Farm Income & Tax Strategies

[SwampCat]

I have more trouble with small hive beetle than anything. I dont use any chemicals in my hives. My annual hive loss rate is ten to fifteen percent normally. I always start a few nucs and do a few hive splits and keep ahead enough to sell some bees. I just took 200 lbs of honey off my hives this past Saturday. I have sold close to half of it already. No doubt will run out by Christmas. Bees are not easy. Used to be, you could set up a hive in the back yard and they would produce honey for years with very little effort from the bee keeper. That is no longer the case. Oil trays are a must for hive beetles. I intend to expand my operation over the next two years. It can definitely be profitable, but dont think you are going to set up some hives and ignore them until you rob them.

 

[SwampCat]

Cold weather up north vs small hive beetle down here. Bees are tough everywhere these days.

Varroa introduces in late 80’s from Asia, Small Hive Beetle from Africa in ‘98, Nosema in ‘06, the exotics make everything tough.

Ask me how I feel about chestnut blight, emerald ash borer, Dutch elm disease, butternut canker, Chinese Privet, Multiflora......


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Dont forget feral hogs

 

[RockChucker30]

I have more trouble with small hive beetle than anything. I dont use any chemicals in my hives. My annual hive loss rate is ten to fifteen percent normally. I always start a few nucs and do a few hive splits and keep ahead enough to sell some bees. I just took 200 lbs of honey off my hives this past Saturday. I have sold close to half of it already. No doubt will run out by Christmas. Bees are not easy. Used to be, you could set up a hive in the back yard and they would produce honey for years with very little effort from the bee keeper. That is no longer the case. Oil trays are a must for hive beetles. I intend to expand my operation over the next two years. It can definitely be profitable, but dont think you are going to set up some hives and ignore them until you rob them.

Hive beetles and swarms have been the neighbors biggest problems. I've been digging into it hard...I'm a little obsessive, want to know everything about something that interests me.

Plan to use screened bottom with oil trays (Freeman Style), probably guardian entrance reducers, plus beetle traps in the hive bodies. Good news is I've got a supplier locally that sells packages of mutt bees - italian, carniolan, russian, feral hybrids.

I'm looking hard at thermal treatments. I also gravitate toward chemical free, especially if honey supers are on. Thermal looks more time intensive, but also very effective. It kills varroa and hive beetles, and gets varroa even in capped brood.

It'll be a lot of work I'm sure, everything is. It's trading fencing, foot rot, prolapses, and 80% deadloss due to coyote predation for stings, hive inspections, queen troubles, skunks, varroa, beetles, etc. At least I won't worry about babies born during ice storms and them getting on the neighbors place after a windstorm drops trees on the fences. The workload should also be more plannable - vacations should be easier.

 

[RockChucker30]

@SwampCat I wanted to update this. You planted a seed and it grew.

I started last spring with a couple packages, started trapping swarms, and went into winter with 9 hives.

This year I'm trying to grow to 25-30, and I started a beekeeping youtube channel that is doing better than I ever thought it would. www.youtube.com/c/duckriverhoney

I grew up on a small farm, and at different times we've had cattle, horses, donkeys, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks, rabbits, and now bees. Bees are BY FAR my favorite form of agriculture. I just love it.

Thanks for planting the seed.

Reminds me of the parable in Matthew 13....keep planting seeds, you never know which ones will grow, and what it could lead to.

 

[SwampCat]

@SwampCat I wanted to update this. You planted a seed and it grew.

I started last spring with a couple packages, started trapping swarms, and went into winter with 9 hives.

This year I'm trying to grow to 25-30, and I started a beekeeping youtube channel that is doing better than I ever thought it would. www.youtube.com/c/duckriverhoney

I grew up on a small farm, and at different times we've had cattle, horses, donkeys, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks, rabbits, and now bees. Bees are BY FAR my favorite form of agriculture. I just love it.

Thanks for planting the seed.

Reminds me of the parable in Matthew 13....keep planting seeds, you never know which ones will grow, and what it could lead to.

Glad I could be of help. I will offer another couple words of advice. I dont know how old you are - but I am old as dirt - 65 now - and back problems have become more and more common as I get older. If I had it to do over again, I would have gone to 8 frame supers years ago. I would have kept the larger sizes from hive bodies, but gradually gone to all 8 frame honey supers. And for those in the bee world - the best advice I can give is when you have a bad day, and lose a couple of hives, you are going to get discouraged. Just go fishing, as that too will pass. Discouraging days are just part of raising bees. The good days will far outnumber the bad. Good Luck.

 

[WeedyJ]

When I asked my accountant about write offs, I was told that 50% of my income had to come from farm activity to qualify. Keeps hobby farmers off the list. What have you heard?

 

[Booner21]

Some years make just a little bit of money other years lose a lot. I believe farming income has to be active farming practice to claim a loss. Crp does qualify as active farming practices cash rent I was told does not. I just recently was able to sign up for crp and plan to try and depreciate several things early on in my loss years.


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[Booner21]

When I asked my accountant about write offs, I was told that 50% of my income had to come from farm activity to qualify. Keeps hobby farmers off the list. What have you heard?

Active farming income doesn’t have a percentage that I was told. Many hobby farmers I know barely turn a profit at the end of the day and still work full time jobs.


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