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JimIA 
Orange Level
Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Castalia Iowa
Points: 1979
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 Posted: 22 Jun 2017 at 9:15am |
Some could call me a hobby farmer but I actually dislike that term. Im farming on the side because at this time I cannot make enough money to support my family on the farm by itself. If it was a hobby for me I wouldn't be outside working til nearly midnight a lot of nights, I wouldn't be driving myself crazy to make a crop of hay, I wouldn't be trying to expand our flock of sheep or buying 9 more heifers to build up a beef herd, not being able to take a weekend or holiday off all to try to keep it in the family another generation. Anybody who is trying to support their family, pay their bills and better themselves is not a hobby farmer, even if all they own is an old Ford tractor. Jim
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An open eye is much more observant than an open mouth
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Tbone95
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Joined: 31 Aug 2012
Location: Michigan
Points: 11387
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Posted: 22 Jun 2017 at 9:45am |
 dt1050 wrote:
shameless dude wrote:
I don't think....an 8N had anything, cept maybe it was better than walking? LMAO |
didn't ya normally end up walking if ya owned one anyway????lol
as far as a hobby farmer or farmer call yourself what ever ya want, but if you ever spent a week following a baler in the hot summer sun, call yourself a farmer, you earned it.. I got nothing but respect for anybody who puts in the time and effort to take care of the land or livestock, regardless of acreage or equipment. I believe if everybody worked a farm for at least 1 summer, they would have a lot more respect for were there food comes from.
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Ba! Following the baler is easy in comparison to being in the hay mow! That was my job. Still is some days. It's almost as much fun as taking hay out to the cows when it's -20, then you get one of those round bales where the twine starts getting sucked into the bale right away. So you're standing there in the driving wind, -20, frozen snot coming out of your nose, eyes burning in the cold, tears freezing on your face, pulling 300 feet of twine out of a frozen bale in the dark. It's an awesome character building experience. Crazy SOB I am. Why do I do this again?
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Harvey/pa
Orange Level
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: York Co. Pa.
Points: 1011
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Posted: 22 Jun 2017 at 10:46am |
victoryallis wrote:
[QUOTE=shameless dude] I know several farmers that farm in the thousands of acres, and they still have a job in town. does that make them hobby farmers? |
Thank you!!! Together me and a family member farm 1100 plus acres of corn, beans, wheat, hay, a very few hogs, and a couple beef cows. Since we both have town jobs are we hobby farmers? Odd part is most of the "full time" farmers near me call it a day before 6pm here if it's daylight out I'm going. Last fall had a 20 plus hour days harvesting. [
I dislike the term also. Lots of big Green farmers around here (not all) that look down & scoff at us little guys & make fun of our small/wore out equiptment. I often wonder if they love farming like I do or if its just a job to them...Harvey /QUOTE]
Guess I messed that up, I was trying to agree with victoryallis about working late
Edited by Harvey/pa - 22 Jun 2017 at 10:51am
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TREVMAN
Orange Level
Joined: 04 Jan 2010
Location: Regina,Sask,Can
Points: 1635
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Posted: 22 Jun 2017 at 10:56am |
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I dont think you can ''hobby'' farm. Its like hobby dentistry, or hobby cardio vascular surgeon. Youre either doing it or not. jmho, Trev.
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allisrutledge
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Joined: 30 Mar 2010
Location: SurgoinsvilleTN
Points: 1352
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Posted: 22 Jun 2017 at 12:02pm |
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I figured out about a year before my dad passed away what my purpose in this life is. God put me here to help grow food and also gave me a job to support the farm.as others have said the American farmer works too many hours but very few complain! My hats off to all that work hard to help feed the world whether its a 1/2 acre sweet corn patch to give his neighbors or 5000 acres of wheat..may God bless all( even the ones with green ,red,or blue equipment) . Scott
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Allis Chalmers still exist in my mind and barns
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Brian Jasper co. Ia
Orange Level
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Prairie City Ia
Points: 10508
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Posted: 22 Jun 2017 at 12:43pm |
Tbone95 wrote:
wekracer wrote:
Let me start off by saying the IRS views the difference between farmers and hobby farmers as "the intent to make a profit." They do not say has to make a profit. Dad worked in town and farmed the whole time and now I work in town and run the farm. We pay our income taxes on our earned income. But the farm has not shown a profit since the early 80s. Every year we reinvest in new equipment. If your accountant tells you that you have to show a profit every 5 years then you need a different accountant. There is nothing illegal. Just using the tax code as it's written. Dad still holds the checkbook and that's fine. But I have farm expenses simply by driving my truck to look at equipment. My accountant told me he has no problem filing expenses against a schedule F with no income as long as the intent is there. And it is easily justified that it is.
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That is pretty much what my accountant told me. There were more expenses we could write off, but both of us having full time jobs along with some farm income completely wiped out by expenses was just begging to be audited. Would we be right? Yes according to our accountant. Would it be enough to be worth it if audited? I don't think so and neither did he. You are basically correct here.....Have you been actually audited? I have. It's a real hoot. On one hand, we did "win" our audit. We actually were initially ruled against, appealed, won the appeal. We won by showing not only intent, but things we were doing differently in very recent years to turn things around. On the other hand, showing profit in 1 out of 11 years was the IRS's trigger for us to be audited. I guess you could say our ratio was better than yours, "not since the early 80's". I think if ours were that bad, we surely would have lost the audit, and likely all the livestock and most of the equipment to pay the bill. I was just talking to an ag trucker a few weeks ago. Says me and 2 other guys are the only farmers he's talked to that were audited, the thing in common was an in town job. The IRS thinks we're using the farm as a tax shelter. I'm not saying you're wrong, at all, in fact I'm saying you are right. Technically. But it is a very thin line you're drawing, hard to describe in writing. I get what you're saying. |
That's basically what our accountant told us. Both of us working full time with just a small amount of farm income being completely wiped out by expenses was just begging to be audited. Would we be right? Yes according to the accountant. Would it be enough to be worth it if audited? I don't think so and neither did he.
Edited by Brian Jasper co. Ia - 22 Jun 2017 at 12:46pm
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"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian." Henry Ford
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Tbone95
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Joined: 31 Aug 2012
Location: Michigan
Points: 11387
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Posted: 22 Jun 2017 at 2:33pm |
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Yeah Brian. You can be technically correct, and still be ruled against if they think you aren't correct enough basically. Guilty until proven innocent, very innocent, in the eyes of the IRS. Then, how do you fight it? By yourself? (phew, good luck!) Accountant office help only? Legal help? Every level of defense gets more expensive. What's worth it? Dang good question.
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Wayne180d
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Joined: 08 Dec 2015
Location: Gilman, Il
Points: 5923
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Posted: 22 Jun 2017 at 9:15pm |
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When I had my little patches of land I farmed I asked my accountant about being a hobby farmer. He told me to farm it as real or I would have to claim the income but I could not show any expenses. He was a farm accountant actually. I had all small decent equipment but everyone around me farms huge acreages. I had these for ten years and now after the last three years and the weather this year I am glad I am done.
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