Agriculture
Poultry contract growers tracking settlements and small farms managing seasonal cash flow and equipment costs.
The Industry
Poultry contract growing is a major part of Northwest Arkansas agriculture. You own the houses, carry the loans, pay for propane and electricity and litter. The integrator owns the birds. Settlement checks arrive every few weeks and the numbers look decent until you subtract what it actually cost to grow that flock. A grower with four houses might have one that consistently underperforms due to older equipment or ventilation issues, but without tracking each house separately, everything gets averaged together and the problem stays hidden.
Small farms face different math. You might run cattle, put up hay, sell produce at the farmers market, or some combination. Each activity has its own costs and returns but they tend to get lumped into one pile called “the farm.” Equipment depreciates whether you use it heavily or not. Seasonal income means you get paid at harvest or when cattle sell, then spend the next several months covering expenses from that lump sum. The accounting needs to match how farming actually works, not how a retail business operates.
Who This Covers
Who This Covers
Poultry contract growers working with integrators. Cattle operations. Hay producers. Produce farms selling direct or at farmers markets. Mixed operations combining livestock and crops. Family farms across Benton County and Northwest Arkansas managing land, equipment, and seasonal income.
What Makes It Different
What Makes It Different
Settlement statements from integrators that need reconciliation to actual costs. Equipment and building depreciation on expensive assets. Seasonal cash flow with income concentrated at certain times of year. Multiple enterprises that need separate tracking. Personal and farm expenses that blur together on family operations. Tax planning around unpredictable income.
What We Handle
For poultry growers, we track costs by house so you can see actual profitability on each settlement. Propane, electricity, litter, repairs, and loan payments all get allocated correctly. When settlement checks arrive, you know what you made after expenses instead of guessing. QuickBooks gets configured for farm operations with each house or enterprise tracked separately so reports actually mean something.
Small farms need the same enterprise-level tracking. Cattle costs stay with cattle. Hay expenses stay with hay. Equipment depreciation gets calculated correctly on tractors, implements, buildings, and poultry houses. Payroll handles seasonal or part-time farm labor. Tax prep captures farm-specific deductions that general accountants often miss. Cash flow planning works around the seasonal nature of farm income so you can cover expenses between payouts.
Settlement and Enterprise Tracking
Settlement and Enterprise Tracking
Poultry settlements reconciled to actual house-level costs. Each enterprise tracked separately so you know what makes money. QuickBooks set up for farm operations with accounts that match how you actually run things. Reports that show profitability by house, by crop, or by livestock type instead of one big number for the whole farm.
Depreciation and Tax Planning
Depreciation and Tax Planning
Equipment and building depreciation schedules maintained properly. Poultry houses, tractors, implements, and vehicles all tracked. Farm payroll processed for seasonal help. Tax preparation that understands farm income timing and captures deductions specific to agriculture. Quarterly estimates set appropriately for variable farm income.
What Goes Wrong
Contract growers often look at settlement checks and assume that number represents profit. But propane ran high because a controller malfunctioned. Litter costs went up. The house loan payment is due. After actual expenses, the margin on that flock might be half what the settlement suggested. Without house-by-house tracking, you cannot tell which houses earn their keep and which ones drag down the average. You might invest in upgrades for the wrong house or miss problems that cost thousands per year.
Small farms tend to mix personal and business expenses in ways that create problems. The truck hauls feed and also picks up the kids from school. The barn stores equipment and family belongings. Without clear separation, you either miss legitimate deductions or create audit risk. Depreciation gets ignored because nobody set up the schedules correctly when equipment was purchased. A good year at harvest creates a tax bill nobody planned for because farm income is unpredictable and quarterly estimates were never adjusted.
No Visibility Into What Works
No Visibility Into What Works
Poultry growers see total settlement minus total expenses but not performance by house. One house might lose money every flock while another carries the operation. Small farms cannot tell if cattle make money or if selling at the farmers market is a profitable use of time. Decisions get made on gut feel instead of actual numbers.
Depreciation and Tax Surprises
Depreciation and Tax Surprises
Equipment depreciation not tracked means overpaying taxes for years. A $200,000 poultry house or a $60,000 tractor should generate significant tax deductions over time. Miss those schedules and you leave money on the table. Big harvest or good cattle prices create income spikes that result in tax bills you did not plan for and cannot easily pay.
What Changes
Every enterprise shows true profitability. Poultry growers see performance by house and can make informed decisions about repairs, upgrades, or whether adding capacity makes financial sense. Small farms know which activities earn money and which ones cost more than they return. You stop guessing and start managing based on real numbers. When settlement checks arrive or cattle sell, you already know what the profit will be because expenses have been tracked all along.
Equipment and building depreciation gets captured correctly from the start. Tax planning happens before income arrives rather than after. Cash flow gets forecasted around settlement timing and seasonal sales so you can cover expenses without scrambling. Records stay clean for lender reviews, integrator audits, or anyone else who needs to see how the operation runs. You focus on farming while the accounting stays current in the background.
Decisions Based on Real Data
Decisions Based on Real Data
House-level and enterprise-level profitability shows what works. Upgrades and investments go where they will actually improve returns. Unprofitable activities get fixed or dropped. You can show lenders exactly how the operation performs when financing equipment or expanding. No more guessing whether last year was actually good or just felt good.
Tax Planning and Cash Flow Control
Tax Planning and Cash Flow Control
Depreciation schedules maintained so nothing gets missed. Quarterly estimates adjusted for actual farm income patterns. Good years planned for so tax bills do not catch you short. Cash flow forecasted around when money arrives and when expenses hit. Financial statements that reflect how the farm actually operates and support the decisions you need to make.
Northwest Arkansas's Dedicated Bookkeeping Partner
The Next Step:
A Quick Conversation
Tell us about your business and where you need help. We'll listen, ask a few questions, and give you a clear plan and honest price.
