Cornhusker Economics August 1, 20182018 Nebraska Farm Custom Rates Statewide Survey Summary
Many Nebraska agricultural producers hire custom operators to perform machinery services for their farms and ranches across the state. The 2018 Nebraska Custom Rates Survey Report summarizes the current rates charged for specific machinery operations and other on farm or ranch custom services. Prices paid for these services become more critical as profit margins tighten because of lower commodity prices.
Findings from the survey are divided into two major sections. Part I includes spring and summer operations such as tillage, planting and harvesting of small grains. Part II includes information about fall and miscellaneous operations. Custom rate summaries in these sections include regional rates for the eight Nebraska Agricultural Statistics Districts and the overall state. A total of 151 custom rates on machinery operations and related services were reported as part of the 2018 survey with 227 survey participants providing information on the various rates. Custom rates reported include charges for the use of necessary equipment, fuel, labor and supplies, such as baling wire or twine, provided by the custom operator. Seed, fertilizer and chemical costs are not included.
Full summaries from this survey, including district as well as state data, are published as a University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Circular (EC) 823 and available online at agecon.unl.edu/custom-rates.
The following custom rates are a statewide summary of the most popular machinery operations from the 2018 survey. The information presented in this publication should be used only as a guide. Rates may change from year to year due to expense differences and local market forces.
State Averages
| LAND TILLAGE OPERATIONS | Average Rate | Most Common | Range | Number Reporting |
|---|
| Disk Harrowing, Primary (heavy), rate per acre |
14.43 |
15.00 |
8-25 |
69 |
|---|
| Disk Harrowing, Finishing (light), rate per acre |
13.71 |
15.00 |
10-19 |
51 |
|---|
| Chisel Plow, rate per acre |
14.45 |
18.00 |
8-25 |
11 |
|---|
| Deep Chisel, rate per acre |
18.77 |
18.00 |
11-30 |
15 |
|---|
| Subsoil or Rip, rate per acre |
21.08 |
25.00 |
12-30 |
37 |
|---|
| Field Cultivator, rate per acre |
13.61 |
15.00 |
8-22 |
49 |
|---|
| Vertical or Turbo Tillage, rate per acre |
15.40 |
15.00 |
12-25 |
21 |
|---|
| Combination Tillage Operations, Finishing, rate per acre |
13.88 |
15.00 |
8-20 |
15 |
|---|
| Strip Tilling, rate per acre |
18.73 |
20.00 |
12-25 |
20 |
|---|
| Stalk Shredder PTO Driven, rate per acre |
12.70 |
10.00 |
10-20 |
10 |
|---|
| PLANTING AND POST PLANTING OPERATIONS | Average Rate | Most Common | Range | Number Reporting |
|---|
| DRILLING |
|
|
|
|
|---|
| - Small Grains, conventional drill, rate per acre |
14.40 |
15.00 |
9-18 |
20 |
|---|
| - Small Grains, no-till drill, rate per acre |
17.74 |
18.00 |
12-28 |
59 |
|---|
| - Soybeans, conventional drill, rate per acre |
16.92 |
20.00 |
14-20 |
12 |
|---|
| - Soybeans, no-till drill, rate per acre |
18.02 |
18.00 |
12-28 |
49 |
|---|
| PLANTING ROW CROPS |
|
|
|
|
|---|
| - No coulters, with band applicator, rate per acre |
19.59 |
20.00 |
12-45 |
49 |
|---|
| - No coulters, without band applicator, rate per acre |
18.35 |
15.00 |
12-40 |
36 |
|---|
| - Coulters, with band applicator, rate per acre |
19.70 |
20.00 |
13-30 |
39 |
|---|
| - Coulters, without band applicator, rate per acre |
18.24 |
20.00 |
10-25 |
34 |
|---|
| - Ridge planting, with band applicator, rate per acre |
21.12 |
20.00 |
10-38 |
33 |
|---|
| - Ridge planting, without band applicator, rate per acre |
18.33 |
18.00 |
12-28 |
23 |
|---|
| - Dry Edible Beans, rate per acre |
22.61 |
22.00 |
16-38 |
9 |
|---|
| - Sugarbeets, rate per acre |
22.38 |
24.00 |
15-30 |
8 |
|---|
| Seeding Grass Seed, rate per acre |
18.92 |
20.00 |
12-29 |
13 |
|---|
| Seeding Legumes, rate per acre |
18.00 |
15.00 |
15-24 |
19 |
|---|
| Seeding CRP Ground, rate per acre |
19.62 |
15.00 |
15-31 |
13 |
|---|
| Cultivation Tillage, conventional, rate per acre |
13.25 |
12.00 |
10-18 |
12 |
|---|
| Cultivation Tillage, handling residue, rate per acre |
12.50 |
15.00 |
7-18 |
20 |
|---|
| Cultivation Tillage, hill or ditch, rate per acre |
11.21 |
15.00 |
7-18 |
14 |
|---|
| HAYING AND BALING | Average Rate | Most Common | Range | Number Reporting |
|---|
| Mowing, rate per acre |
14.28 |
10.00 |
10-20 |
16 |
|---|
| Raking, rate per acre |
5.16 |
5.00 |
1.50-12 |
34 |
|---|
| Swathing with Crushing/Crimping, rate per hour |
117.92 |
110.00 |
70-170 |
13 |
|---|
| Swathing with Crushing/Crimping, rate per acre |
15.10 |
15.00 |
10-20 |
50 |
|---|
| Shredding Cornstalks, rate per acre |
16.20 |
15.00 |
10-25 |
10 |
|---|
| Raking Cornstalks, rate per acre |
8.09 |
10.00 |
2-16 |
11 |
|---|
| BALING |
|
|
|
|
|---|
| - Small Square Bales with Twine Tie, rate per bale |
1.16 |
1.00 |
0.40-3.50 |
19 |
|---|
| - Small Square Bales With Wire Tie, rate per bale |
1.12 |
0.75 |
0.40-3.50 |
10 |
|---|
| - Large Square Bales, rate per bale |
15.00 |
20.00 |
8-20 |
7 |
|---|
| - Large Round Bales Without Net Wrap, rate per bale |
13.56 |
14.00 |
8-17 |
33 |
|---|
| - Large Round Bales With Net Wrap, rate per bale |
14.13 |
15.00 |
10-24 |
48 |
|---|
| - Cornstalks With Large Round Baler, rate per bale |
15.63 |
15.00 |
11-21 |
23 |
|---|
| SMALL GRAIN HARVEST | Average Rate | Most Common | Range | Number Reporting |
|---|
| Windrowing Grain Crops, rate per acre |
16.67 |
12.00 |
10.50-30 |
12 |
|---|
| Combining Small Grains, flat charge, rate per acre |
31.68 |
30.00 |
22-45 |
36 |
|---|
| Hauling Small Grain to Local Storage, cents per bushel |
0.14 |
0.10 |
0.07-0.26 |
23 |
|---|
| APPLICATION OF FERTILIZER | Average Rate | Most Common | Range | Number Reporting |
|---|
| Dry Fertilizer Solid Broadcast, rate per acre |
6.43 |
5.00 |
3.50-10 |
26 |
|---|
| Dry Fertilizer Variable Rate, rate per acre |
7.97 |
6.50 |
6-10 |
19 |
|---|
| Liquid Fertilizer Solid Application, rate per acre |
8.25 |
7.00 |
5-15 |
21 |
|---|
| Liquid Fertilizer Variable Rate, rate per acre |
9.67 |
10.00 |
4.75-16 |
18 |
|---|
| Anhydrous Ammonia, conventional knife, rate per acre |
13.30 |
16.00 |
5-20 |
10 |
|---|
| Anhydrous Ammonia, knife with coulters, rate per acre |
15.18 |
15.00 |
9-25 |
40 |
|---|
| INSECT, DISEASE, AND WEED CONTROL | Average Rate | Most Common | Range | Number Reporting |
|---|
| Spraying Weed Control, boom, rate per acre |
6.84 |
7.00 |
4.75-10 |
55 |
|---|
| Spraying Weed Control, recirculation, rate per acre |
7.23 |
8.00 |
5.50-10 |
13 |
|---|
| Crop Spraying by Surface Vehicle, rate per acre |
6.94 |
7.00 |
4.50-8.50 |
41 |
|---|
| WASTE HANDLING | Average Rate | Most Common | Range | Number Reporting |
|---|
| Loading Manure with Tractor & Loader, rate per hour |
97.22 |
90.00 |
50-200 |
9 |
|---|
| Hauling and Spreading Dry Manure, rate per hour |
160.83 |
120.00 |
70-375 |
12 |
|---|
| HARVESTING GRAINS & SOYBEANS | Average Rate | Most Common | Range | Number Reporting |
|---|
| Combining Irrigated Corn, flat rate per acre |
38.22 |
35.00 |
18-95 |
101 |
|---|
| Combining Irrigated Corn, flat rate per bushel |
0.27 |
0.35 |
0.08-0.42 |
18 |
|---|
| Combining Dryland Corn, flat rate per acre |
34.82 |
30.00 |
14-90 |
123 |
|---|
| Combining Dryland Corn, flat rate per bushel |
0.24 |
0.25 |
0.08-0.37 |
9 |
|---|
| Combining High Moisture Corn, flat rate per acre |
42.31 |
45.00 |
30-110 |
45 |
|---|
| Combining Soybeans, flat rate per acre |
35.40 |
35.00 |
20-66 |
140 |
|---|
| Combining Grain Sorghum, without pickup header, flat rate per acre |
34.40 |
35.00 |
20-45 |
10 |
|---|
| HAULING OPERATIONS | Average Rate | Most Common | Range | Number Reporting |
|---|
| HAULING GRAIN |
|
|
|
|
|---|
| - From Combine with Tractor and Grain Cart, rate per acre |
5.27 |
6.00 |
2-10 |
13 |
|---|
| - From Combine with Tractor and Grain Cart, rate per bushel |
0.08 |
0.05 |
0.04-0.18 |
16 |
|---|
| - Grain Truck to Storage or Elevator, flat rate per bushel |
0.13 |
0.10 |
0.05-0.25 |
61 |
|---|
| - Grain (above 20 miles), additional charge per bushel |
0.10 |
0.10 |
0.01-0.32 |
42 |
|---|
| - Dry Edible Beans to Storage or Elevator, rate per bushel |
0.14 |
0.12 |
0.10-0.25 |
10 |
|---|
| Hauling Large Round Bales of Hay or Cornstalks (avg load 18.6 Tons), rate per loaded mile |
3.83 |
4.00 |
2.50-4.50 |
10 |
|---|
| Hauling Cattle by Semi-trailer Truck (avg load 50,000 lbs), rate per loaded mile |
3.89 |
4.00 |
2.50-4.50 |
14 |
|---|
| MAKING SILAGE AND EARLAGE | Average Rate | Most Common | Range | Number Reporting |
|---|
| Corn Silage (field chopping, hauling, filling, packing silo), flat rate per ton |
9.25 |
- |
4-15 |
8 |
|---|
| Corn Silage (field chopping and hauling), flat rate per ton |
8.06 |
10.00 |
5.50-10 |
8 |
|---|
| HAULING SILAGE | Average Rate | Most Common | Range | Number Reporting |
|---|
| Hauling Silage from Field to Silo by Truck, rate per hour |
88.57 |
100.00 |
45-100 |
7 |
|---|
| Hauling Silage from Field to Silo by Truck, rate per ton |
3.28 |
3.00 |
2.75-4.00 |
7 |
|---|
| OTHER CUSTOM SERVICES | Average Rate | Most Common | Range | Number Reporting |
|---|
| Drying Grain, per point of moisture removed, rate per bushel |
0.04 |
0.02 |
0.02-0.10 |
6 |
|---|
| Renting Bin Storage, rate per bushel |
0.02 |
0.03 |
0.01-0.05 |
18 |
|---|
| Elevating Grain (on farm), rate per bushel |
0.03 |
0.03 |
0.01-0.10 |
7 |
|---|
| Checking Pivots During Irrigation Season, rate per acre |
16.22 |
10.00 |
5-25 |
9 |
|---|
| Closing Pivot Tracks, rate per hour |
75.50 |
100.00 |
25-100 |
10 |
|---|
| Closing Pivot Tracks, rate per pivot |
324.67 |
100.00 |
100-750 |
15 |
|---|
| Mowing Grass Pasture or CRP, rate per acre |
20.13 |
20.00 |
5-65 |
12 |
|---|
| Skid Steer Loader Rent, rate per hour |
76.39 |
- |
28-135 |
9 |
|---|
| Clearing Cedar Trees, rate per hour |
91.36 |
100.00 |
45-125 |
11 |
|---|
| Auto Steer System - GPS Mapping, rate per acre |
1.94 |
1.00 |
1-4 |
8 |
|---|
Glennis McClure
Associate Extension Educator
Department of Agricultural Economics
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
gmcclure3@unl.edu
