Farms, ranches & agritourism
Books and taxes for sod farms.
A landscaper ordering forty pallets for a subdivision job, a homeowner buying a few rolls for a backyard patch, and a field that takes over a year to grow before it can be cut and sold. 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
April came in at $18,600. The subdivision landscaper's pallet order got booked against the field harvested this month, not last year's planting cost.
- Landscaper pallet order, net 30Wholesale sod sales
- Homeowner counter saleRetail sod sales
- Fertilizer application, custom applicatorField maintenance
- Sod harvester blade replacementHarvest equipment
- Diesel fuel, delivery trucksDelivery and fuel
Why your books are different
Sod farm books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees a landscaping supplier. Your business grows a crop that takes a year or more in the ground before it can be harvested, sells to landscapers on net terms and homeowners for cash on the same day, and runs harvest equipment that has to work every cutting season. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell what an acre actually costs to bring to sale.
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1
Wholesale landscaper accounts and retail counter sales get mixed together
A landscaper who buys forty pallets on a net 30 account and a homeowner who pays cash for three rolls both show up as sod revenue, but the pricing, terms, and volume are completely different between the two.
What we doKeeps wholesale landscaper accounts separate from retail counter sales, so you can see which side of the business drives volume. -
2
A field planted last year gets no cost carried forward to this year's harvest
Sod planted and grown for over a year carries seed, fertilizer, and water costs the whole time it is in the ground, but if those costs from last year are not carried forward, this year's harvest looks like pure profit with no growing cost behind it.
What we doTracks a field's growing costs from planting to harvest, so the accountant can match the right year of cost against the crop that finally sells. -
3
Harvest equipment gets filed like routine repairs
A sod harvester, a big roll baler, or a new irrigation pivot represents a major piece of farm equipment, but a blade or belt replacement on a bank statement can look like just another maintenance expense.
What we doFlags major harvest and irrigation equipment purchases the month they show up and logs them as equipment, not routine repairs. -
4
Landscaper accounts pay on terms, and the timing gets lost
A net 30 or net 60 account with a landscaping company means the harvest happens weeks before the payment clears, and without tracking that gap, a strong harvest month can look thin until the checks finally arrive.
What we doTracks landscaper invoices against the delivery date, not just when payment lands, so a payment delay does not distort the month. -
5
A failed or drought-damaged field gets no clean record
A stretch of field that fails to establish or gets damaged by drought has to be replanted, and without a note, that loss just looks like a slow harvest season instead of the specific field and cost that were actually lost.
What we doNotes field losses the owner flags, so a bad stretch reads as what it was, not a mystery in the numbers.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a sod 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
- Wholesale sod salesPallet orders sold to landscapers and contractors, usually on net terms.
- Retail sod salesCounter or delivery sales to homeowners, paid at the time of sale.
- Delivery feesFees charged for delivering pallets to a job site.
- Installation servicesInstallation labor billed alongside sod sales, if the farm offers it.
- Excess seed or hay salesExtra grass seed or hay sold off the farm beyond sod production.
Money out
- Sod stock and seedGrass seed, sprigs, or plugs used to establish new fields.
- Field maintenanceFertilizer, irrigation, mowing, and pest control across growing fields.
- Harvest equipmentSod harvesters, big roll balers, and blade replacement, logged so they get written off right.
- Irrigation systemsPivots, well electric, and pump repair to keep fields growing on schedule.
- Delivery and fuelTrucks, trailers, and diesel fuel for delivering pallets to job sites.
- Land rent or leasePayments for additional acreage leased for growing fields.
- Labor for loading and deliveryCrew wages for cutting, loading, and delivering pallets.
What we watch for you
- Wholesale vs. retail mix
How much comes from landscaper accounts versus homeowner counter sales, so you know which to focus on.
- Cost per acre harvested
What a specific field cost to grow and harvest, tracked against what it sold for.
- Landscaper account receivables
What net-terms 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 sod 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.
No. I track it against the delivery date, not just when payment clears, so a slow-paying account does not make a strong harvest month look thin.
Usually it can. I logged it as harvest equipment, not routine maintenance, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.
Flag it for me and I'll note it, so that stretch reads as a field loss, not just a mysteriously thin harvest season.
The tax side
The tax side of a sod farm.
Most of what goes wrong here is matching a field's growing cost to the year it finally harvests. Costs from last year's planting lost before the sale, equipment filed like repairs, 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 sod generally lands on Schedule F instead of the Schedule C a typical small business files, which changes how income and certain costs are handled.
- Harvest and irrigation equipmentSod harvesters, balers, and irrigation pivots 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 delivery crewsAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for loading or delivery 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 sod farms miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Grass seed and sprigs
- Fertilizer and soil amendments
- Harvester blade replacement
- Irrigation pivot repair
- Diesel fuel for delivery trucks
- Pallet and strap supplies
- Well pump repair
- Field mowing equipment upkeep
- Liability insurance
- Trailer maintenance
- Loading crew wages
- 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 sod farm year, kept every month.
Fields take over a year to grow, but sales peak with the spring and fall landscaping seasons. 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 delivery crew 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so peak season income funds it evenly.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed right as spring landscaping orders pick up.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand after spring sales, and whether landscaper accounts are keeping pace with what fields are ready to harvest.
- October
Fall season
Gus checks how the fall planting and harvest season is tracking and flags equipment worth buying 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 sod 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 sod farm owners ask first.
Can Gus tell wholesale landscaper orders apart from retail counter sales?
Yes. He keeps wholesale accounts and retail sales in their own categories, so you can see which side of the business drives volume.
Our landscaper accounts pay on net 30 terms. Does that throw off the books?
No. Gus tracks invoices against the delivery date, not just when payment clears, so a slow-paying account does not make a strong harvest month look thin.
Do I have to change how I bill landscaper accounts?
No. Keep billing landscaper accounts your usual way. Gus reads it from your bank statement, and a pallet order he cannot place between wholesale and retail gets a single quick question.
A section of field failed to establish and had to be replanted. Does that get tracked?
Flag it for Gus when it happens, and he notes it, so that section reads as a field loss rather than a mystery in the numbers.
Is a new sod harvester written off all at once?
Usually. A harvester bought to cut fields typically qualifies for a full write-off the year you buy it, though some seasons call for spreading it out. Gus logs the purchase and lets the accountant make the call.
Does the cost of growing a field last year matter for this year's harvest?
Yes, and Gus tracks it. A field's growing costs get carried from planting to harvest, so the accountant can match the right year of cost against the crop that finally sells.
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