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Xero bookkeeping for farmers

On a farm, most of the income can arrive in a few large payments from buyers, while feed, seed, fertiliser and finance repayments go out all through the season. We keep your Xero file current between those payments, so the monthly reports show where the money stands before the next sale comes in.

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  • By Book Keeping Pros
  • Sources checked 15 Oct 2026

The farm's Xero file, kept current through the season

We record what comes in from buyers, what goes out to suppliers and lenders, and every account in between, so the season reads clearly in Xero.

  • Payments from buyers recorded against the sale they settle, with any agent's commission or freight entered as a cost once the sale statement confirms it
  • Supplier accounts for feed, seed and fertiliser kept current, with each merchant's statement checked against the bills before payment
  • Equipment finance repayments recorded from each lender's statement, so what's still owed on each loan can be checked
  • Several bank accounts, cards and finance facilities each compared with their own statements, with differences explained
  • Income and costs tagged to each part of the farm with tracking categories, where the farm runs several enterprises
  • Monthly reports that set each month's income and spending side by side, so cash flow across the season is easy to follow

Not included

Seasonal budgets and forecasts. We keep the actual figures current in Xero for you and your accountant to plan from.

Businesses in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (ANZSIC division A)

Actively trading businesses across Australia
170,890 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, June 2025, checked 15 October 2026
Of those, classified as non-employing
127,517 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, June 2025, checked 15 October 2026
Of those, with 1 to 4 employees
31,588 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, June 2025, checked 15 October 2026

Businesses by main state or territory

These counts are for the ANZSIC division Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, which includes forestry, fishing and aquaculture businesses as well as farms, so they describe a wider group than farms alone.

  1. New South Wales52,896 businesses
  2. Queensland41,591 businesses
  3. Victoria37,570 businesses
  4. South Australia16,301 businesses
  5. Western Australia15,711 businesses
  6. Tasmania5,473 businesses
  7. Northern Territory928 businesses
  8. Australian Capital Territory363 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, June 2025. Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 8: Businesses by industry division by Statistical Area Level 2 by employment size ranges (8165DC08.xlsx). Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Businesses by number of employees

  1. Non-employing127,517 businesses
  2. 1 to 4 employees31,588 businesses
  3. 5 to 19 employees9,564 businesses
  4. 20 to 199 employees2,142 businesses
  5. 200 or more employees79 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, June 2025. Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 8: Businesses by industry division by Statistical Area Level 2 by employment size ranges (8165DC08.xlsx). Checked 15 Oct 2026.

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Questions farmers ask about Xero

Most of our income comes at harvest or sale time. How does that show in Xero?
Each payment from a buyer is recorded when it arrives, against the sale it settles. We compare receipts and payments across months to show when cash moves. The profit and loss shows income and expenses on the basis your accountant specifies, while the balance sheet shows the bank and loan balances.
Can you handle our rural merchandise account?
Yes. Purchases on account are keyed in as bills from the invoices or delivery dockets, then checked against the merchant's statement before you pay, so missing invoices and unapplied credits show up.
We have accounts with several banks. Is that a problem?
No. Each account, card and loan is reconciled against its own statement in the same Xero file. Where a bank supports a feed, it's connected through internet banking or with a signed authorisation form, depending on the bank.
We run cropping and cattle. Can Xero show them separately?
Yes. Tag each transaction to its enterprise with a tracking category, and the profit and loss for cropping can be read beside the cattle figures.
How do equipment finance repayments show up?
Every repayment goes against the loan it pays, from the lender's statement, so the balance owing on the header or tractor can be read from the balance sheet. How the interest and charges in each repayment are treated is your accountant's call.

Sources

  1. Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 8: Businesses by industry division by Statistical Area Level 2 by employment size ranges (8165DC08.xlsx)

    Australian Bureau of Statistics. Actively trading businesses at 30 June 2025, released 16 December 2025. Checked 15 October 2026.

    Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, June 2021 to June 2025, licensed under CC BY 4.0 Licence: CC BY 4.0.

  2. Correspondence, GCCSA 2021 to GCCSA 2026 (CG_GCCSA_2021_GCCSA_2026.csv)

    Australian Bureau of Statistics. ASGS Edition 4, July 2026 to June 2031, released 22 July 2026. Checked 15 October 2026.

    Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 4, licensed under CC BY 4.0 Licence: CC BY 4.0.