Farms, ranches & agritourism
Books and taxes for aquaculture and fish farms.
A tank of tilapia sold live to a restaurant supplier, a batch of catfish processed into fillets, and feed and aeration running around the clock whether a pond sells this month or not. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
August came in at $12,300. The feed and fingerling costs for the pond harvested this month went in against that specific pond's grow-out cycle.
- Restaurant supplier live fish orderLive fish sales
- Processor payment, fillet orderProcessed fish sales
- Fingerling stock orderFingerlings and stock
- Fish feed deliveryFeed
- Aerator repair partPond and tank equipment
Why your books are different
Aquaculture and fish farm books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees a farm that sells fish a few times a year. Your business runs multi-month grow-out cycles per pond, sells some fish live and some processed into fillets, and keeps feed and aeration running daily whether or not a pond is ready to harvest. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell what a harvest actually cost to bring to market.
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1
Live sales and processed fillet sales get rung up together
A restaurant supplier buying live fish out of the tank and a processor paying for fillets after cutting and packing are two very different products with different costs, but both can land in the same general fish sales line.
What we doKeeps live fish sales and processed fillet sales in their own categories, so you can see what each channel actually earns. -
2
A pond's grow-out cost gets lost before harvest
Fingerlings, feed, and aeration for a single pond add up over months before that pond is ever harvested and sold, and if those costs are not tied to that specific pond, the harvest sale looks like pure profit with no cost behind it.
What we doTracks each pond's fingerling and feed costs from stocking to harvest, so the accountant can match the right cost against the sale. -
3
A fish kill gets no clean record
An oxygen crash or a disease event can wipe out a pond overnight, and without a note, that loss just reads as a slow month instead of the specific event, stock and feed cost included, that actually happened.
What we doNotes fish kills and pond losses the owner flags, so a bad month reads as what it was, not a mystery in the numbers. -
4
Aeration and pond equipment get filed as feed supplies
Aerators, paddle wheels, and water quality monitoring equipment can cost thousands and run for years, but on a bank statement they can look like just another feed or supply purchase.
What we doFlags aeration and pond equipment purchases the month they show up and logs them as equipment, not supplies. -
5
Feed costs run every day, whether a pond is close to harvest or not
Every pond needs daily feed regardless of which one is closest to being ready to sell, so if feed costs are not tracked against total monthly income instead of just harvest sales, a slow harvest month can look worse than it really is.
What we doTracks feed costs against total monthly income across all ponds, not just harvest sales, so the picture stays honest.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an aquaculture or fish farm.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Live fish salesRestaurant and market accounts buying live fish out of tanks or ponds.
- Processed fish salesFillets and dressed fish sold after processing.
- Fingerling and stock salesYoung fish sold to other growers rather than raised to harvest yourself.
- Farmers market salesDirect sales of processed fish at a weekend market.
- Pond consulting or tour incomeFees earned advising other growers or hosting farm tours.
Money out
- Fingerlings and stockYoung fish bought to stock each pond or tank cycle.
- FeedFish feed, the largest ongoing daily cost across all ponds and tanks.
- Pond and tank equipmentAerators, paddle wheels, and monitoring equipment, logged so they get written off right.
- Water quality managementTesting supplies and treatments to manage oxygen and water chemistry.
- Processing costsFees paid to process fish into fillets, tied to each harvest.
- DeliveryLive haul trucks and coolers for delivering to restaurant and processor accounts.
- Pond and infrastructure maintenanceLiner repair, pump upkeep, and levee maintenance.
What we watch for you
- Live vs. processed mix
How much comes from live sales versus processed fillets, so you know which channel to grow.
- Cost per pond cycle
What a specific pond cost in fingerlings and feed, tracked against what its harvest sold for.
- Fish loss rate
How much stock is lost to fish kills or disease, tracked from what gets flagged.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things aquaculture and fish farm owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Yes. I keep live fish sales and processed fillet sales in their own categories, so you can see what each channel actually earns.
Flag it for me and I'll note it, so that pond reads as a fish kill, not just a mysteriously bad month.
No. I track feed costs against total monthly income across all ponds, not just harvest sales, so the picture stays honest.
The tax side
The tax side of an aquaculture or fish farm.
Most of what goes wrong here is matching a pond's cost to the month it finally harvests. Fish kills left untracked, aeration equipment filed like feed, and a set-aside nobody started until tax season.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Schedule F farm incomeRaising fish to sell generally lands on Schedule F instead of the Schedule C a typical small business files, which changes how income and certain costs are handled.
- Pond and aeration equipmentAerators, paddle wheels, and monitoring systems can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099s for harvest and processing helpAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for harvest or delivery help gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, and it comes out right when the books stay right all year.
Deductions aquaculture and fish farms miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Fingerling stock
- Fish feed
- Aerator repair parts
- Water testing supplies
- Pond liner repair
- Live haul truck fuel
- Coolers and haul tanks
- Farmers market stall fees
- Processing fees
- Pump and levee maintenance
- Liability insurance
- Oxygen monitoring equipment
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
An aquaculture and fish farm year, kept every month.
Your ponds run on their own grow-out cycles, some months from harvest, others just stocked. Your taxes come on their own schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the harvest help 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so harvest income funds it evenly.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed with no gap in daily feeding and pond maintenance.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand at midyear, and whether restaurant and processor accounts are keeping pace with what ponds are ready.
- October
Before winter
Gus looks at pond or aeration equipment worth adding before cold weather and what this year's numbers say about pricing.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for aquaculture and fish farms. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions aquaculture and fish farm owners ask first.
Can Gus tell live fish sales apart from processed fillet sales?
Yes. He keeps live fish sales and processed fillet sales in their own categories, so you can see what each channel actually earns.
Can Gus track what one specific pond cost to raise before it was harvested?
Yes. Fingerling and feed costs get tied to each pond's grow-out cycle, so you can see what that pond really cost against what its harvest brought in.
Do I have to change how I sell to restaurant or processor accounts?
No. Keep selling to restaurant or processor accounts your usual way. Gus sorts it from your bank statement, and a live or processed fish payment he cannot place gets one quick question.
We had a fish kill in one pond this year. Does that show up anywhere?
Flag it for Gus when it happens, and he notes it, so that pond reads as a fish kill rather than a mystery in the numbers.
Is new aeration equipment written off all at once?
Usually. Aeration equipment bought for the ponds typically qualifies for a full write-off the year you buy it, though some seasons favor spreading the cost. Gus tags the purchase for the accountant to review.
Feed costs stay high even in a slow harvest month. Is that a problem for the books?
No. Gus tracks feed costs against total monthly income across all ponds, not just that month's harvest sales, so a slow harvest month does not look worse than it really is.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever