Farms, ranches & agritourism

Books and taxes for tobacco and specialty crop growers.

A contract with a buyer locked in months before the crop is even in the ground, a curing barn running around the clock at harvest, and a specialty crop that needs its own kind of bookkeeping the big commodity farms down the road never had to think about. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
SeptemberExample month
$28,600
what you made

September came in at $28,600. This year's contract price got booked against the crop it was locked in for last spring, not the month the check arrived.

  • Buyer contract settlementContract crop sales
  • Grading and quality bonus paymentContract crop sales
  • Curing barn propaneCuring and processing costs
  • Harvest and curing crew wagesSeasonal labor
  • Nutrient application, custom applicatorField maintenance
Money in$87,000
Money out$58,400
Set aside for taxes$9,600
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Tobacco and specialty crop books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees a row crop farm. Your business often grows under a contract locked in before planting, runs a curing barn that costs real money to operate at harvest, and depends on grading and quality bonuses that swing the final price after the crop is already in. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell what a season actually earned until months after it should have been clear.

  1. 1

    Contract price gets confused with the check's arrival date

    A contract price locked in during spring planting often is not settled and paid until months after harvest, and if the sale is not tied to the crop and contract year it belongs to, the timing can make one year look artificially strong or weak.

    What we doTies contract settlements to the crop and contract year they belong to, so the timing of the check does not distort the season.
  2. 2

    Curing barn costs get lumped into general field expenses

    Running a curing barn takes real fuel, labor, and monitoring at harvest time, and that cost is very different from the cost of growing the crop in the field, but on a bank statement they can blend into one general expense.

    What we doKeeps curing and processing costs in their own line, separate from field maintenance, so you can see what turning the crop into a sellable product actually costs.
  3. 3

    Grading bonuses and penalties get lost in the contract number

    A buyer's final settlement often includes bonuses for high grade and deductions for lower quality, and if that detail is not tracked, you cannot tell whether this year's price reflects the crop quality or just the base contract rate.

    What we doKeeps grading bonuses and quality adjustments visible against the base contract price, so you can see what quality is actually adding or costing you.
  4. 4

    Curing and processing equipment gets filed as a field supply

    Curing barns, bulk curing systems, and related equipment can cost tens of thousands of dollars and last for years, but a repair or a part replacement on a bank statement can look like just another field supply purchase.

    What we doFlags curing and processing equipment purchases the month they show up and logs them as their own equipment category.
  5. 5

    A weather event during a critical growth stage gets no clean record

    Hail, drought, or excess rain during a critical stage of the crop's growth can hurt both yield and grade, and without a note, that loss just reads as a weaker year instead of the specific event that caused it.

    What we doNotes weather events the owner flags, so a weaker season reads as what happened, not a mystery in the numbers.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a tobacco and specialty crop 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

  • Contract crop salesSettlement payments from a buyer under a locked-in growing contract, including grading bonuses.
  • Open market salesCrop sold outside of a standing contract, if the operation does both.
  • Government program paymentsUSDA program or disaster payments, kept separate from crop sales.
  • Custom curing incomeFees earned curing another grower's crop in your barn.
  • Rental incomeCuring barn or land rented out during the off-season.

Money out

  • Field maintenanceFertilizer, pest control, and irrigation across the growing season.
  • Curing and processing costsPropane, labor, and monitoring costs to cure the crop after harvest.
  • Curing equipmentCuring barns and bulk curing systems, logged so they get written off right.
  • Seasonal laborHarvest and curing crew wages during the busiest weeks of the year.
  • Contract and grading feesAny fees tied to grading, inspection, or contract administration.
  • Land rent or leasePayments for additional acreage under contract.
  • Crop insuranceInsurance premiums covering weather and yield risk on the contracted crop.

What we watch for you

  • Contract vs. open market mix

    How much comes from contract sales versus open market sales, if the operation does both.

  • Grade quality trend

    How grading bonuses and deductions move year to year, tracked from settlement details.

  • Curing cost per crop

    What curing and processing actually cost this season, tracked against the field growing costs.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things tobacco and specialty crop growers 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.

We locked in a contract price back in spring, but the check didn't arrive until months after harvest. Does that mess up the books?

No. I tie the settlement to the crop and contract year it belongs to, so the timing of the check does not distort the season.

Our final settlement includes grading bonuses on top of the base contract price. How's that tracked?

I keep grading bonuses and quality adjustments visible against the base price, so you can see what quality is actually adding for you.

A hailstorm hit during a critical growth stage this year. Does that show up anywhere?

Flag it for me and I'll note it, so this season reads as a weather loss, not just a mysteriously weaker year.

The tax side

The tax side of a tobacco and specialty crop operation.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing between planting, contract, and settlement. Curing costs blended into field expenses, grading detail lost in one lump sum, and a set-aside nobody started until settlement arrived.

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 a contracted or specialty crop generally lands on Schedule F instead of the Schedule C a typical small business files, which changes how income and certain costs are handled.
  • Curing and processing equipmentCuring barns and bulk curing 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 harvest and curing crewsAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for harvest or curing help gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
  • Excess business loss limitationA bad weather or grading year can only offset so much of an owner's other income before the excess carries forward, currently $256,000 for a single filer and $512,000 for joint filers.

Deductions tobacco and specialty crop growers miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Curing barn propane
  • Field fertilizer and pest control
  • Harvest and curing crew wages
  • Curing equipment repair
  • Irrigation repair
  • Crop insurance premiums
  • Contract and grading fees
  • Barn and storage upkeep
  • Fuel for field equipment
  • Soil testing
  • Liability insurance
  • Twine and baling 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 tobacco and specialty crop year, kept every month.

Your contract gets locked in months before planting, and settlement can land long after harvest. 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.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, the harvest and curing crew 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so a delayed settlement does not surprise you.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed as this year's contract and planting decisions get finalized.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    A look at how the crop is developing under contract and what curing and field costs look like so far.

  4. October

    Curing season

    Gus checks how this year's crop is grading and settling against last year and flags equipment worth buying before next season.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

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 tobacco and specialty crop 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 tobacco and specialty crop growers ask first.

Our contract price gets locked in months before the check arrives. Does that confuse the books?

No. Gus ties the settlement to the crop and contract year it belongs to, so the timing of the check does not distort the season.

Can Gus track the grading bonuses on top of our base contract price?

Yes. Grading bonuses and quality adjustments stay visible against the base contract price, so you can see what quality is actually adding for you.

Do I have to change how I contract with a buyer?

No. Contract with your buyer the way you always have. Gus reads settlement details from your bank statement, and anything unclear about the contract or grading gets one question, remembered from then on.

A hailstorm hit during a critical growth stage 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 weaker year.

Is a new curing barn or curing system written off all at once?

Usually. A curing barn or system built for the operation typically qualifies to be deducted, sometimes fully the year it is finished, sometimes spread across a few years. Gus flags the project and the accountant decides.

Are curing costs tracked separately from what it costs to grow the crop in the field?

Yes. Curing and processing costs stay in their own category, separate from field maintenance, so you can see what turning the crop into a sellable product actually costs.

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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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