Farm Custom Rates Paid in Ohio, 1999
Robert Moore
Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics
Ohio State University Extension
The Ohio State University
The rates reported in this publication are based on survey results from Ohio farmers.  The rates shown may differ significantly by local region depending on availability of custom operators and demand for their services.  See ESO 2551, Ohio Farm Machinery Cost Estimates for 1999, for an alternate approach to estimating machinery costs.
The typical rate is the average of all responses.  The range is the average +/- one standard deviation and includes about two-thirds of all responses.  Operations with few responses were not included.
Operation
    Unit Typical ($) Range ($)
Soil Preparation
Stalk Chopper acre 8 5 - 11
Moldboard Plow acre 13 10 - 15
Disk Plow acre 9 7 - 12
Chisel Plow acre 11 9 - 13
Disk acre 8 6 - 10
Drag acre 7 4 - 9
Disk and Drag acre 9 7 - 11
Field Cultivator acre 8 6 - 10
Land Leveling/Planeing acre 10 5 - 15
Subsoiling acre 14 10 - 18
  V-ripping acre   13   10 - 17
Fertilizer Application
Dry Bulk - Labor, Power, and Applicator acre 5 1 - 9
Dry Bulk - Applicator Rental Only acre 2 1 - 4
Dry Bulk - Applicator Rental Only ton 5 4 - 6
Liquid - Labor, Power, and Applicator acre 6 4 - 7
Anhydrous - Labor, Power, and Applicator acre 9 6 - 11
  Lime - Labor, Power, and Applicator acre   5   4 - 7
Weed Control
Chemical Weed Control
Spraying- ground acre 5 4 - 7
Spraying- ground, incorporated acre 6 4 - 8
Mechanical Weed Control
Conventional Cultivating acre 7 4 - 10
                 
Planting              
Conventional Row Planter
Seed Only acre 11 8 - 14
Seed and Apply Fertilizer acre 14 10 - 17
Seed and Apply Fertilizer and Chemicals acre 15 11 - 20
No-Till Planter
Seed Only acre 13 10 - 17
Seed and Apply Fertilizer acre 14 11 - 17
Seed and Apply Fertilizer and Chemicals acre 16 11 - 22
Drills/Seeders 7'
Soybeans
Conventional - seed only acre 13 10 - 16
No-till - seed only acre 13 10 - 16
Small Grains
Conventional - seed only acre 12 8 - 15
No-till - seed only acre 13 10 - 16
No-Till -Grain and Grass acre 13 9 - 17
Grass Seeding
  Grain Drill acre   12   8 - 15
Harvesting
Combining
Corn acre 22 19 - 26
Soybeans acre 22 19 - 25
Small Grain acre 21 19 - 24
Corn Silage Harvest
Chopping Only ton 3 1.50 - 4.50
Chop, Haul, and Fill ton 4 3 - 5
Hay/Straw Harvest
Mowing acre 9 7 - 11
Mowing/Conditioning acre 10 7 - 12
Raking acre 6 4 - 8
Baling - small
Baled and Dropped bale 0.36 0.24 - 0.48
Baled and Loaded bale 0.48 0.31 - 0.65
Added Charge to Haul and Store bale 0.34 0.10 - 0.57
Baling - Large
Baled and Left in Field 400-1000 lb bale 6 5 - 7
Baled and Left in Field 1100-1800 lb bale 7 5 - 9
Wrapping in Plastic bale 6 2 - 9
  Complete Hay Harvest % share   55   45 - 66
Drainage and Tile Installation
Ditching foot 0.28 0.15 - 0.42
Complete Tile Installation - 4" plastic foot 0.51 0.20 - 0.81
                 
Grain Storage
Initial Take in Charge bushel 0.08 0.03 - 0.14
Take in Plus 4 Months bushel 0.12 0.03 - 0.21
Storage per Month bushel 0.03 0.02 - 0.05
  Grain Drying per Point Moisture bushel   0.02   0.01 - 0.03
Grain Hauling
Farm to Market 10-50 mi bushel 0.11 0.07 - 0.14
  Field to Farm 5-20 mi bushel   0.09   0.07 - 0.12
Miscellaneous
Bush Hogging acre 11 6 - 16
Income Tax Prep hour 62 41 - 84
Income Tax Prep return 229 112 - 345
  Track Hoe - Cleaning Ditches hour   68   39 - 98
Custom Farming
Corn acre 81 16 - 145
Soybeans acre 75 22 - 129
  Wheat acre   59   41 - 78
Machinery Rental
Tractor Rental - 60-130 hp hour 23 13 - 34
Tractor Rental - 150 - 200 hp hour 35 27 - 43
  No-Till Grain Drill 15" acre   9   6 - 12
Hired Labor
Machinery Operation hour 9 8 - 11
  General Farm Labor hour   7   6 - 9
Custom Work Hired or Performed
Plow hired
Plow performed
Plant hired
Plant performed
Spray hired
Spray performed
Fertilize hired
Fertilize performed
Combine grain hired
Combine grain performed
Combine corn hired
Combine corn performed
Haul grain hired
Haul grain performed
Custom Farm hired
Custom farm performed