Farms, ranches & agritourism
Books and taxes for custom meat processors.
A rancher dropping off a steer for custom cut and wrap, a retail case selling steaks and sausage to walk-in customers, and a cooler that has to run whether or not it is a busy week. 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 $19,800. This week's batch of custom cut-and-wrap jobs got kept apart from retail case sales at the front counter.
- Custom cutting fees, rancher drop-offsCustom processing fees
- Retail case salesRetail meat sales
- Vacuum packaging suppliesPackaging
- Cooler compressor repairCold storage equipment
- Processing crew wagesProcessing labor
Why your books are different
Custom meat processing books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees a butcher shop. Your business charges a per-head fee to process someone else's animal, runs a retail case selling your own cuts and sausage, and keeps a cooler and freezer running around the clock whether the week is busy or slow. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell which side of the business actually earns its keep.
-
1
Custom processing fees and retail sales get rung up together
A rancher paying a per-head fee to cut and wrap their own animal and a walk-in customer buying steaks from the case both look like meat income, but one is a service fee and the other is a product sale with very different margins.
What we doKeeps custom processing fees separate from retail case sales, so you can see which side of the business actually earns its keep. -
2
Cold storage costs get buried in general overhead
Coolers and freezers running around the clock for hanging carcasses and packaged product can be one of the largest costs in the business, but lumped into a general utility bill, that cost disappears into overhead nobody watches closely.
What we doKeeps cold storage utilities in their own line, so you can see what running the coolers actually costs against what comes through the door. -
3
A rancher's own animal gets treated like inventory you bought
An animal a customer drops off for custom processing never belongs to you, but if the books do not make that clear, it can look like the shop is carrying inventory it never actually owned.
What we doKeeps custom-owned animals separate from any meat inventory you own and sell yourself, so the books reflect what is actually yours. -
4
Cutting equipment gets filed like routine supplies
A band saw, a vacuum packaging machine, or a walk-in cooler compressor costs thousands of dollars and lasts for years, but a repair or a blade replacement can look like just another supply purchase on a bank statement.
What we doFlags major processing equipment purchases the month they show up and logs them as equipment, not routine supplies. -
5
Hunting season swings hit hard and get no explanation
Fall hunting season can bring in a wave of custom processing that dwarfs a normal month, and without context, the months before and after can look like the business slowed down instead of following a normal seasonal pattern.
What we doTracks custom processing volume against the season, so a hunting-season spike and the quieter months around it both read as expected.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a custom meat processor.
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
- Custom processing feesPer-head or per-pound fees for cutting and wrapping a customer's own animal.
- Retail meat salesSteaks, sausage, and cuts sold from the shop's own retail case.
- Wholesale salesBulk meat sold to restaurants or small grocers.
- Value-added product salesJerky, sausage making, or smoking services offered as an add-on.
- Rental or locker feesFreezer locker rentals for customers storing their own processed meat.
Money out
- Cold storage equipmentCoolers, freezers, and compressors, logged so they get written off right.
- Cold storage utilitiesElectricity for running coolers and freezers, tracked apart from general overhead.
- Processing laborCutting, wrapping, and sausage-making crew wages.
- PackagingVacuum bags, freezer paper, and labels for custom and retail product.
- Cutting equipmentBand saws, grinders, and vacuum packaging machines, logged so they get written off right.
- USDA or state inspection feesRequired inspection costs for processing and selling meat.
- Sanitation suppliesCleaning and sanitizing supplies required for a licensed processing facility.
What we watch for you
- Custom vs. retail mix
How much comes from custom processing fees versus retail case sales, so you know which side to grow.
- Cold storage cost per week
What running coolers and freezers actually costs, tracked against what comes through the shop.
- Hunting season volume
How custom processing volume swings with hunting season, so a spike or a lull both read as expected.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things custom meat processors 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.
I keep them in their own lines, so you can see which side of the business, the service fees or the retail sales, actually earns its keep.
Yes. I keep cold storage utilities in their own category, so you can see what running the coolers costs against what comes through the door.
No. I track custom processing volume against the season, so a hunting-season spike reads as expected, not a mystery.
The tax side
The tax side of a custom meat processing business.
Most of what goes wrong here is separating service fees from product sales, and what belongs to a customer versus the shop. Cold storage costs buried in overhead, equipment filed like supplies, 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.
- Business income, not Schedule FCustom processing and retail meat sales are typically reported as regular business income on Schedule C or a business return, not the Schedule F used by the ranch or farm that raised the animal.
- Inventory and cost of goods soldRetail meat you own and sell gets tracked as inventory, with cost counted when it sells, separate from custom animals that never belong to the shop.
- Processing equipment depreciationBand saws, grinders, and cold storage systems can usually be written off, sometimes the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099s for processing helpAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for cutting or wrapping help gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
Deductions custom meat processors miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Vacuum packaging bags
- Freezer paper and labels
- Band saw blade replacement
- Cooler compressor repair
- Sanitizing supplies
- USDA and state inspection fees
- Grinder and mixer maintenance
- Processing crew wages
- Sausage making ingredients
- Uniforms and protective gear
- Liability insurance
- Delivery vehicle fuel
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 custom meat processor's year, kept every month.
Hunting season brings the biggest rush, and the retail case runs steady the rest of the year. 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 processing help 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so hunting season income funds it evenly.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed with no gap in daily cold storage and retail operations.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand at midyear, and whether retail case sales are keeping pace with cold storage and labor costs.
- October
Before hunting season
Gus looks at cold storage or equipment worth adding before the fall rush and flags 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 custom meat processors. 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 custom meat processors ask first.
Can Gus tell custom processing fees apart from retail case sales?
Yes. He keeps custom processing fees and retail meat sales in their own categories, so you can see which side of the business actually earns its keep.
Can our cold storage electric costs be tracked separately from general overhead?
Yes. Gus keeps cold storage utilities in their own category, so you can see what running the coolers actually costs.
Do I have to change how I take in custom animals or run the retail case?
No. Take in custom animals and run the retail case your usual way. Gus works from your bank statement, and a payment he cannot place between custom fees and case sales gets one question.
Hunting season brings in a lot more custom work than usual. Will that look strange in the books?
It shouldn't. Gus tracks custom processing volume against the season, so a hunting-season spike reads as expected, not a mystery.
Is a new band saw or cooler compressor written off all at once?
Usually. A band saw or compressor bought for the shop typically qualifies for a full write-off the year you buy it, though some seasons call for spreading it out. Gus tags the purchase and the accountant decides.
Do custom animals count as our inventory?
No, and Gus keeps that distinction clear. A customer's own animal never belongs to the shop, so it stays separate from any meat inventory you own and sell 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