Farms, ranches & agritourism
Books and taxes for Christmas tree farms.
A cut-your-own weekend crowd, a wholesale truckload sold to a lot in town, wreaths made from the trimmings, and a season that closes by Christmas Eve. 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
November came in at $22,300. The new tree baler went in as equipment, not field supplies.
- Cut-your-own field salesCut-your-own sales
- Downtown lot wholesale loadWholesale tree sales
- Seedling order, nursery co-opSeedlings and planting stock
- Weekend crew wagesSeasonal labor
- Tree baler nettingField supplies
Why your books are different
Christmas tree books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees a burst of deposits in November and December. Your business is a field that took eight to ten years to grow this year's crop, a cut-your-own weekend crowd, and a wholesale load sold to a lot across town, all inside a six-week season. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell which part of the operation is worth expanding.
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1
Cut-your-own and wholesale sales blur together
A family that pays at the gate to cut their own tree and a lot owner who buys forty trees off the back of your truck both show up as the same kind of deposit. Lumped together, you cannot tell whether the retail weekend crowd or the wholesale load is what actually pays the bills.
What we doKeeps cut-your-own sales and wholesale truckload sales in their own lines, so you can see what each side of the business brings in. -
2
Ten years of growing cost gets ignored
A tree sold this December was planted, sheared, and sprayed for the better part of a decade. Treated like this year's expense against this year's sale, the books miss how much of what you spent years ago is what made this season's crop sellable.
What we doTracks planting and shearing costs by the year they happened, so the accountant can match the right years of cost against the crop that finally sold. -
3
Wreaths and greenery get bundled into tree sales
Wreaths, garland, and roping made from trimmings and unsold trees are a different product with different costs than a cut tree, but rung up at the same stand, they disappear into one number.
What we doKeeps wreath and greenery sales separate, so you can see whether that side line is worth the extra weekend labor it takes. -
4
The baler and shearing equipment get filed as tools
A tree baler, a mechanical shearer, or a stump grinder can cost several thousand dollars and last for years, but on a bank statement it looks like just another farm tool purchase.
What we doFlags baler, shearer, and other big equipment buys the month they show up and logs them as equipment, not supplies. -
5
Weekend cutting help gets paid like cash
The crew that ties trees to roofs, runs the baler, and watches the parking field on a Saturday in December is often paid at the end of the day, leaving no clean record of what the season's busiest weekends actually cost.
What we doTracks weekend cutting and gate labor as its own line, so you can see what a December Saturday costs against what it brings in.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a Christmas tree 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
- Cut-your-own salesTrees cut at the field and paid for at the gate or stand.
- Wholesale tree salesTruckload sales to lots, churches, and other resellers.
- Wreaths and greeneryWreaths, garland, and roping made from trimmings and unsold stock.
- Choose-and-tag salesDeposits taken earlier in the season on a specific tagged tree.
- Accessory salesStands, tree bags, and twine sold at the stand.
Money out
- Seedlings and planting stockNew seedlings planted each spring to replace this season's harvest.
- Field maintenanceMowing, shearing crews, and pest spraying across the growing years.
- Seasonal laborWeekend cutting, baling, and gate staff for the six-week season.
- EquipmentBalers, shearers, and stump grinders, logged so they get written off right.
- AdvertisingLocal ads and social posts that bring families out for the season.
- Field day expensesParking field prep, hot cocoa stand supplies, and signage for busy weekends.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for visitors cutting trees and walking the field with saws.
What we watch for you
- Cut-your-own vs. wholesale mix
How much comes from the retail weekend crowd versus wholesale loads, so you know which side to grow.
- Weekend labor share
What cutting and gate crew costs against what a Saturday brings in during the season.
- Wreath and greenery margin
Whether the wreath side of the stand earns its keep against the labor it takes.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things Christmas tree 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.
Usually it can. I logged it as equipment, not a field tool, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
I keep planting and shearing costs tagged by year, so the accountant can match years of growing cost against the crop that finally sold.
Yes, as long as you send what went out. I keep it as its own line so you can see what a December weekend really costs.
The tax side
The tax side of a Christmas tree farm.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing across years and labels within the season. Growing costs spread over a decade, equipment filed like tools, and a set-aside nobody started until the trucks stopped rolling.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Schedule F farm incomeGrowing and selling trees generally lands on Schedule F instead of the Schedule C a typical small business files, which changes how income and certain costs are handled.
- Equipment purchasesBalers, shearers, and stump grinders 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 seasonal crewsAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for cutting, baling, or gate 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 Christmas tree farms miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Seedlings and replanting stock
- Shearing crew wages
- Baler netting and twine
- Field spraying and pest control
- Parking field mowing
- Hot cocoa stand supplies
- Local ads and flyers
- Liability insurance
- Chainsaw fuel and repair
- Tree stands and bags for resale
- Uniforms with your farm's name
- Wreath wire and greenery supplies
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
A Christmas tree year, kept every month.
Your season closes by Christmas Eve. Your taxes come on a schedule the rest of the year. 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 seasonal crew 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so the six-week season funds it evenly.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed well before spring planting, so replanting season gets your full attention.
- July
Halfway check
A look at this year's shearing and spraying costs and whether the crop is on track for a strong November.
- October
Before the cutting season
Gus checks equipment worth buying before the rush and flags what last season's numbers say about pricing this year's trees.
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 Christmas tree 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 Christmas tree farm owners ask first.
Can Gus tell cut-your-own sales apart from wholesale loads?
Yes. He keeps retail field sales, wholesale truckloads, and wreath sales in their own categories, so you can see which part of the business actually pays the bills.
A tree we sell this year was planted almost a decade ago. Does that matter for the books?
It can. Gus tags planting and shearing costs by the year they happened, so the accountant can match years of growing cost against the crop that finally sold.
Do I have to change how I run the gate or the field?
No. Cut, bale, and sell trees exactly the way your farm always has. Gus sorts it from your bank statement, and a wholesale load or a cut-your-own sale he cannot identify gets one question, then he remembers it for next time.
My cutting crew is paid cash at the end of a Saturday. Can that still be tracked?
Yes. Send along what the crew was paid and Gus keeps it as its own labor line, so you can see what cutting and baling actually cost against what a Saturday brought in.
Is a new mechanical shearer written off all at once?
Most years, yes. A shearer bought to work the rows generally qualifies to be written off in full the year of purchase, though some seasons call for spreading it out instead. Gus tags the purchase for the accountant to sort out.
We also sell wreaths made from leftover branches. Does that need its own bookkeeping?
Gus keeps wreaths and greenery in their own category so you can see whether that side of the stand earns its keep, without you having to sort it out yourself.
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