The Boring Side of Farming (That’ll Make or Break You)

When folks dream about starting a farm, they picture seedlings, sunshine, and maybe a well-trained border collie. You know what they don’t dream about? LLC paperwork, registered agents, or tax registration with the West Virginia Secretary of State.

But here’s the truth: the boring side of farming—the incorporation, the accounting, the family agreements—is the backbone of everything else. Get this wrong, and no amount of healthy soil will save you. Get it right, and you give your farm (and your family) a shot at real, lasting stability.

Why We Incorporated the Way We Did

At Goldberry Grove, we set up our business as an LLC with a specific structure:

• My wife is the majority owner
• I’m a substantial co-owner
• My mom is an advisor

This wasn’t just about equity—it was about equity. My wife has dedicated her life to raising our child and building our family’s future. She deserves financial stability and flexibility. Structuring the business this way allows her to eventually draw income without sacrificing her role at home, and gives her something to grow into once our kid (and hopefully a second) is older.

My mom? She supported us early on with $19,000, helped secure a tractor and a truck, and brought decades of wisdom into the picture. Making her an advisor honors that and keeps us rooted in family.

We also qualify as a woman-owned, minority-owned business, which can lead to funding, grants, and partnerships in the future. (I am a first generation Korean-American in case that wasn't known)

The LegalZoom Detour (And What I Learned)

We started our LLC formation through LegalZoom, thinking it’d simplify things. It helped…sort of. What it didn’t do was file with the West Virginia Secretary of State, or set up our state tax registration. That meant extra steps and time I hadn’t planned for.

Looking back, I might’ve gone the DIY route with state filings and just used LegalZoom only for the registered agent service (which has been helpful). Lesson learned: every state is different—know your local requirements.

Planning for the Next Generation

I’ve attended several seminars about family farms and inheritance planning. My biggest takeaway? You’ve got to build your farm around the possibility that your kids might not want it.

That’s why we chose an orchard model. Chestnuts can still produce timber and firewood down the line. The land and assets can be liquidated or repurposed. The point is: it’s all designed for adaptability.

Why We Use FarmRaise for Accounting

I’ve run three online businesses before and used Intuit for all of them. But for this farm? FarmRaise felt like a better fit. It’s built for small ag operations. It doesn’t have every feature under the sun, but it doesn’t need to. For now, it tracks what we need: income, expenses, grant planning, and a little peace of mind.

Final Thought

Farming might be about soil and sun, but it runs on decisions made in back offices and kitchen tables. Structure matters—ownership matters. And yeah, even spreadsheets matter.

I would love to know if anyone is interested in a deeper dive into each of these topics, including how to write a business plan. I can go into that, and there are a couple of other blogs around the permaculture design path we went down as well.

Because if you want to build a legacy—and not just a lifestyle—you’ve got to embrace the boring parts too.