Farms, ranches & agritourism
Books and taxes for hay and feed producers.
A first cutting sold to a neighboring cattle rancher, a load of round bales delivered to a horse boarding barn, and a second cutting rained on before it could be baled. 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 $17,400. The rained-on second cutting got noted as a loss on that field, kept apart from the first cutting that sold clean.
- Cattle rancher hay orderBulk hay sales
- Horse boarding barn deliveryRetail hay sales
- Baler twine and net wrapBaling supplies
- Diesel fuel, tractors and balerFuel and equipment
- Field fertilizer applicationField maintenance
Why your books are different
Hay and feed producer books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees a farm selling hay a few times a year. Your business runs on multiple cuttings a season, sells in bulk to ranchers and by the bale to horse owners, and loses a cutting to weather most years without any clean record of what that actually cost. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell what a season of hay really earned.
-
1
Bulk sales and retail bale sales get rung up together
A rancher buying a full load of hay by the ton and a horse owner buying ten bales off the truck both show up as hay revenue, but the pricing and volume are completely different between the two.
What we doKeeps bulk hay sales separate from retail bale sales, so you can see which side of the business drives the season. -
2
A rained-on cutting gets no clean record
A cutting that gets rained on before it can be baled loses most of its value, but if that loss is not tracked against the field and the cutting, it just reads as a slow month instead of the specific weather event that caused it.
What we doNotes weather losses against the specific cutting and field, so a bad cutting reads as weather, not a mystery in the numbers. -
3
Multiple cuttings in one season get blended into one number
A first, second, and sometimes third cutting off the same field each have their own cost and yield, but if they are not tracked separately, you cannot tell which cutting actually performs best.
What we doTracks each cutting separately by field, so you can see how first, second, and third cutting each perform. -
4
Baling equipment gets filed like routine fuel and supplies
A round baler, a rake, or a hay wagon costs tens of thousands of dollars and lasts for years, but a repair or a part replacement on a bank statement can look like just another fuel and supply cost.
What we doFlags major hay equipment purchases the month they show up and logs them as equipment, not routine supplies. -
5
Custom baling work for neighbors gets mixed with your own crop
Baling hay for a neighboring farm on a custom basis earns a fee that is different from selling your own crop, but both can land in the same general sales line if nobody separates them.
What we doKeeps custom baling income in its own category, separate from sales of your own hay crop.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a hay and feed producer.
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
- Bulk hay salesFull loads sold by the ton to ranchers and larger livestock operations.
- Retail hay salesSmaller bale sales to horse owners and hobby farms.
- Custom baling incomeFees earned baling hay for a neighboring farm's crop.
- Straw salesStraw from grain fields sold separately from hay.
- Feed mix salesCustom feed blends sold alongside hay, if the operation makes them.
Money out
- Baling suppliesTwine, net wrap, and plastic wrap for baling each cutting.
- Fuel and equipmentDiesel for tractors, balers, and rakes across the cutting season.
- Hay equipmentBalers, rakes, and wagons, logged so they get written off right.
- Field maintenanceFertilizer, weed control, and reseeding across hay fields.
- StorageBarn or shed upkeep for keeping hay dry between cuttings and delivery.
- DeliveryTrucks, trailers, and fuel for delivering to buyers.
- Crop insuranceInsurance premiums covering weather risk on the season's cuttings.
What we watch for you
- Bulk vs. retail mix
How much comes from full-load rancher sales versus retail bale sales, so you know which to focus on.
- Yield per cutting
How each cutting performs by field, tracked from sales and bale counts.
- Weather loss rate
How much of a season's expected yield was lost to weather, 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 hay and feed producers 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 note the loss against that field and cutting, so it reads as weather, not just a mysteriously thin month.
Yes, and I keep them separate. Bulk sales and retail bale sales stay in their own lines, so you can see which side is driving the season.
No, I keep custom baling fees in their own category, separate from sales of your own hay, so both stay visible.
The tax side
The tax side of a hay and feed producer.
Most of what goes wrong here is tracking cuttings and weather separately. Losses left unrecorded, equipment filed like fuel and supplies, and a set-aside nobody started until after the season sold.
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 hay generally lands on Schedule F instead of the Schedule C a typical small business files, which changes how income and certain costs are handled.
- Hay equipment depreciationBalers, rakes, and wagons can usually be written off, sometimes the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Crop insurance and weather lossesInsurance proceeds for a lost cutting can sometimes be reported a year later than they were received, depending on when the crop would normally have sold.
- Contractor 1099s for custom baling helpAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for baling or field help gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
Deductions hay and feed producers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Baler twine and net wrap
- Diesel fuel for field equipment
- Fertilizer and weed control
- Baler and rake repair
- Barn and storage upkeep
- Crop insurance premiums
- Trailer and delivery truck maintenance
- Field reseeding
- Soil testing
- Moisture testing equipment
- Liability insurance
- Custom baling parts and 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 hay and feed producer year, kept every month.
Cuttings come two or three times a season, weather willing. 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 custom baling help 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so cutting season income funds it evenly.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed before the first cutting of the season gets underway.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand after the first cutting or two, and whether weather losses have changed what the year should look like.
- October
Before winter
Gus checks how the full season's cuttings performed and flags equipment worth buying before next spring.
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 hay and feed producers. 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 hay and feed producer owners ask first.
Can Gus track a cutting that got rained on and lost most of its value?
Yes. Flag it when it happens, and Gus notes the loss against that field and cutting, so it reads as weather, not a mystery in the numbers.
We sell in bulk to ranchers and by the bale to horse owners. Can both be tracked in one place?
Yes. Gus keeps bulk sales and retail bale sales in separate categories, so you can see which side is driving the season.
Do I have to change how I sell hay or deliver it?
No. Sell and deliver hay exactly the way you always have. Gus reads deposits off your bank statement, and a bulk or retail sale he cannot place gets a single question instead of a guess.
We also custom bale for a neighbor's crop. Does that count differently than our own hay?
Yes. Custom baling fees stay in their own category, separate from sales of your own crop, so both stay visible on the books.
Is a new baler or rake written off all at once?
Often, yes. A baler or rake bought for the season typically qualifies for a full write-off the year you buy it, though some years call for spreading the cost. Gus logs the purchase and leaves the call to the accountant.
Do multiple cuttings in one season each need their own tracking?
Yes, and Gus does it for you. Each cutting gets tracked separately by field, so you can see how the first, second, and any later cutting each perform.
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.
More in farms, ranches & agritourism
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Agricultural drone spraying services
- Alpaca & llama farms
- Aquaculture & fish farms
- Berry farms
- Cattle ranches
- Christmas tree farms
- Corn mazes & fall festivals
- Custom harvesting & farm service contractors
- Custom meat processors
- Farm equipment dealers & repair shops
- Farm stands & CSAs
- Farm-to-table dinner hosts
- Goat yoga & animal experience farms
- Hydroponic & vertical farms
- Lavender farms
- Microgreens growers
- Mushroom farms
- Orchards & cider apple growers
- Pecan & nut growers
- Pick-your-own (u-pick) farms
- Poultry & egg farms
- Pumpkin patches
- Small dairy & creamery farms
- Sod farms
- Sunflower fields & photo farms
- Tobacco & specialty crop growers
- U-pick flower farms
- Wholesale plant nurseries
- Retail garden centers & greenhouses
- Equestrian event venues & arenas
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