Farms, ranches & agritourism
Books and taxes for pecan and nut growers.
A truckload of in-shell pecans sold to a sheller, a bag of cracked and shelled nuts sold direct at the roadside stand, and a tree that might bear twice as much this year as last. 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 $23,300. This is an on year for the grove, so I flagged the higher yield against last year's lighter crop, not as a mystery jump.
- Sheller in-shell truckloadIn-shell wholesale sales
- Roadside stand shelled nut salesShelled retail sales
- Custom cracking and shelling feeCracking and shelling costs
- Orchard sprayer fuelGrove maintenance
- Harvest crew wagesSeasonal labor
Why your books are different
Pecan and nut grower books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees a farm that harvests once a year. Your business sells nuts both in the shell to a sheller and cracked and shelled directly to customers, and a healthy grove naturally swings between a heavy on year and a light off year. When the books do not separate those, a normal bearing pattern can look like something went wrong.
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1
In-shell wholesale and shelled retail sales get rung up together
A truckload sold in-shell to a sheller and a bag of cracked nuts sold at the roadside stand both look like grove income, but one is raw product sold in bulk and the other is a finished product sold direct, with very different margins.
What we doKeeps in-shell wholesale sales and shelled retail sales in their own lines, so you can see what each channel actually earns. -
2
An on year gets mistaken for something unusual
Pecan and other nut trees naturally alternate between a heavy on year and a lighter off year, but without that context, a big jump in harvest income can look like an anomaly instead of the tree's normal bearing cycle.
What we doNotes on and off years against the grove's history, so a heavy or light harvest reads as the bearing cycle, not a mystery. -
3
Cracking and shelling fees get mixed with grove costs
Paying a custom sheller to crack and process nuts for retail sale is a different cost than growing the crop itself, but if it is not tracked separately, you cannot tell what it actually costs to turn in-shell nuts into a sellable retail product.
What we doKeeps cracking and shelling costs in their own line, separate from grove maintenance, so the true cost of retail product stays visible. -
4
New or replanted trees get treated like this year's crop cost
A newly planted section of a pecan grove can take seven to ten years before it bears a meaningful crop, so costs spent establishing it now are an investment in the future, not an expense against this year's harvest.
What we doFlags new plantings separately from mature grove costs, so the accountant can apply the right treatment as the trees mature. -
5
A hailstorm or freeze during bloom gets no clean record
A late freeze during bloom or a hailstorm before harvest can knock down a big share of the crop, and without a note, that loss just reads as an off year instead of the specific weather event that actually caused it.
What we doNotes weather losses the owner flags, so a damaged season reads as what happened, not a mystery in the numbers.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a pecan and nut grower.
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
- In-shell wholesale salesTruckload sales of raw in-shell nuts to a sheller or buyer.
- Shelled retail salesCracked and shelled nuts sold direct at a stand, market, or online.
- Value-added product salesCandied or roasted nuts sold as a finished product.
- Custom cracking incomeFees earned cracking nuts for other growers, if the grove offers the service.
- Crop insurance and program paymentsInsurance or disaster payments, kept separate from crop sales.
Money out
- Grove maintenanceSpraying, fertilizing, and pruning across mature and young trees.
- Cracking and shelling costsFees paid to a custom sheller to process nuts for retail sale.
- Harvest equipmentShakers, sweepers, and harvesters, logged so they get written off right.
- New planting costsYoung tree stock and establishment labor for new grove sections.
- Seasonal laborHarvest crew wages during the fall picking and shaking season.
- IrrigationWell electric, drip line, and pump repair to keep the grove watered.
- Crop insurance premiumsInsurance covering weather risk on the season's crop.
What we watch for you
- In-shell vs. shelled mix
How much comes from wholesale in-shell sales versus shelled retail sales, so you know which channel to grow.
- Bearing year yield
How this year's harvest compares to the grove's on and off year pattern, tracked from harvest records.
- Cracking cost per pound
What it costs to turn in-shell nuts into a sellable retail product, tracked against retail prices.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things pecan and nut grower 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 note on and off years against your grove's history, so a big year after a light one reads as the normal bearing cycle, not a mystery.
I keep cracking and shelling costs in their own line, separate from grove maintenance, so the true cost of your retail product stays visible.
Flag it for me and I'll note it, so this season reads as a weather loss, not just a mysteriously light off year.
The tax side
The tax side of a pecan and nut growing operation.
Most of what goes wrong here is separating in-shell from shelled product, and separating normal bearing swings from real trouble. New plantings treated like this year's expense, and a set-aside nobody started until after harvest.
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 nuts generally lands on Schedule F instead of the Schedule C a typical small business files, which changes how income and certain costs are handled.
- New orchard establishment costsCosts to plant and establish new grove sections often need to be tracked over several years rather than expensed immediately, until the trees begin bearing a marketable crop.
- Harvest equipment depreciationShakers, sweepers, and harvesters 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 harvest crewsAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for harvest or cracking help gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
Deductions pecan and nut growers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Young tree stock
- Grove spraying and fertilizer
- Cracking and shelling fees
- Harvest crew wages
- Irrigation and drip line repair
- Shaker and sweeper maintenance
- Crop insurance premiums
- Bags and packaging for retail sale
- Roadside stand signage
- Pruning tools
- Liability insurance
- Soil testing
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 pecan and nut grower's year, kept every month.
Your trees swing between heavy and light years, and harvest lands in the fall. 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 crew 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so a heavy or light year funds it evenly.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed before spring bloom and grove maintenance ramp up.
- July
Halfway check
A look at how this year's nut set is shaping up and what it suggests about an on or off year.
- October
Harvest season
Gus checks how this year's crop is pricing against last year and flags equipment or grove investments worth making before winter.
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 pecan and nut growers. 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 pecan and nut grower owners ask first.
Can Gus tell in-shell wholesale sales apart from shelled retail sales?
Yes. He keeps in-shell wholesale sales and shelled retail sales in their own categories, so you can see what each channel actually earns.
This year's crop is much bigger than last year's. Will that look wrong in the books?
No. Gus notes on and off years against your grove's history, so a big year after a light one reads as the normal bearing cycle, not a mystery.
Do I have to change how I sell to a sheller or run the roadside stand?
No. Sell to a sheller and run the roadside stand the way you always have. Gus works from your bank statement, and an in-shell or shelled sale he cannot place gets one quick question.
A late freeze during bloom hurt our crop this year. Does that get tracked?
Flag it for Gus when it happens, and he notes it, so this season reads as a weather loss rather than just a mysteriously light off year.
Is a new shaker or harvester written off all at once?
Often, yes. A shaker or harvester bought for the grove 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.
We planted a new section of grove that won't bear for years. Does that cost get tracked differently?
Yes. Gus tracks new planting costs separately from mature grove costs, so the accountant can apply the right treatment as the trees mature.
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