How to Implement the Harvester Standard on Your Farm

Harvester Standard Compliance Checklist for 2025The Harvester Standard sets practices and requirements to ensure agricultural harvesting operations are safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible. This checklist helps farm managers, operators, auditors, and compliance officers prepare for inspections and implement best practices during 2025. Follow each section, gather documentation, and assign responsibilities to close gaps.

1 — Governance, documentation, and management systems

• Appoint a responsible compliance lead and record their contact details.
• Maintain an up-to-date written policy on the Harvester Standard’s scope and objectives.
• Keep documented procedures for harvesting operations, maintenance, worker safety, and environmental protection.
• Have a documented training program and records for all harvester operators and maintenance staff (dates, content, attendees).
• Conduct and record internal audits at least annually; record corrective actions and follow-up.
• Maintain a risk assessment register specific to harvesting activities (mechanical, environmental, food-safety, labor, biosecurity).
• Ensure contracts with third-party harvesters include Harvester Standard requirements and evidence of their compliance.

2 — Operator qualifications and training

• Verify operator licenses and certifications where applicable.
• Keep operator competency assessments and refresher training records (machine operation, safety procedures, emergency response).
• Train operators on standard operating procedures (SOPs) for each machine type they use.
• Provide training on recognizing contamination risks (foreign objects, chemical residues) and appropriate mitigation.
• Ensure workers understand lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures and can demonstrate them.

3 — Equipment condition and maintenance

• Maintain a preventive maintenance schedule for each harvester, header, combine, and ancillary equipment.
• Keep maintenance logs detailing dates, parts replaced, and technicians involved.
• Inspect critical systems regularly: brakes, steering, hydraulic lines, belts, knives/blades, threshing components, and grain handling systems.
• Ensure safety guards and shields are in place and functional.
• Record calibration checks for grain moisture sensors, metering devices, and scales.
• Have a procedure and records for post-failure root-cause analysis and corrective action.

4 — Food safety and contamination control

• Define and document the product scope covered during harvesting (crop types, intended use).
• Implement measures to prevent foreign material contamination (rocks, metal, plastic).
• Keep cleaning schedules and records for harvesters, conveyors, and transport bins.
• Verify that lubricants, hydraulic fluids, and fuels used are stored and handled to avoid crop contamination.
• Implement traceability processes: record field identifiers, harvest dates/times, equipment IDs, and driver/operator IDs.
• Have rejected-product handling procedures and records for incidents involving contamination.

5 — Environmental protection and resource use

• Document fuel and lubricant management practices to minimize spills and leaks.
• Keep spill response kits on-site and records of spill trainings and any spill incidents.
• Monitor and document soil compaction prevention measures (route planning, tire pressure management).
• Implement waste management plans for used parts, filters, and fluids; keep disposal records.
• Record measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or fuel consumption where applicable (route optimization, load management).

6 — Worker health and safety

• Keep risk assessments for common hazards (entanglement, rollovers, noise, dust, heat).
• Ensure PPE availability (hearing protection, gloves, eye protection, high-visibility clothing) and training records for its use.
• Maintain emergency response plans (first aid, evacuation, fire) and contact lists; run and record drills.
• Ensure vehicles and machines have functioning ROPS (rollover protective structures) and seat belts.
• Record incidents, near-misses, investigations, and corrective actions.

7 — Biosecurity and pest management

• Maintain field-level biosecurity measures: cleaning of machinery between fields, especially when moving between farms or regions.
• Keep records of disinfection/cleaning dates and methods for equipment.
• Document procedures for preventing cross-contamination of seeds, plant material, or soil-borne pathogens.
• Implement monitoring for pests and disease signs during harvest and record findings.

8 — Calibration, measurement, and traceability

• Calibrate scales, moisture meters, and flow meters regularly; keep calibration certificates or logs.
• Record harvest yield data, batch IDs, and lot segregation procedures to support traceability.
• Ensure digital or paper harvest logs capture: field ID, crop variety, harvest start/end times, equipment used, operator, and destination of harvested product.

9 — Transport and storage handoff

• Inspect and document cleanliness of transport vehicles and storage bins before loading.
• Verify that receiving facilities are expecting and processing product per specification (moisture, foreign matter limits).
• Keep chain-of-custody records from field to first point of storage or processing.
• Ensure rapid communication procedures for quality deviations discovered during transport or at delivery.

10 — Legal, regulatory, and customer requirements

• Maintain a register of applicable local, regional, and national regulations related to harvesting, transport, waste, and worker safety.
• Keep records demonstrating compliance with customer-specific requirements (quality specs, audits, supplier questionnaires).
• Document permits and inspections where required (noise, emissions, workplace safety).

11 — Continuous improvement and corrective action

• Maintain a nonconformance register for harvesting operations and corrective action plans with assigned owners and due dates.
• Record performance KPIs (equipment uptime, contamination incidents, yield accuracy, near-misses) and review them regularly.
• Implement lessons-learned sessions after incidents and track implementation of improvements.

Quick pre-audit checklist (printable)

• Responsible compliance lead named and contactable.
• Current Harvester Standard policy and scope document.
• Operator training records current within past 12 months.
• Preventive maintenance logs up-to-date.
• Cleaning and contamination-control records for last harvest.
• Calibration certificates for scales/moisture meters.
• Traceability logs for last harvested batches.
• PPE inventory and emergency drill records.
• Spill response kit available and spill log empty or addressed.
• Contracts with third-party harvesters containing Harvester Standard clauses.

If you want, I can convert this into a one-page printable checklist, a fillable audit spreadsheet, or tailor it to a specific crop or country regulation.