You’ve got a lot on your plate as a farmer. Between planting and harvesting crops to managing unpredictable weather and market prices, there’s a lot to handle — and that's why a farm point of sale (POS) system is so important.
A farm POS system brings together your inventory, sales, customer data, and payment processing into a single system, letting you automate certain tasks and understand your business better.
But with so many POS providers to choose from, it’s hard to know what exactly to look for. This blog guides you through the top providers and must-have features you need to consider before selecting a system.
Why Your Farm Needs a Specialized POS System
While it might technically be possible to use any type of POS system at your farm’s store, it’s not the best idea.
General retail POS systems are generally best for stores selling nonperishable goods like clothing or electronics. These systems, while helpful, often lack certain features that are integral for farmers, like selling by the pound or managing online food subscriptions.
Here are a couple of reasons why a farm-specific POS is worth it:
- Integrate sales: A farm POS lets you use a single system to manage everything, whether selling at your farm stand, a farmers market, or through your online store. Spend less time switching between different accounts to piece together sales data.
- Price accurately: Sometimes, you need to sell items at a fixed price (like a jar of honey) or by weight (like those delicious steaks). A farm POS gives you that flexibility.
- Sync inventory in real time: Your inventory should update automatically, whether you sell something online or in person. No more overselling or scrambling to figure out what you have left.
- Accept various payment options: You need to accept cash, cards, and maybe even checks, depending on your customer base.
Your POS system should make life easier, giving both you and your customers a better experience from that first hello, all the way to checkout.
Related Read: Managing a Farm Store: Best Practices and Must-Have Tools
How To Choose a Farm POS System
When thinking about which farm POS system to select, it’s helpful to distinguish between the core features every retail business needs and the specialized functions that cater to a farm's unique requirements.
Here’s a breakdown of both.
General POS Features
No matter the business, there are a few central functionalities that every POS system should include, such as:
- Processing credit & debit cards: To appeal to as many customers as possible, you need to accept various card payments.
- Handling cash: Your POS should make it easy to manage cash transactions and balance your drawer at the end of the day.
- Analyzing sales: You need standard reports that show what’s selling well, trends over time, and other important customer information.
These features are the starting point, but most farms need more specialized tools to handle all the unique challenges that your day-to-day operations bring.
Farm-Specific POS Features
Now for the best part — POS capabilities that tackle your farm’s needs. Every business is different, but in general, consider prioritizing features that allow you to:
- Price by weight: This is a big one for farms that sell meat, produce, or other items by the pound. You need a POS that can integrate with a scale to calculate prices automatically.
- Manage inventory: When dealing with perishable goods, your POS tracks what’s about to go bad, manages bulk sales, and provides an overview of your current stock.
- Integrate e-commerce: Selling online is becoming more and more important for farms. Look for a POS that offers an easy-to-use website builder and flexible fulfillment options, such as on-farm pickup, delivery, and shipping.
- Leverage customer relationship management (CRM): A good farm POS system should include tools that drive repeat customer business. Subscription services, email marketing and loyalty programs let you track customer preferences and purchase history, which is valuable for personalized marketing.
When choosing a farm POS system, first determine your business’ current pain points to narrow down which features will best help you overcome them.
Think about the daily tasks that consistently slow you down or introduce roadblocks: Is it poor inventory management? Customer communication? Online sales integration? Then, prioritize POS systems that offer solutions for those specific areas.
Related Read: Farm Store Inventory Management: 7 Best Practices
For example, if you sell to both individual consumers and wholesale accounts, custom customer pricing could be essential. Similarly, if you manage multiple sales channels (on-farm, farmers markets, online), omnichannel order fulfillment capabilities let you manage orders and deliveries.
Top Farm POS System Providers
There are a ton of POS systems out on the market, but these are some of the most popular and well-suited for farm operations in 2025.
Best for Simplicity: Square
While Square is a popular and easy-to-use POS for small businesses, it doesn't exactly cater to a farm store’s unique needs. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy to learn, but it offers less customizable reporting and e-commerce options compared to systems built specifically for agriculture, which could limit farms with diverse product lines or online sales channels.
Best for Branding: Barn2Door
Barn2Door is a farm-specific POS platform that supports both on-farm and online sales, letting you sell directly to consumers. A unique offering of Barn2Door is its design services, helping farmers create their brand logos and develop a strong market presence.
However, farms requiring highly detailed bundle management or 24/7 customer support may require different POS software with more advanced capabilities.
Best Overall: GrazeCart
Developed by a family farm to address the challenges of direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales, GrazeCart is a farm POS system that offers a comprehensive solution for agricultural businesses. It allows farmers to sell by weight and operate a complete website — all on one platform and under a single domain name — to simplify online and in-person sales management.
GrazeCart also integrates with popular CRM tools for personalized marketing and customer relationship building. Additionally, it offers advanced fulfillment tools to manage various delivery and pickup options, along with automated order reminders via email and SMS to keep customers informed up to the minute of their pickup.
Related Read: Farm to Fork E-Commerce 101: The What, Why, and How
Choosing the Right Farm POS System
Ultimately, a good farm POS system gives you the control you need to get the complete picture of your business: who your customers are, what they're buying, and how your farm is performing over time.
To get a complete picture of your options, talk to other farmers about their POS experiences and review farm POS providers’ websites and online resources to compare features and identify potential drawbacks.
Take the next step towards a more productive farm with a free GrazeCart demo or start a free trial to learn how a farm-specific POS system lets you manage sales, inventory, and customers more effectively.