3rdGenAg05 said:

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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?

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An issue on a message board with which I can poke fun and pierce the ego of the arrogant is hardly "high on my list". Call it a pet peeve, if you will.

And yes, I definitely see a lack of integrity with those who abuse it. If the whole issue of Farm Tags bothers you, look at a different specialty tag, the handicapped tag.

Same thing applies, if you have one and don't need it, you are taking unfair advantage of the state, and of those who need it. You annoy those who see you abusing it, and you might add to the sentiment of those who want to limit or eliminate this special privilege. You may even take a parking place of those who truly need it.

I have similar experiences with the handicapped tag. When I check on my elderly mom, she always wants to take her car if we go to town. If someone is with me to walk with her, I drop her off and go park in a regular spot. I only use the handicapped spaces when I am alone with her and can't drop her.

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I know you're passionate about this, but you're wrong.

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Given the examples of folks getting tickets for misuse, apparently I am not the only one "wrong". And you seem pretty passionate about using a Farm Truck for vacations.

By the way, you're an attorney, I'm guessing.

On a strictly legalistic sense, you are correct that the "other necessities of the home and family" is a large loophole through which many drive their "Farm Truck" right through.

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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.

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Funny, when the statute says

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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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it sounds pretty damn specific as to which subset of tasks for which they considered the tags to be legally used. And they were pretty damn specific about what non-farm uses they considered to acceptable

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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...

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The fact that they added the "other necessities" phrase appears to me to be a mercy clause to allow other emergency uses that they could not foresee.

Were the intention to simply allow anyone with a farm to have cheap license plates, they could have simply said "Farmers get cheap plates" and not qualified it in any way. They did not.

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Will put livestock on the acreage to maintain the exemption.

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I meant to respond to this earlier. We've discussed this in the past. Please don't tie the Farm Truck tags to any property tax exemption. They are two separate issues, and FT tags will do diddly-squat toward proving up an exemption.

I've also had people swear up and down that you had to have state FT tags to deduct a pickup from Federal income tax. Bunch of hooey. In 40+ years of filing schedule F returns, FT tags have come up exactly zero times.

Now it could be that some accountants feel that FT tags on a vehicle would help someone prove they were a real farmer, if that person's questionable Schedule F return were to be audited. Personally, I doubt it.

Build It said:

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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.

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I'd love to hear even the Reader's Digest version of that story!

PineTreeAg said:

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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.

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And that's exactly how ours were. Then the beater turned into something vintage and now a classic, and it's at my place with regular tags.

Ditto.... my POS 1999 Dodge Ram 2500 4WD Cummins will never be a classic, but it sits on my place and is ONLY used for checking and hauling cattle, and cattle feed.

I drive a Honda Accord to work, and never wear boots or a cowboy hat. Well, boots to church sometimes, and hat when actually out in the sun.

It is interesting to get judged by all of the pickup driving cowboys until they find out I am actually a farm-boy, well, on Sundays anyway..

My Dad is the same way, has an old Chryler 300M as an airport car, been in ag his whole life and I think the only pair of boots he has goes with his airline uniform. Had to laugh one day when we went to TSC and loaded 2k feet worth of electric fence materials in the car, while guys were putting a sack of deer corn or bird feed in the back of their 3/4 Ton trucks.

I know exactly what you mean CenterHillAg. I hate that I dont support the local feed stores much any more, but TSC open late and open all day Saturday and Sunday gets a lot of my business now. I still buy from 2 local feed stores but I dont get the opportunity very often.

I have loaded 6-1/2 foot T-Posts, several bundles, in the front passenger seat of my Accord a bunch of times, because TSC is on my way home from work. I load 2 mineral blocks and various sacks of feed into the trunk. It looked to me like they cleared out their veterinary supplies refrigerator yesterday. I hope that is temporary.

When I was a kid, an elderly neighbor, who had been on his farm since the 1920s, had two cars. One was a 1959 Edsel, which was the car they drove to town to get groceries, to church, and the restaurant on Sunday. The other was a 1950 Buick with the back seat taken out. That was his "pickup". I don't recall if it even had tags.

Not an attorney and don't have any vehicles with farm tags even though we have several trucks/trailers that would qualify, but I do understand how closely the Legislature picks their words in laws passed. They have zero expectation for farmers to have a second vehicle for the necessities of the home. That's why the "necessity" section is in there. Again, if it were a huge issue to the state, they would have removed the "necessity" section in 2013 when they added the ag/timber registration requirement.

I agree with your sentiment. Farm tags are abused. But I disagree that farmers can't generally decide what the necessities for their home are as long as the necessities aren't connected with non-farm employment.

I think it's kind of entertaining how Canyon is so militant with the farm tag issue, but doesn't think it's an issue to drive non DOT harvesting equipment on FM or other roads that require street plates to legally drive on.

BTW, I don't think either one are a huge issue and have no problem with either.

I had farm tags on a truck once - they were on it when I bought it and when the registration was switched to my name, it was never brought up that they needed to be changed. I was poor and still in school and wasn't about to make any deal of it either. I finally replaced them when I got dinged on my way to work one morning soon after I graduated - got 3 tickets in the same traffic stop, one of which was my plates. I probably could have gotten out of that one, but it was hell for early and I didn't have my brain up to running speed yet when the LEO asked about them - I effed up and gave the honest answer. Oops. I had planned on just riding it out for another couple of months until my registration was due, but no dice. Cost me about $25 to get new plates and get that portion of the ticket dismissed. More of a headache than anything, at least that judge was fairly cool about it.

txyaloo said:

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Not an attorney

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You post a lot like one.

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They have zero expectation for farmers to have a second vehicle for the necessities of the home. That's why the "necessity" section is in there.

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I find that an interesting assertion. This is not 1950. Most "farmers", by raw numbers, are not commercial farmers, but are hobby or part-time farmers. Most full time farmers are married with wives that work. I can guarantee you that almost 100% of those groups have more than one car. When you get to the large, full-time, commercial farms, there may be a dozen or more vehicles on the farm. Heck, with two drivers in the house, I have four currently licensed cars/pickups, two grain trucks, and six project vehicles.

Most Texans have a car for each of the persons in the household over the age of 16, especially in rural or suburban settings. It seems a little condescending to assume that farmers somehow can afford only the one pickup.

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But I disagree that farmers can't generally decide what the necessities for their home are as long as the necessities aren't connected with non-farm employment.

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Again, I see that as a "mercy" clause, in case a FT tag user is stopped doing something not specifically allowed, but unforeseen by the Lege. For instance, imagine a poor minority using a pickup to drive to the voting booth Nobody wants to ticket/litigate that.

You seem fixated on vacations, perhaps because that's the most extreme "use", and one that most would see as an obvious abuse.

Frankly, if you can afford a vacation, you can afford another $5 a month to register your vehicle and be ethical, not just legal.

schmellba99 said:

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I think it's kind of entertaining how Canyon is so militant with the farm tag issue, but doesn't think it's an issue to drive non DOT harvesting equipment on FM or other roads that require street plates to legally drive on

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FM roads. Farm to Market. Hmmmmmm.....

So you think that I need to register my equipment to be able to drive it across the road that the county took from me for a right-of-way, and on which I still pay taxes?

Tell you what, why don't you write up a bill requiring farm equipment to be registered and inspected, and find a member of the Texas Legislature willing to sponsor it.

I'll wait.......(and wait, and wait, and wait.........)

CanyonAg77 said:

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txyaloo said:

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be ethical, not just legal.

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The whole point right there.

Lungblood said:

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Free year long subscription to farmersonly.com

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And/Or cousinsonly.com

LOL! Was half-way through the thread before realizing it was more'n two years old! But I never get tired of reading threads wherein Canyon is schooling some fool(s) who make the fatal mistake of quarreling with him over pretty much anything, but especially farm-related issues. It just never pays! (But it sure is fun to sit back and observe the carnage!)

We inherited land when my wife's grandmother died.

I have a 1992 F250 with farm tags that only gets used out there. I drive it into town (Fredericksburg) maybe five times per year and that's mostly to drop off dead deer for processing and get cubes for cows.

Someone several miles away has a Denali pickup with farm tags. That truck looks expensive and always washed. That guy looks down his nose when i drive past him with my truck where the ac went out a long time ago and hasn't been washed in decades.

techno-ag said:

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Welfare abuse is a much bigger problem, IMO.

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Agree 100%, however, big time farmers/ranchers that ***** and moan about said welfare abuse are some of the biggest abusers of Farm Tag plates. They're wives all have $75k suburban and Tahoe with FT plates and their kids all have FT plates on their vehicles that all they do is drive to and from HS, etc. None of those vehicles EVER make it out to "the field."

Crusaders41 said:

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techno-ag said:

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Welfare abuse is a much bigger problem, IMO.

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Agree 100%, however, big time farmers/ranchers that ***** and moan about said welfare abuse are some of the biggest abusers of Farm Tag plates. They're wives all have $75k suburban and Tahoe with FT plates and their kids all have FT plates on their vehicles that all they do is drive to and from HS, etc. None of those vehicles EVER make it out to "the field."

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Hyperbole abuse is the problem with your post.

Since no one brought this up .. farm tagged trailers can't be used to move your furniture to school.

I may or may not have have told the cop that it's legal because the contents are heading to an Agriculture school! I may or may not have been given a ticket.

Build It said:

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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.

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Lamborghini got his start building farm tractors. I've seen a few Lambo tractors at antique tractor shows.

He should have told them he was on his way to plow.

Which, in a way, it sounds like he was.

CanyonAg77 said:

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Build It said:

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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.

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Lamborghini got his start building farm tractors. I've seen a few Lambo tractors at antique tractor shows.

He should have told them he was on his way to plow.

Which, in a way, it sounds like he was.

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Maybe even shred

LBM-Aggie-2014 said:

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CanyonAg77 said:

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Build It said:

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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.

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Lamborghini got his start building farm tractors. I've seen a few Lambo tractors at antique tractor shows.
He should have told them he was on his way to plow.
Which, in a way, it sounds like he was.

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Maybe even shred

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Or sow some wild oats?

BoerneGator said:

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Crusaders41 said:

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techno-ag said:

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Welfare abuse is a much bigger problem, IMO.

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Agree 100%, however, big time farmers/ranchers that ***** and moan about said welfare abuse are some of the biggest abusers of Farm Tag plates. They're wives all have $75k suburban and Tahoe with FT plates and their kids all have FT plates on their vehicles that all they do is drive to and from HS, etc. None of those vehicles EVER make it out to "the field."

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Hyperbole abuse is the problem with your post.

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Touche

CanyonAg77 said:

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Lamborghini got his start building farm tractors.

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Using parts he stole from military vehicles.

He's totally the type of guy who would abuse the farm tag system.

I meet every requirement to have farm tags on my truck. I have made the choice to only put farm tags on my livestock trailer. On my truck I pay for the regular tags. I just do not want anyone to tell me how I can legally use my truck . Just my choice ....

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I just do not want anyone to tell me how I can legally use my truck . Just my choice ....

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I respect your choice, but seems to me you've allowed "others"/peer pressure to do just that.

Helps with write offs on taxes if the vehicle(s) have farm tags.

The only benefit is saving around 50 bucks a year on truck registration. Farm tag has absolutely zero to do with writing off as an expense on federal income tax. I have never gotten farm tags on a pickup. IMO, not worth my time the hassle of being questioned about it or having to explain if pulled over.

Texas did have a 3 year farm trailer tag for a while that was really convenient. Was nice not to have to %#@% with tags for three years instead of one. Not sure why they aren't available any more. I think 2016 was the last year for the 3 year trailer tags.

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Not sure why they aren't available any more.

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You can bet it has to do with the revenue stream. The Tax Men are ALL about the bottom line; not convenience.

At some point in my lifetime, government employees ceased to work for US, the citizen/taxpayer, and attitudes and behaviors changed, to the extent that many (and most government executives and political appointees) have become arrogant, and defiant. Witness the parade that go before Congress in scandal after scandal, in Democrat and Republican administrations alike, and flat refuse to answer questions directly, if at all, and get away with it with impunity!

[/end of rant]

Corps_Ag12 said:

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Helps with write offs on taxes if the vehicle(s) have farm tags.

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No. It does not. Total myth.

Not exactly Farm Tag related, but was getting my travel trailer inspected today, and the inspector said there is currently a bill moving through the legislature that would end vehicle Safety and emissions testing. According to the inspector the burden for safety violations would be passed on to the LEOs and the ticket costs would be raised significantly.

ShouldastayedataTm said:

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Not exactly Farm Tag related, but was getting my travel trailer inspected today, and the inspector said there is currently a bill moving through the legislature that would end vehicle Safety and emissions testing. According to the inspector the burden for safety violations would be passed on to the LEOs and the ticket costs would be raised significantly.

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So ... an additional $7.50/ticket?