Farming
Income arrives at harvest. Expenses run all year. We help you plan the cash flow so August doesn't run out before February.
Money Comes Once, Bills Come Monthly
You plant in spring. You spend all summer growing, watering, weeding, praying. Harvest comes in late summer and fall. That’s when the money arrives. A few months of farmers markets, CSA payments, maybe a restaurant account or two. Then it’s winter and the income stops but the bills don’t.
Land payments, insurance, equipment loans, utilities. They show up every month whether you’re harvesting or not. The cash you made in September has to stretch until the next crop comes in. Most small farms know this. Few have a plan for it beyond hoping there’s enough left.
Who This Is For
Who This Is For
Vegetable farms, orchards, berry operations, flower farms, small livestock, CSA operations. Farms that run on seasonal cycles and thin margins.
The Problem
The Problem
You made $60,000 between July and October. Is that enough to cover the next nine months? That question has an answer when the books are right.
The Harvest Math
A good season feels good. The market booth is busy, the CSA boxes go out full, the check from the restaurant clears. But busy doesn’t mean profitable. Seeds cost more this year. Fuel cost more. That irrigation repair ate $1,200 you didn’t expect. The season felt successful but the account balance says otherwise.
Farming runs on tight margins. Inputs, labor, equipment, land costs. By the time you subtract everything, what’s left is often smaller than it looked. If you don’t know your real margin, you can’t price correctly, and you can’t plan for the months when nothing’s coming in.
Input Tracking
Input Tracking
Seeds, fertilizer, fuel, packaging, market fees. Everything that goes into getting product to market, tracked so you know your real cost of production.
True Margin
True Margin
What did you actually keep after expenses? By crop, by sales channel, by season. Numbers that tell you what’s working and what’s just keeping you busy.
Making Harvest Money Last
August is flush. October is comfortable. December starts to feel tight. By February you’re wondering if you should have sold at more markets or raised CSA prices or not bought that attachment. The money came in a wave and left the same way.
The farms that survive long-term aren’t necessarily the ones with the best harvests. They’re the ones who know exactly how much they need to hold back, how much the off-season costs, and what needs to be in the account when spring planting starts again.
Monthly Burn Rate
Monthly Burn Rate
What does it cost to keep the farm running when nothing’s selling? Insurance, loan payments, utilities, maintenance. The number you need to cover every month, harvest or not.
Reserve Planning
Reserve Planning
How much to set aside from harvest to carry through winter. A plan that turns seasonal income into year-round stability.
Books That Support the Farm
You might want to buy more land someday. Or finance a tractor. Or apply for a USDA grant. All of those require books. Not a shoebox of receipts and a rough idea of revenue, but actual financial statements that show what the farm makes and what it costs to run.
We close your books every month, even the months when nothing much happens. When you need to show a lender or a grant program what the operation looks like, the numbers exist and they’re organized the way people expect to see them.
Monthly Bookkeeping
Monthly Bookkeeping
Revenue, expenses, cash position. Every month, all year. Not just during the season when things are busy.
Lending Ready
Lending Ready
When a lender or grant program asks for financials, you have them. P&L, balance sheet, cash flow. Documentation that shows the farm is a real business.
Greater Richmond's Small Business Bookkeeper
The Next Step:
A Short Conversation
Fifteen minutes to tell us what you're dealing with. We'll let you know how we can help and give you a clear price quote.
