5 Ways to Tidy Up Your Farm Books Before You Step Off the Tractor

Running a farm—whether it’s a fifth-generation ranch or a first-time family operation—is more than just long days in the field and caring for your livestock. It's also about managing the financial side of your business with the same level of grit and precision. Bookkeeping may not be the most glamorous part of farm life, but staying organized with your expenses and income is one of the most powerful ways to keep your farm financially sustainable—especially as you grow or prepare for next year’s taxes.

But let’s be real: who has a lot of time to spend in front of a desktop when the hay needs moving and the fence needs fixing?

With today’s mobile tools, especially platforms like FarmRaise Tracks, you can stay on top of your books from your pickup truck, in the barn, or even while you're still on the tractor. Whether you're operating a small farm, hobby farm, or running your place full-time, here are five ways to clean up your farm books before your boots hit the doorstep.

1. Snap and Store Receipts on the Go

If your farmhouse table is covered in crumpled receipts from feed stores, farm equipment dealers, and farmers' markets, it’s time to ditch the paper shuffle.

With mobile apps like FarmRaise Tracks, you can use your phone to quickly upload receipts before they get lost in your glove box or washer. Snap a photo of that John Deere parts invoice or seed order while you’re still in the cab. You can upload receipts and store them safely in the cloud—then assign categories to keep your records organized.

Not only does this make tax time easier, but it also helps you track spending patterns and keep better tabs on what’s deductible. Expenses like property taxes, insurance premiums, and cooperative extension service fees can all be tracked throughout the year without the scramble in March.

Pro Tip: Set a recurring phone notification as a reminder to snap your receipts daily or weekly. It’s a five-minute habit that pays off big.

2. Tag Transactions by Category

Farm expenses come in many flavors: fuel, fencing, veterinary services, and seed, just to name a few. Keeping them straight in your records—especially when they’re made from different accounts or cards—can be a headache.

That’s where  categorization becomes your best friend. FarmRaise Tracks helps you stay organized by letting you assign categories to your farm expenses.

This is a game-changer for busy ranchers, especially those managing multiple family members’ purchases or joint farm business accounts. Even if your spouse swipes the card at the feed store or your teen buys parts for a DIY irrigation project, it all shows up in one place, cleanly organized and ready to review.

You’ll also impress your insurance agent and accountant with clean, categorized reports—and avoid missing deductions on things like fuel tax credits or depreciation on major assets like tractors or sheds.

3. Track Your Income on a Daily Basis

Your farm income isn’t just about selling a couple of calves at auction. It might include check-ins from farmers' markets, seasonal produce, agri-tourism events, or even off-grid CSA boxes.

When you're in the thick of it—whether it’s your first year selling eggs or your 30th running a cow-calf operation—recording income on a daily basis makes a world of difference. Even small deposits from your Venmo sales or Square Reader at the farmers market can add up.

By logging these income streams as they happen, you'll get a much more accurate picture of your operation’s profitability. And if you're using FarmRaise Tracks, you can categorize that revenue as it comes in—be it livestock, produce, or services. You can even see summaries of monthly income vs. expenses, which helps you make smarter decisions throughout the year.

Bonus: Tracking income as you earn it helps verify Social Security records and can simplify the process if you’re ever applying for grants, loans, or preparing for your insurance agent’s review.

4. Use Mobile Reports to Plan for Next Year

What worked this year? What didn’t?

Those aren’t just questions for your winter coffee chat or favorite podcast. They're strategic insights you can pull straight from your bookkeeping app.

With a few taps in FarmRaise Tracks, you can pull up a monthly or yearly spending summary. This helps you:

• Spot where your money went (too many tractor repairs?)
• Plan for next year’s seed orders and budgeting needs
• Show your cooperative extension agent real data for guidance
• Make year-end purchases (think: farm equipment upgrades or inputs) at the right time

If you’re in your first time managing a start-up farm or just wrapped your first year, these reports help you avoid burnout by giving you a clear view of the numbers. You’ll start each season with more clarity and less stress.

5. Simplify Sharing With Your Accountant (or Family)

The only thing worse than tax prep? Trying to explain your notes on a napkin to your accountant three days before filing.

Good bookkeeping means you can easily share what matters—with your accountant, insurance agent, loan officer, or even your adult child helping out on the business side. With a few clicks in FarmRaise Tracks, you can review and summarize your data to support tax prep or conversations with your accountant.

This transparency is especially important for family farms or multi-generational operations where several family members may contribute. Rather than sorting through a shoebox of papers, you can all access one clear, up-to-date system that shows the farm’s performance.

You’ll also be better positioned to apply for grants or programs, which often require organized documentation. For instance, if you're renewing your USDA registration or reporting for cost-share programs, you’ll have everything ready.

Wrapping Up: Bookkeeping as Part of the Farm Life Routine

Farming is hard work, and while it’s easy to say, “I’ll handle the books tonight,” we all know how that goes. The washer breaks, the calves get out, or your neighbor needs a hand with his baler.

Instead of treating farm bookkeeping like a once-a-year burden, make it part of your everyday routine. With tools like FarmRaise Tracks, you can track expenses and income while you’re still on the tractor, still in the pickup truck, or still closing up the barn. You don't need to sacrifice a lot of time or sit behind a desk to stay organized.

So whether you’re selling flowers at a roadside stand, managing a full-time cattle operation, or trying to build a small farm into a steady income stream, these five steps will help you clean up your records—without ever stepping off the field.

Let technology do the heavy lifting so you can keep doing what you do best: building a life—and a legacy—on the land.

Want to put these steps into action without needing spreadsheets or a desktop computer? Start your free trial of FarmRaise Tracks and bring tidy bookkeeping to your daily routine—right from your phone.

• Upload receipts
• Categorize transactions
• Track income on the go
• Pull reports for your accountant
• Simplify planning for next year

Whether you're wrangling hay, herding goats, or checking fields from your John Deere, we’ll help you stay organized—before your boots hit the porch.

Ready to get started? Sign up for FarmRaise today and start building a better future for your farm. Use code IT3H12B at checkout for 20% off or use this link to checkout now.