I am in the process of purchasing approximately 23 acres in central Texas that already has a tax exemption with it. What would be the benefits of registering a truck with farm tags? Thanks!

Great for running to the store, or just general use around town. Oh, incoming!

I drive me farm tag truck to work every day in Houston

Are there tax benefits? Cheaper registration fees?

You don't have to wear a seatbelt

You get to be on my jerk list.

CanyonAg77 said:

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You get to be on my jerk list.

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Why?

Free year long subscription to farmersonly.com

So here's my non-emotional response:

To get Farm Truck tags, you must present a Texas Farm Sales Tax Exemption certificate/number.

The one and only advantage is much cheaper registration (tags). On a half ton, that drops you from around $60 or $70 a year, down to about $7.50.

It has zip/zero/nada to do with your land's property tax status, or your federal income tax.

When you get Farm Truck tags, you sign an affidavit swearing you will only use said vehicle to conduct farm business. The few exemptions are taking kids to school, buying groceries, going to the doctor, and (I think) church.

If you drive to your 8-5 job, pull a boat, go to a movie, etc., you are in violation of your sworn affidavit and can be ticketed.

Abuse of things like Farm Truck tags or Farm Sales Tax exemptions can lead to the state ditching those exemptions for people who legitimately can use or need them.

You can decide if cheating the system to save $60 a year on your $60,000 pickup is in keeping with the Aggie Code of Honor.

Personally, I use Farm Truck tags only on my grain trucks and when I had a hired hand, for his pickup. My personal pickup has commercial tags.

Never insinuated that I was going to "cheat the system". Paying off what little was owed on my daily driver. Wanted to see if the cost benefit of keeping it to use on the farm would be beneficial or if I should pursue an alternative. Will put livestock on the acreage to maintain the exemption.

Thank you for your detailed answer though.

Well, I did say you'd be on my jerk list IF you cheated the system. And you did not make clear that It was going to stay on the farm.

There is a Escalade around here with farm tags. Drives me crazy.

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His was a generic rant based on too many King Ranch Fords with those plates spotted anywhere but on the way to/from a ranch. It wasn't specific to you.

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100% correct, thank you for clarifying. I try to make my thoughts clear, but I sometimes assume people understand when they do not.

23 acres in central Texas ... if its anything like property I have owned in the hill country, it is maybe enough for one cow..... possibly a few goats if you are careful and get some regular rain. Not criticizing,... I am happy you are able to own land, but in the spirit of this thread, the farm plates are supposed to be for agricultural use.

I've seen a football player driving a Hummer with farm tags on campus a few times.

CanyonAg77 said:

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So here's my non-emotional response:

To get Farm Truck tags, you must present a Texas Farm Sales Tax Exemption certificate/number.

The one and only advantage is much cheaper registration (tags). On a half ton, that drops you from around $60 or $70 a year, down to about $7.50.

It has zip/zero/nada to do with your land's property tax status, or your federal income tax.

When you get Farm Truck tags, you sign an affidavit swearing you will only use said vehicle to conduct farm business. The few exemptions are taking kids to school, buying groceries, going to the doctor, and (I think) church.

If you drive to your 8-5 job, pull a boat, go to a movie, etc., you are in violation of your sworn affidavit and can be ticketed.

Abuse of things like Farm Truck tags or Farm Sales Tax exemptions can lead to the state ditching those exemptions for people who legitimately can use or needp them.

You can decide if cheating the system to save $60 a year on your $60,000 pickup is in keeping with the Aggie Code of Honor.

Personally, I use Farm Truck tags only on my grain trucks and when I had a hired hand, for his pickup. My personal pickup has commercial tags.

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So, you're saying it's worth it.

I agree with the sentiment, but it's not 100% accurate.

The affidavit says:

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The vehicle will not be used in connection with other gainful employment other than farming or ranching.

The vehicle may be used as the means of passenger transport, without charge, only by me or by members my family to attend church or school, to visit doctors for medical treatment or supplies, and for other necessities of the home and family.

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The key phrase in that is "other necessities of the home and family". That is extremely broad.

The state doesn't expect farmers/ranchers to have a second vehicle to go to the grocery store, post office, or for off farm entertainment. That includes taking the family on vacation. As long as you aren't driving the vehicle to conduct non-farm business, you're well within your rights to use your farm tagged vehicle for other things.

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The state doesn't expect farmers/ranchers to have a second vehicle to go to the grocery store, post office, or for off farm entertainment.

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Actually, many farmers that I know with "farm" trucks have a "normal" truck for driving to town, errands, etc. and an old beater truck for working around the farm.

Vacations aren't necessary. And the entire application says

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Warning: Farm Truck or Farm Truck Tractor License Plates may not be issued to:

passenger vehicles (unless reconstructed for delivery purposes and corrected title is applied for)......

vehicles used for gainful employment or for hire, including transportation to and from a place of employment....

The Farm Truck/Farm Truck Tractor, will be operated to haul my own poultry, dairy, livestock, livestock products, timber in its natural state, and farm products to market or to other points for sale or processing, or the transportation of laborers from their place of residence, and materials, tools, equipment and supplies, without charge, from the place of purchase or storage to my own farm or ranch, exclusively for my own use on such farm or ranch. The vehicle will not be used for the current year with a gross weight in excess of 46,000 lbs. The vehicle will not be used for hire. The vehicle may be used to allow farmers/ranchers to participate in equine activities or attend livestock shows.

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When the affidavit clearly lists the very narrow uses of the Farm Truck tag, stretching it to include vacations, using it at college, etc. etc. is pretty much bullcrap, IMO.

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Actually, many farmers that I know with "farm" trucks have a "normal" truck for driving to town, errands, etc. and an old beater truck for working around the farm.

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In the OP's follow-up posts, it appears that may be what he meant, to start with. So if he wants to buy a new pickup for town and to commute to the land, and leave his current pickup out on the 23 acres, using it mainly to piddle around the aceage, sounds like FT tags would be fine. Heck, don't ever take outside the fence, and don't register it at all.

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The state doesn't expect farmers/ranchers to have a second vehicle to go to the grocery store, post office, or for off farm entertainment.

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Since probably 95% of farmers are married, I can just about guarantee you that there is already a second vehicle on the farm, and the wife is driving it.

Mom was talking about this the other day. Dad just used the family car to farm with when he first started. He (and mom) were quite happy when he bought a pickup. I think this was in about 1951. That was the last time any farmer in my family had only one vehicle.

My prediction is that FT tags will get harder and harder to get in the future, if not totally eliminated. The abuses are ridiculous, and the number of voters who actually qualify for them is very, very small.

"Thank you" anal orifices who drive your "Farm Truck" to work, and to put on your $80K Escalade or $50K Suburban. Nobody believes you need to save another $60 a year.

Of all the issues in the world, this one appears to be high on your list. $60 a year isn't a great privilege, so is it really just this issue or the lack of integrity associated with it?

CanyonAg77 said:

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Vacations aren't necessary. And the entire application says

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Warning: Farm Truck or Farm Truck Tractor License Plates may not be issued to:

passenger vehicles (unless reconstructed for delivery purposes and corrected title is applied for)......

vehicles used for gainful employment or for hire, including transportation to and from a place of employment....

The Farm Truck/Farm Truck Tractor, will be operated to haul my own poultry, dairy, livestock, livestock products, timber in its natural state, and farm products to market or to other points for sale or processing, or the transportation of laborers from their place of residence, and materials, tools, equipment and supplies, without charge, from the place of purchase or storage to my own farm or ranch, exclusively for my own use on such farm or ranch. The vehicle will not be used for the current year with a gross weight in excess of 46,000 lbs. The vehicle will not be used for hire. The vehicle may be used to allow farmers/ranchers to participate in equine activities or attend livestock shows.

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When the affidavit clearly lists the very narrow uses of the Farm Truck tag, stretching it to include vacations, using it at college, etc. etc. is pretty much bullcrap, IMO.

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I know you're passionate about this, but you're wrong. Your highlighting of "passenger cars" means you haven't read the statute. The Legislature amended 502.433 in 2013. Obviously they didn't have any issues with the definition of "necessity" even as they added the requirement to have an ag/timber number to register. If the Legislature wanted to have farm tags apply to only a subset of non-farm tasks, they would have said vehicles with farm tags could only be used exclusively for those tasks. Instead, they left it open ended.

If a rancher decides a trip to the beach is a necessity for him and his family, who am I to say it isn't? If he uses it 95% of the time for hauling livestock, feed, equipment, etc for the farm and 5% of the time for going to church, school, the grocery store, or God forbid vacations, I believe he's well within the spirit of the law. Now, if a "rancher" is driving to downtown Houston every day to work his 8-5 job in his farm tagged truck, he's absolutely in the wrong.

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Sec. 502.433. FEE: COMMERCIAL FARM MOTOR VEHICLE. (a) The registration fee for a commercial motor vehicle as a farm vehicle is 50 percent of the applicable fee under Section 502.252 or 502.253, as applicable, if the vehicle's owner will use the vehicle for commercial purposes only to transport:

(1) the person's own poultry, dairy, livestock, livestock products, timber in its natural state, or farm products to market or another place for sale or processing;

(b) A commercial motor vehicle may be registered under this section despite its use for transporting without charge the owner or a member of the owner's family:
(1) to attend church or school;
(2) to visit a doctor for medical treatment or supplies;
(3) for other necessities of the home or family; or
(4) for the purpose of participating in equine activities or attending livestock shows, as defined by Section 87.001, Civil Practice and Remedies Code.
(c) Subsection (b) does not permit the use of a vehicle registered under this section in connection with gainful employment other than farming or ranching.

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CanyonAg77 said:

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Actually, many farmers that I know with "farm" trucks have a "normal" truck for driving to town, errands, etc. and an old beater truck for working around the farm.

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In the OP's follow-up posts, it appears that may be what he meant, to start with. So if he wants to buy a new pickup for town and to commute to the land, and leave his current pickup out on the 23 acres, using it mainly to piddle around the aceage, sounds like FT tags would be fine. Heck, don't ever take outside the fence, and don't register it at all.

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I grew up driving a 1950s International pickup that hadn't been registered in years. That didn't keep me on the farm, but it did keep me from driving to town.

The pickup had no windshield wipers (this is the Panhandle, after all), no brakes, no turn signals, no brake lights, no muffler, and no heater. The horn and headlights did work. It didn't have the tightest of steering either. It was pretty fun to drive, though.

Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess

In college I remember an officer writing a ticked to every truck in the Northgate parking lot with farm tags. I have also seen them do the same at the boat ramp once.

I used to run farm plates on my trucks and not think twice about going anywhere. One year we were down at the beach and Galveston County SO was ticketing every vehicle that was riding up and down the beach with farm tags. They said there was no legitimate reason for a farm vehicle to be driving recreationally on the beach.

Welfare abuse is a much bigger problem, IMO.

plowboy1065 said:

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I used to run farm plates on my trucks and not think twice about going anywhere. One year we were down at the beach and Galveston County SO was ticketing every vehicle that was riding up and down the beach with farm tags. They said there was no legitimate reason for a farm vehicle to be driving recreationally on the beach.

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I've seen the same. I hope each of them contested the tickets. AFAIK, there are no appeals court cases on the use of farm tags and the definition of "necessity". There also haven't been any AG opinions in the last 26 years regarding use of farm tags in those circumstances.

My friends single dad was pulled over in the late 80's in his Lamborghini with farm tags with two blondes in the two seater. Multiple tickets but it made a great story at his funeral a few months ago.

So I say go for it, everyone needs a good story told at their funeral.

If you camo up the truck you can get wildlife vehicle tax exemption

Allen76 said:

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23 acres in central Texas ... if its anything like property I have owned in the hill country, it is maybe enough for one cow..... possibly a few goats if you are careful and get some regular rain. Not criticizing,... I am happy you are able to own land, but in the spirit of this thread, the farm plates are supposed to be for agricultural use.

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Also, for that size acreage, save some ass pain, convert to wildlife exemption and offset some of your "rancher" neighbors who are destroying their over grazed lands. It's a different ass pain but you still maintain your tax exemption without feeding mouths that you will never recover costs on. Literally best of both worlds.