J.K. Lasser's Your Income Tax 2013: For Preparing Your 2012 Tax Return

40.27 Filing Schedule F

The designation “farm” includes stock, dairy, poultry, fruit, and truck farms, plantations, ranches, and all lands used for farming operations. A fish farm where fish are specially fed and raised, and not just caught, is a farm. So too are animal breeding farms, such as mink, fox, and chinchilla farms.

A farmer who is a sole proprietor files Schedule F along with his or her Form 1040. This schedule is similar to Schedule C for sole proprietors other than farmers; it reports income and expenses related to farming activities.

The same rules for accounting, the reporting period, and for income and expenses to Schedule C apply for farmers filing Schedule F. However, there are some key exceptions designed to provide special breaks for farmers. Since most farmers report on the cash basis and use a calendar year for tax reporting, the following information is limited to these farmers.

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Filing Tip

Figuring Tax on Farm Income

Farmers and commercial fisherman can use income averaging to figure the tax on their business income (22.6).

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Special income treatment. Certain types of farm-related income enjoy special tax treatment:

• Sales of livestock (including poultry) and produce can receive Section 1231 treatment. If crops are sold on a deferred payment contract, report the income when payment is received.
• Sales of livestock ...