Indiana custom rates, 2025 survey
Sigurd Lindquist, CCA · numbers from Purdue University Extension
What farmers and custom operators in Indiana said they charged or paid for custom work, as the 2025 Indiana Farm Custom Rates (Purdue University, Michael Langemeier, April 2025) printed it. Rates are survey averages; your local custom operator may charge more or less.
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| Job | Average | Range | Answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land preparation | |||
| Rotary hoeing | $9.40 per acre | not printed | 5 |
| Chisel plowing | $19.13 per acre | not printed | 20 |
| Vertical tillage | $17.12 per acre | not printed | 26 |
| Disking with tandem disk | $15.19 per acre | not printed | 18 |
| Field cultivating | $16.59 per acre | not printed | 25 |
| V-ripping or sub-soiling | $22.00 per acre | not printed | 17 |
| Fertilizer application, ground | |||
| Broadcasting bulk dry fertilizer | $7.74 per acre | not printed | 27 |
| Spraying liquid fertilizer | $8.56 per acre | not printed | 17 |
| Knifing-in liquid fertilizer | $14.58 per acre | not printed | 17 |
| Anhydrous application, pre-plant | $15.21 per acre | not printed | 12 |
| Side-dress anhydrous application | $15.35 per acre | not printed | 17 |
| Spreading manure | $15.39 per acre | not printed | 9 |
| Chemical application | |||
| Tractor and sprayer | $8.40 per acre | not printed | 10 |
| Self-propelled sprayer | $8.39 per acrerange $6.70 to $10.00 | $6.70 to $10.00 | 40 |
| Aerial sprayer | $13.31 per acre | not printed | 18 |
| Precision agriculture | |||
| Precision fertilizer application | $7.90 per acre | not printed | 14 |
| Precision chemical application | $9.00 per acre | not printed | 7 |
| Grain planting | |||
| Conventional till corn, 30 inch rows | $22.97 per acrerange $16.40 to $29.50 | $16.40 to $29.50 | 31 |
| No-till corn, 30 inch rows | $22.79 per acre | not printed | 24 |
| Conventional till soybeans, 15 inch rows | $21.64 per acre | not printed | 18 |
| No-till soybeans, 15 inch rows | $21.94 per acrerange $16.80 to $27.00 | $16.80 to $27.00 | 31 |
| Conventional till soybeans, drilled | $18.33 per acre | not printed | 6 |
| No-till soybeans, drilled | $19.50 per acre | not printed | 8 |
| No-till small grains | $19.46 per acre | not printed | 12 |
| Grain harvesting | |||
| Corn, combine only | $36.97 per acrerange $28.80 to $45.10 | $28.80 to $45.10 | 53 |
| Soybeans, combine only | $35.94 per acrerange $28.10 to $43.80 | $28.10 to $43.80 | 54 |
| Small grain, combine only | $32.37 per acre | not printed | 15 |
| Corn, combine and haul to bin | $43.88 per acre | not printed | 26 |
| Soybeans, combine and haul to bin | $40.79 per acre | not printed | 28 |
| Small grain, combine and haul to bin | $41.14 per acre | not printed | 7 |
| Machinery and operator for all growing and harvesting operations | |||
| Corn | $122.34 per acre | not printed | 8 |
| Soybeans | $107.23 per acre | not printed | 8 |
| On-farm corn drying | |||
| Five points of moisture removed (printed in cents) | $0.19 per bushel | not printed | 11 |
| Ten points of moisture removed (printed in cents) | $0.32 per bushel | not printed | 10 |
| Grain hauling | |||
| Total cost of hauling grain to market (average one-way haul 23.2 miles) (printed in cents) | $0.188 per bushelrange $0.126 to $0.251 | $0.126 to $0.251 | 47 |
| Hay, straw or corn stover | |||
| Tractor and mower/conditioner | $20.10 per acre | not printed | 10 |
| Tedding | $8.17 per acre | not printed | 6 |
| Raking (windrowing) | $11.44 per acre | not printed | 9 |
| Baling small rectangular bales (25-60 lbs) | $1.12 per bale | not printed | 9 |
| Baling large rectangular bales (over 1,000 lbs) | $13.17 per bale | not printed | 6 |
| Baling large round bales (5 feet wide) | $19.58 per bale | not printed | 13 |
| Miscellaneous | |||
| Tiling (excluding cost of tile) (printed in cents) | $0.95 per foot | not printed | 6 |
| Mowing pasture or CRP acres | $30.85 per acre | not printed | 9 |
| Bulldozing (blade 9 feet wide or less) | $129.00 per hour | not printed | 9 |
Questionnaires handed out at Purdue Extension meetings, December 2024 through March 2025; 97 respondents reporting rates paid or received in the past year. Unless otherwise stated, the rates include payments for fuel, operator labor, and machinery ownership costs. Purdue does not print a low-high range. Where 30 or more answered, it prints the average plus and minus one standard deviation, where about two thirds of answers fall; that band is shown in the range column. Rows with fewer than five answers are left out.
Source: Purdue University Extension, the survey. AGSIST did not set these rates and does not adjust them. Bordering states with a survey here: Ohio (2024).
Questions
What does custom combining cost in Indiana?
In the 2025 Indiana Farm Custom Rates (Purdue University, Michael Langemeier, April 2025), combining corn averaged $36.97 per acre ($28.80 to $45.10, 53 answers) and combining soybeans averaged $35.94 per acre ($28.10 to $43.80, 54 answers). Rates are survey averages; your local custom operator may charge more or less.
What is the custom planting rate in Indiana?
Conventional till corn, 30 inch rows: $22.97 per acre in the 2025 survey ($16.40 to $29.50, 31 answers). The survey's other planting lines are in the table above.
What does custom spraying cost in Indiana?
Self-propelled sprayer: $8.39 per acre in the 2025 survey ($6.70 to $10.00, 40 answers). Chemical is not included.
Who set these rates?
Nobody set them. They are averages of what farmers and custom operators told Purdue University Extension they charged or paid. AGSIST copied them from the survey and links it. Your local custom operator may charge more or less.
What is included in a custom rate?
Unless otherwise stated, the rates include payments for fuel, operator labor, and machinery ownership costs.
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