While provide a practical overview of industry-standard rates and considerations for outsourcing agricultural tasks like tillage, planting, harvesting, and full-season contracts. Use it to evaluate costs (e.g., $20–$25/acre for basic tillage or $120–$165/acre for complete dryland/irrigated crop management) and value for your operation, factoring in equipment savings, labor efficiency, and regional variables. Or use this guide as a place to start if thinking about entering your own custom farming venture. Location, seasonality, and other factors may contribute to pricing higher or lower than we have suggested as average benchmarks.
Tillage Operations
| Operation | Average Rate | Most Common Rate | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disk Harrowing, Primary (heavy), rate per acre | $19.93 | $18.00 | $10.00-$55.00 |
| Disk Harrowing, Finishing (light), rate per acre | $18.54 | $16.00 | $10.00-$48.00 |
| Moldboard Plow, rate per acre | $23.71 | $25.00 | $10.00-$35.00 |
| Harrowing, Spike or Spring Tooth, rate per acre | $13.00 | $15.00 | $5.00-$20.00 |
| Chisel Plow for Primary Tillage, rate per acre | $20.40 | $25.00 | $13.00-$25.00 |
| Deep Chisel, rate per acre | $24.17 | $25.00 | $13.00-$34.00 |
| Subsoil or Rip, rate per acre | $27.86 | $25.00 | $13.00-$55.00 |
| Field Cultivator, rate per acre | $19.07 | $20.00 | $8.50-$48.00 |
| Vertical or Turbo Tillage, rate per acre | $18.78 | $18.00 | $10.00-$28.00 |
| Combination Tillage Operations, Primary, rate per acre | $30.17 | – | $20.00-$40.00 |
| Combination Tillage Operations, Finishing, rate per acre | $25.31 | $30.00 | $13.00-$48.00 |
| Strip Tilling, rate per acre | $23.14 | $25.00 | $17.00-$30.00 |
| Strip Tilling with Fertilizer Application, rate per acre | $28.50 | $25.00 | $17.00-$50.00 |
| Stalk Shredder PTO Driven, rate per acre | $12.29 | $15.00 | $9.00-$15.00 |
| Rolling Stalk Chopper Not PTO Driven, rate per acre | $12.43 | $12.00 | $11.00-$15.00 |
| Cultivation Tillage, Rotary Hoe, rate per acre | $9.83 | $6.00 | $6.00-$15.00 |
| Cultivation Tillage, conventional, rate per acre | $19.26 | $15.00 | $10.00-$55.00 |
| Cultivation Tillage, handling residue, rate per acre | $15.94 | $15.00 | $12.00-$20.00 |
| Cultivation Tillage, hill or ditch, rate per acre | $14.75 | $15.00 | $8.00-$24.00 |
Planting and Seeding
| Operation | Average Rate | Most Common Rate | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drilling – Small Grains, conventional drill, rate per acre | $18.85 | $15.00 | $15.00-$27.00 |
| Drilling – Small Grains, no-till drill, rate per acre | $24.95 | $20.00 | $15.00-$65.00 |
| Drilling – Soybeans, conventional drill, rate per acre | $21.08 | $22.00 | $15.00-$30.00 |
| Drilling – Soybeans, no-till drill, rate per acre | $25.37 | $25.00 | $16.00-$65.00 |
| Seeding – CRP Ground, rate per acre | $26.64 | $25.00 | $14.00-$40.00 |
| Seeding – Cover Crops – Drill, rate per acre | $22.64 | $20.00 | $12.00-$35.00 |
| Planting Row Crops – No coulters, with band applicator, rate per acre | $25.00 | $25.00 | $15.00-$40.00 |
| Planting Row Crops – No coulters, without band applicator, rate per acre | $23.94 | $25.00 | $15.00-$30.00 |
| Planting Row Crops – Coulters, with band applicator, rate per acre | $23.73 | $20.00 | $15.00-$40.00 |
| Planting Row Crops – Coulters, without band applicator, rate per acre | $22.77 | $20.00 | $15.00-$35.00 |
| Planting Row Crops – Ridge planting, with band applicator, rate per acre | $25.13 | $20.00 | $15.00-$35.00 |
| Planting Row Crops – Ridge planting, without band applicator, rate per acre | $23.53 | $22.00 | $15.00-$38.00 |
Custom Haying
| Operation | Average Rate | Most Common Rate | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raking, rate per acre | $11.21 | $8.00 | $5.00-$19.00 |
| Swathing with Crushing/Crimping, rate per acre | $17.88 | $20.00 | $14.00-$25.00 |
| Raking Cornstalks, rate per acre | $11.13 | $10.00 | $4.00-$20.00 |
| Baling – Small Square Bales with Twine Tie, rate per bale | $2.06 | $2.00 | $1.00-$3.75 |
| Baling – Large Round Bales Without Net Wrap, rate per bale | $15.09 | $15.00 | $10.00-$20.00 |
| Baling – Large Round Bales With Net Wrap, rate per bale | $16.54 | $15.00 | $7.50-$25.00 |
| Baling – Cornstalks Large Round Bales with Net Wrap, rate per bale | $18.11 | $20.00 | $12.00-$30.00 |
Grain Harvest
| Operation | Average Rate | Most Common Rate | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combining Small Grains (no hauling), flat rate per acre | $43.00 | $45.00 | $30.00-$65.00 |
| Hauling Small Grain to Local Storage, cents per bushel | $0.16 | $0.15 | $0.05-$0.32 |
Fertilizing
| Operation | Average Rate | Most Common Rate | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Fertilizer Solid Broadcast, inc. labor & applicator, rate per acre | $8.85 | $8.00 | $4.50-$15.00 |
| Dry Fertilizer Variable Rate, rate per acre | $10.78 | $10.00 | $7.50-$20.00 |
| Liquid Fertilizer Constant Rate, labor & applicator, rate per acre | $11.00 | $12.00 | $7.50-$15.00 |
| Liquid Fertilizer Variable, labor & applicator, rate per acre | $12.47 | $12.00 | $8.00-$20.00 |
| Anhydrous Ammonia, knife with coulters, rate per acre | $19.73 | $20.00 | $12.00-$28.00 |
Insecticide & Herbicide
| Operation | Average Rate | Most Common Rate | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spraying Weed Control, boom or recirculating, rate per acre | $7.82 | $8.00 | $6.00-$9.50 |
| Spraying Weed Control, self-propelled sprayer, rate per acre | $9.18 | $8.00 | $7.25-$17.50 |
Harvesting Grains
| Operation | Average Rate | Most Common Rate | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combining Irrigated Corn, flat rate per acre | $47.84 | $40.00 | $33.00-$82.00 |
| Combining Irrigated Corn, flat rate per bushel | $0.26 | $0.15 | $0.10-$0.48 |
| Combining Dryland Corn, flat rate per acre | $45.00 | $35.00 | $30.00-$78.00 |
| Combining Dryland Corn, flat rate per bushel | $0.21 | $0.20 | $0.10-$0.36 |
| Combining High Moisture Corn, flat rate per acre | $55.04 | $50.00 | $33.00-$85.00 |
| Combining Soybeans, flat rate per acre | $46.00 | $50.00 | $30.00-$72.00 |
| Combining Soybeans, flat rate per bushel | $0.16 | $0.20 | $0.10-$0.20 |
| Combining Grain Sorghum, flat rate per acre | $45.50 | $50.00 | $40.00-$50.00 |
| Corn Silage (field chopping and hauling), flat rate per ton | $12.79 | $13.50 | $10.00-$16.00 |
Custom Hauling
| Operation | Average Rate | Most Common Rate | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hauling Grain – From Combine with Tractor and Grain Cart, rate per acre | $5.92 | $7.00 | $2.50-$8.00 |
| Hauling Grain – From Combine with Tractor and Grain Cart, rate per bushel | $0.10 | $0.08 | $0.05-$0.17 |
| Hauling Grain – Grain Truck to Storage or Elevator, flat rate per bushel | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.05-$0.32 |
| Hauling Grain (above 11 miles), additional charge per bushel | $0.08 | $0.05 | $0.01-$0.25 |
Other Services
| Operation | Average Rate | Most Common Rate | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grain Bin Storage, no air or electric charge included, monthly rate per bushel | $0.07 | $0.02 | $0.02-$0.15 |
| Grain Bin Storage, with air or electric charge included, monthly rate per bushel | $0.06 | $0.03 | $0.03-$0.20 |
| Clearing Cedar Trees, rate per metered hour | $126.92 | $150.00 | $40.00-$180.00 |
| Mowing Grass (CRP or Pasture), rate per hour | $131.67 | – | $75.00-$180.00 |
| Heavy Equip. – Bulldozing / Clearing Land, rate per hour | $195.36 | $200.00 | $90.00-$400.00 |
| Heavy Equip. – Excavating, rate per hour | $223.75 | $250.00 | $120.00-$350.00 |
| Checking Pivots During Irrigation Season, rate per hour | $40.33 | $50.00 | $25.00-$50.00 |
| Checking Pivots During Irrigation Season, rate per acre | $15.29 | $10.00 | $10.00-$25.00 |
| Closing Pivot Tracks, rate per hour | $99.55 | $50.00 | $40.00-$180.00 |
| Closing Pivot Tracks, rate per pivot | $337.50 | $500.00 | $75.00-$500.00 |
| Skid Steer Loader Rent, rate per hour | $102.23 | $90.00 | $59.00-$200.00 |
| Tractor Rent, 100-149 h.p., rate per metered hour | $72.50 | – | $45.00-$125.00 |
| Tractor Rent, Greater than 250 h.p., rate per metered hour | $141.43 | $100.00 | $60.00-$300.00 |
Contract Farming
| Operation | Average Rate | Most Common Rate | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dryland Soybeans (Average times over the field = 6.8), rate per acre | $97.57 | – | $60.00-$145.00 |
| Irrigated Soybeans (Average times over the field = 6.7), rate per acre | $133.00 | – | $60.00-$200.00 |
| Dryland Corn (Average times over the field = 4.3), rate per acre | $119.88 | – | $76.00-$220.00 |
| Irrigated Corn (Average times over the field = 4.4), rate per acre | $163.89 | – | $76.00-$250.00 |