Ag-Visors

Long gone are the days when an agricultural producer can be successful and not run the operation as a business. The economic and production risks faced by producers are too numerous to let the business run itself. The producer has to run the business. Here are suggestions to help producers have a better chance at being successful.

There are many websites and radio advertisements that offer services to help “compromise” IRS Tax Bills. Many of these offers make dubious claims, and can entail upfront costs that exceed the results produced. Some of these promoters advertise that they can settle your tax debt for “pennies on the dollar,” which is a false and misleading claim.

With prices soaring in the cattle market, we need to save every baby calf born this spring. The first thing to keep in mind is colostral intake. Every calf needs to get one gallon of good quality colostrum within the first 18-24 hours of life. Without this initial intake of colostrum a calf does not have a chance to live and thrive. In the cow’s placenta there are four membranes between mother’s blood and the fetus’s blood. In humans there is only one membrane. This is why calves must get their colostral antibodies from mother’s colostrum and humans do not. The antibodies will pass through the one membrane in humans, but not the four membranes in cattle.

Many taxpayers fear being audited, for good reasons. An extended period of deductions for livestock ranching or other farming ventures can easily trigger an audit. Even with the best of records, IRS auditors are inclined to deny these deductions if there are ongoing losses. Although these industries are crucial to the American economy, the IRS takes a skeptical view towards taxpayers who have a history of losses in these areas.

Many taxpayers fear being audited, for good reasons. An extended period of deductions for livestock ranching or other farming ventures can easily trigger an audit. Even with the best of records, IRS auditors are inclined to deny these deductions if there are ongoing losses. Although these industries are crucial to the American economy, the IRS takes a skeptical view towards taxpayers who have a history of losses in these areas.

The New Year is well under way and I’m at that point when I know I’ve successfully transitioned – I’m finally using 2011 consistently as I write the date!

Itake it everyone has survived the winter blast and snow that we have had. We are headed to spring and new babies are hitting the ground. First to deliver in small ruminants is sheep and goats.

Because state governments are hard pressed for revenue, state tax authorities are getting more aggressive in audits, and this has an impact on the horse and ranching industries. In a new case, the Minnesota Tax Court ruled against the taxpayers who operated a horse and cattle ranch.

Because state governments are hard pressed for revenue, state tax authorities are getting more aggressive in audits, and this has an impact on the horse and ranching industries. In a new case, the Minnesota Tax Court ruled against the taxpayers who operated a horse and cattle ranch.

Typical hunting season Saturday morning. A hunter comes to your house kindly asking if he and his two friends can hunt on your property today? You tell them, “sure” and before you know it they are already heading out to hunt. Have you opened yourself up to a potential lawsuit if one, two or all three of those hunters get hurt, or worse yet, is killed on your farm property?