The PACA Trust: How Produce Sellers Get Paid First When a Buyer Goes Bankrupt
Under 7 U.S.C. 499e(c), unpaid produce sellers are paid from a buyer's trust assets before other creditors — if terms stay ≤30 days and notice is timely.
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Farming
Agricultural tax rules for farmers and ranchers, including Schedule F income reporting, crop insurance deferrals, livestock sales, conservation deductions, and farm-specific income averaging
You Own the Land — But Do You Own the Water? A Landowner's Guide to Water Rights
In the western US, water rights follow priority dates, not deeds — verify decrees before buying land, avoid forfeiture, and lease unused water for income.
The Federal Fuel Tax Credit Most Contractors, Landscapers, and Farms Never Claim
Off-highway gasoline earns $0.183/gal back and undyed diesel $0.243 — claim the federal credit on IRS Form 4136 with your return.
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.
Why Your Cut-Flower Farm Needs Two Markups: Weddings vs. Market
Weddings and farmers-market bunches need separate markups: market bouquets hold ~55% margin on stem cost, while wedding quotes must carry 15-25 design hours.
Sheep Farm Bookkeeping: Breeding Flock vs. Market Lambs, Wool Checks, and the Enterprise Budget That Tells You If Ewes Pay
Cull ewes held over 12 months qualify for Section 1231 gain on Form 4797 — not Schedule F — skipping self-employment tax.
Corn Maze and Fall Festival Bookkeeping: Your Six-Week Season Playbook
Season-pass cash is deferred revenue, not August income — and your maze crew is usually non-farm labor owed US overtime. A six-week bookkeeping playbook.
Custom Farming Bookkeeping: How to Set Per-Acre Rates That Actually Cover Your Machinery Costs
Iowa State pegs 2026 combining near $49.88 per acre. Price custom farming from ownership cost per engine hour, and split IRS Schedule F from Schedule C.
Alpaca Fiber Farm Bookkeeping: Grade the Fleece, Depreciate the Herd, and Price Yarn Like a Business
Purchased alpaca breeding stock depreciates over 5 years (Section 179 eligible); raised crias have zero basis. Grade fleece by micron and file on Schedule F.
Goat Dairy and Microdairy Bookkeeping: Pricing Milk, Cheese, and Soap From One Herd
A goat microdairy earns on a lactation curve but pays on a calendar. This guide shows how to keep separate enterprise books for fluid milk, cheese, and soap — using extension budgets of 1,650–1,800 lb of milk per doe per year, retail goat milk near $18 a gallon, the 10-pounds-of-milk-per-pound-of-cheese rule, and FDA's line between soap and a cosmetic claim.
Custom Harvest Crew Bookkeeping: Pricing Per-Acre Work, Costing the Road, and Depreciating a $500,000 Combine
How a custom combine harvest crew builds a per-acre rate from its own fuel, labor, repair, depreciation and transport costs instead of the neighbor's price, tracks road expenses like crew housing, lowboy moves, rain days and IFTA reporting, handles seasonal and H-2A payroll, and depreciates a $500,000 combine as 7-year MACRS property using Section 179 and 100% bonus depreciation.