance of record keeping is investigated in the context of farming profitability and success. Different types of records were investigated and related to economic measures of success. Although the NFI per ha correlates closely with record-keeping, the results indicate that record-keeping, although important, is not all that predominant and that the degree of sophistication of record-keeping systems is frequently perceived as inappropriate as far as the practical farming management situation is concerned.