Updated Wisconsin Custom Rate Guide Available Mike
Rankin
Every three years, UW Extension and the Wisconsin Agricultural
Statistics Service team-up to publish a farm custom rate guide.
The new guide was recently published and summarizes rates paid by
farmers for custom work in 2001. The
figures are based on reports from custom operators who perform the work,
farmers who hire custom work, and machinery dealers who rent out equipment.
Over the years, this has been one of the most popular publications
available from our office.
Most custom rates printed in the publication include the cost of
hiring the machine with fuel and operator, but exclude the cost of any
materials (for example, the cost of seed, fertilizer, etc.).
There is no attempt to distinguish between rates charged by
individuals who perform custom operations as a primary income source and
those farmers who occasionally do custom work as a sideline.
Typically, rates charged by professional custom operators and
implement dealers justifiably trend to the higher end of the rate range.
Within the guide, there is both an average rate and numerical range
given for different custom farm operations.
Obviously, there are many different factors that impact what rate is
charged in a given situation. These
include: availability of equipment, soil conditions, topography, field
size, and the type, age, size, and condition of the equipment used.
In some cases, rates are reported in units of dollars per acre and
dollars per hour. All
of the rates in the custom rate guide, unless specifically noted, include
input from at least ten custom operators who performed work in 2001.
Prices charged for machinery, fuel, and labor also reflect 2001
prices and conditions. As the
guide is used over the next few years, prices for these inputs may need to
be adjusted accordingly.
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