Farms, ranches & agritourism
Books and taxes for farm stands and CSAs.
A CSA member who paid for the whole season back in March, an honor-box stand that runs on trust and loose cash, and a case of tomatoes sold to a local restaurant. 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
June came in at $6,500. The Harvie payout for this week's boxes matched the delivery count, so I booked it against June, not the March signup date.
- Harvie CSA payoutCSA share deliveries
- Green Table Bistro invoiceRestaurant and wholesale sales
- Seed and transplant orderSeed and plant stock
- Stand refrigeration repairFarm stand equipment
- Produce bags and labelsPackaging
Why your books are different
Farm stand and CSA books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits and an honor box full of cash. Your business is season-long CSA memberships paid up front, a self-serve stand that runs on trust, and restaurant accounts that pay on their own schedule weeks later. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell if the CSA or the stand is actually carrying the farm.
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1
A whole season of CSA money lands before the first box goes out
A member often pays for twenty weeks of vegetables in one payment each March, months before spring planting is even in the ground. Counted as income the day it lands, a strong spring can hide a break-even summer once boxes actually start going out.
What we doKeeps prepaid CSA shares tied to the weeks they cover, so an early season payment does not read as a month you have not earned yet. -
2
The honor-box stand runs on trust, and the books can miss it
A self-serve stand with a cash box brings in real money, but without someone counting and logging it consistently, it is easy for it to just get spent on stand supplies before it ever makes it into a deposit.
What we doWorks from whatever cash log or count the owner keeps and asks when a pattern looks like days went missing, so the honor box still gets counted. -
3
Restaurant accounts get billed differently than everyone else
A local restaurant that buys cases of produce every week often pays on a 30 day invoice instead of cash at the stand, and that delay can make a strong sales week look thin on the bank statement until the check finally clears.
What we doTracks restaurant and wholesale invoices against when the produce was delivered, not just when the payment lands, so the timing gap does not confuse the picture. -
4
Cooler and stand equipment gets filed as a repair
A new walk-in cooler compressor or a stand refrigeration unit costs real money and lasts for years, but on a bank statement it can look like just another farm stand repair.
What we doFlags stand and cooler equipment purchases the month they show up and logs them as equipment, not repairs. -
5
CSA member refunds and credits get lost in the noise
A member who skips a pickup or cancels partway through the season sometimes gets a partial refund or a credit toward next year, and without a clear record, that adjustment can make the season's CSA revenue look inconsistent.
What we doTracks CSA refunds and credits in their own line, so a handful of adjustments does not muddy what the season actually brought in.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a farm stand and CSA.
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
- CSA share deliveriesWeekly box payments tracked to the delivery week, not the signup date.
- Farm stand salesCard and cash sales rung up at the stand, including the honor box.
- Restaurant and wholesale salesInvoiced sales to restaurants and small grocers on their own payment terms.
- Farmers market salesOff-site sales at a local market on days the stand is closed.
- Add-on and specialty salesEggs, flowers, or jam sold alongside the regular produce.
Money out
- Seed and plant stockSeed, transplants, and cover crop for the season's plantings.
- Farm stand equipmentCoolers, scales, and shelving, logged so they get written off right.
- PackagingProduce bags, box liners, and CSA box labels.
- Delivery costsFuel and vehicle upkeep for CSA delivery routes and market runs.
- Seasonal laborHarvest crew and packing help during peak growing weeks.
- IrrigationWell electric, drip line, and pump repair for the growing season.
- AdvertisingCSA signup promotion and local ads before each season starts.
What we watch for you
- CSA vs. stand mix
How much comes from season memberships versus stand and market sales, so you know which side to grow.
- CSA renewal rate
How many members sign up again next season, tracked from payment records alone.
- Restaurant receivables
What wholesale accounts owe you at any given time, so a slow payer does not sneak up on you.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things farm stand and CSA 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.
No. I keep those payments tied to the delivery weeks they cover, so March looks like March and June looks like June, not the other way around.
Yes, from whatever count or log you send. If a pattern looks like days went missing, I'll ask, but I work with what you give me.
I track it against the delivery date, not just when the check clears, so a slow-paying account does not make a good week look thin.
The tax side
The tax side of a farm stand and CSA.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing. CSA money counted before it is earned, cooler equipment filed like a repair, 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 incomeGrowing and selling what you grow generally lands on Schedule F instead of the Schedule C a typical small business files, which changes how income and certain costs are handled.
- Stand and cooler equipmentRefrigeration units, scales, and similar equipment 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 crewsAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for harvest or packing 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 season.
Deductions farm stands and CSAs miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Seed and transplant stock
- Produce bags and box labels
- Stand refrigeration repair
- Delivery vehicle fuel
- Farmers market stall fees
- Irrigation and drip line repair
- CSA signup advertising
- Scale certification
- Harvest crew wages
- Cover crop seed
- Stand shelving and signage
- Liability insurance
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 farm stand and CSA year, kept every month.
Members sign up in the spring for a season that runs through fall. Your taxes come on a schedule of their own. 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 crew 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so a lump of spring CSA money does not get spent all at once.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed right as CSA signups pick up, so spring planning gets your full attention.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand once the season is underway, and whether renewals and restaurant accounts are keeping pace with deliveries.
- October
Season wrap
Gus looks at how the CSA and stand each performed and flags any equipment worth buying before next season's signups open.
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 farm stands and CSAs. 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 farm stand and CSA owners ask first.
My CSA members pay for the whole season in one payment. Will that make some months look wrong?
No. Gus keeps prepaid shares tied to the delivery weeks they cover, so an early season payment does not make that month look stronger than it was.
Can Gus track cash from an honor-box stand?
Yes, from whatever count or log you keep. He works from your bank statement and cash records together, and asks when a pattern looks like days went missing.
A restaurant we supply pays on a 30 day invoice. Does that complicate things?
Gus tracks it against the delivery date rather than only the payment date, so a slow-paying account does not make a good week on the farm look thin.
Do I have to change how I run the stand or bill restaurant accounts?
No. Run the stand and bill restaurant accounts your usual way. Gus sorts it all from your bank statement, and a CSA payment or invoice he cannot place gets one question, answered once and remembered.
What happens when a CSA member skips a pickup and gets a refund?
Gus keeps refunds and credits in their own line, so a handful of adjustments does not muddy what the season actually brought in.
Is a new stand cooler written off all at once?
Often, yes. A cooler bought to keep produce fresh at the stand usually qualifies for a full write-off that year, though sometimes spreading it out is the better move. Gus logs it and lets the accountant make the call.
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