Welcome to Permies, Cameron!
cameron smith wrote: I am most concerned with being offical and doing things the right way, legally.
One way to start eating this elephant is to figure out how you would like to first sell your products: farmers' market, CSA, wholesale, etc. Everyone has a preference, although the business plan adapts as we go. Say you love interacting with the public and think farmers' markets would be a hoot. Go visit the ones in your area, talk to the market organizers about what officialness you would need to participate in their venue. Could be they want some liability insurance. Could be in your area you need a DBA business license from the town/county. Could be you need a health dept permit. At our little market, you just need to show up with some produce

. But that will give you some direction on which doorstep of the government behemoth you need to darken first.
As you grow, you'll need to file sales taxes, which means registering with your state. Even if you sell all wholesale, you will still have to file those taxes. So look on your state's web page about how to start a business. Many states have a one-stop application process to seem more business friendly. You can do this as a DBA (doing business as) which means you don't need a separate federal tax id, you just use your own social security number to report income. You may or may not need to get a local business license as well. But I wouldn't rush into a whole lot of paperwork until right before you have something to sell. You don't need a permit to grow, just to sell.
A farm can mean a bunch of different things, and without knowing more about what you plan to grow and how you intend to market it, it's hard to give more specific advice.