Thanks, all. I actually started with our local Health Dept last year and they had absolutely no idea. There is no other brewery in the county. They sent me to state level, which led me on a wild goose chase to no end. I even tried to get my local representative to assist me in tracking down info: another dead end.
It wasn't until I spoke with friends who run a local winery that I learned of the TTB & that's when I finally found some information.
Still, I will tell you that our county's health dept had no idea what to tell me - they were speechless, and told me to contact the people running the local winery and ask them! Perhaps I'll go to the neighboring county health department, it's larger, and they are the county who oversees the inspection of canning foods (which we are involved in for our farm business).
Majorvices: I feel your pain. We grow organic vegetables & raise pastured chickens for eggs, and sell at local farmers markets and through our CSA - the wife works about 30-40 hours per week at it plus raising our 3 young sons, the husband puts in another 10-20 hours plus his regular job and an hour commute each way. The farming doesn't pay either, just as you are finding with brewing. Any profit, small as it may be, goes right back into the farm. However, the rewards are great - just not monetary.
As for the brewery, it would be located here on the farm in an already existing building. We are on well water, city water/sewer not an issue. We would be starting small with a brewery, just as we started farming small, because we believe it's better not to go into debt and rather build up slowly.
This would be a part-time gig. The husband's full-time job is our main source of income and supports our family of 5.
Back to equipment:
Are we allowed to brew in open top keg systems like we homebrew now?