FARGO, N.D. - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's North Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service, Fargo, in cooperation with the North Dakota State University Extension Service, conducted a survey of custom operators in North Dakota in 2016.
The survey of early season operations was conducted in July and August and covers tillage, planting, fertilizer and pesticide application, haying operations and other custom operations.
The survey of late-season operations was conducted during September and October and includes data on harvesting, drying and hauling of crops, seed preparation, hauling hay and livestock and other operations.
The two 2016 surveys summarized more than 2,600 reports from farmers and ranchers, aerial sprayers, elevators, custom harvesters and other custom operators.
For example, the average custom rate reported for field cultivation is $9.36, while an economic engineering approach suggests a range of costs from $5.57 to $7.09 per acre, depending on the size of the equipment.
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Likewise, the average custom rate for combining corn is $35.13 per acre, while the economic cost estimate is $29.05 to $46.36, depending on machine size.
Assistance in helping determine a fair custom rate may be obtained from county extension agents or extension service specialists at North Dakota State University.
