Christmas Tree Farm Taxes: How the Section 631(a) Election Turns Stumpage Value Into Capital Gain
Section 631(a) lets Christmas tree farms tax January-1 stumpage value as capital gain — lower rates and no self-employment tax.
#schedule-f
Schedule F
Schedule F profit or loss from farming for farmers and ranchers
Farm Income Averaging on Schedule J: How Farmers and Fishers Smooth Tax Across Good and Bad Years
Schedule J lets farmers and fishers spread a bumper year's income across the prior three years' lower brackets — average savings topped $4,400 in one study.
Bison Ranch Bookkeeping: Breeding Herd vs. Market Inventory, Unit Livestock Prices, and Brucellosis Testing
Raised bison breeding stock carries zero IRS basis but still earns Section 1231 treatment at culling; purchased animals depreciate over five years.
Freezer Beef Pays Better Than the Sale Barn — If You Price It Like a Business
Price freezer beef per pound of hanging weight, sell the live animal — not the meat — at custom-exempt lockers, and beat the sale barn on paper first.
States Are Loosening Agritourism Rules in 2026: California Farm Camping, Oregon Farm Stores, and Your Books
California AB 518 lets counties allow nine farm campsites; Oregon HB 4153 adds a farm-store permit. Report the new income on IRS Schedule C, not Schedule F.
Why Collecting All Your CSA Payments in April Is the Wrong Default
April lump-sum CSA billing suppresses signups and fakes a cash cushion. Default to a deposit plus installments, and book shares as unearned revenue.
Goat Yoga Business Bookkeeping: Per-Ticket Revenue, Herd Costs, Insurance, and Zoning
Goat yoga tickets belong on Schedule C, not Schedule F. Price for fees, allocate herd costs, endorse your insurance and clear zoning before class one.
Hobby Farm or Farm Business? How the IRS Decides Whether Your Farm Losses Are Deductible
The IRS presumes a farm is a business if it profits in 3 of 5 years; otherwise nine factors decide. Hobby farms owe tax on income but deduct nothing.
Alligator Farm Bookkeeping: CITES Tags, Split Hide-and-Meat Revenue, and Inventory That Can't Cross State Lines Untagged
Split hide and meat revenue, reconcile every CITES tag to cash, and carry 15-month grow-out costs correctly on Schedule F.
Commercial Grain Drying Service Bookkeeping: Cost Every Point of Moisture So Your Rate Is More Than a Guess at the Elevator's Price
Custom grain drying costs about 3.2 cents per point per bushel before margin — price from your fuel, shrink, and fixed cost, not the elevator's rate.
Worm Farming Bookkeeping: Living Inventory, Castings Sales Tax, and Farm Tax Rules
Price worms and castings from a blended cost per pound, register castings as fertilizer, collect state sales tax, and pass the IRS hobby-loss test.
Hop Farm Bookkeeping: Why Your $12,000-Per-Acre Trellis Depreciates Differently From the Bines
Hop yard buildout runs $12,000-$15,000 per acre, and the trellis depreciates as 7-year farm equipment while IRS Section 263A decides the plants.