Custom farm rates by state: what hired combining, planting, spraying and hauling cost
Sigurd Lindquist, CCA, Chetek, Wisconsin
The going rate for custom work, from the surveys universities and state ag departments run of farmers and custom operators. Each number is the survey's own average, with its range, unit and year, and a link to the survey. Rates are survey averages; your local custom operator may charge more or less.
| Job | Average | Range | Answers |
|---|
Next door: the same jobs in bordering states
Every state at a glance
| State, survey year | Combine corn | Combine soybeans | Plant, no fertilizer | Spray, ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa 2026 | $46.05/ac | $43.05/ac | $26.50/ac | $9.35/ac |
| Indiana 2025 | $36.97/ac | $35.94/ac | $22.97/ac | $8.39/ac |
| Kansas 2026 | $41.87/ac | $38.67/ac | $22.64/ac | $8.57/ac |
| Missouri 2023 | $43.29/ac | $39.42/ac | $24.17/ac | $7.71/ac |
| North Dakota 2024 | $43.87/ac | $36.02/ac | $21.02/ac | $9.23/ac |
| Nebraska 2026 | $50.70/ac | $50.87/ac | $29.19/ac | $9.85/ac |
| Ohio 2024 | $34.61/ac | $33.53/ac | $23.51/ac | $9.89/ac |
| Oklahoma 2021 | not in survey | $27.11/ac | not in survey | $6.48/ac |
| Wisconsin 2024 | $38.39/ac | $37.13/ac | $23.36/ac | $11.48/ac |
- Iowa: 2026 Iowa Farm Custom Rate Survey (Ag Decision Maker File A3-10, FM 1698, revised March 2026), Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The survey.
- Indiana: 2025 Indiana Farm Custom Rates (Purdue University, Michael Langemeier, April 2025), Purdue University Extension. The survey.
- Kansas: Kansas Custom Rates 2026 (Rates Paid by Kansas Farmers for Custom Work), Kansas Department of Agriculture and the Kansas State University Land Use Survey Office. The survey.
- Missouri: Custom Rates for Farm Services in Missouri (MU Extension guide G302, revised April 2023), University of Missouri Extension. The survey.
- North Dakota: 2024 North Dakota Custom Rates, Part I Early Season Operations (August 2024) and Part II Late Season Operations (December 2024), North Dakota State University Extension (late season survey run by USDA NASS). The survey.
- Nebraska: 2026 Nebraska Agricultural Custom Rates (Nebraska Extension EC823, April 24, 2026), University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, Center for Agricultural Profitability. The survey.
- Ohio: Ohio Farm Custom Rates 2024 (Ward, Richer, Barker and Bennett), Ohio State University Extension. The survey.
- Oklahoma: Oklahoma Farm and Ranch Custom Rates, 2021-2022 (OSU Extension Current Report CR-205, revised March 2022), Oklahoma State University Extension, with the USDA NASS Oklahoma Field Office mailing. The survey.
- Wisconsin: Custom Rates for 2024 Wisconsin Farm Operations (2024 Wisconsin Custom Rate Survey), University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension. The survey.
Not here yet: Illinois Extension points readers to the Iowa survey; no Illinois survey of its own was found. Kentucky's guide averages other states' surveys, so it is not a Kentucky survey. Michigan State publishes machinery cost estimates, not a survey of rates charged, so it is not mixed in here. No current University of Minnesota custom rate survey was found (the last one in the university archive is from 1993). SDSU Extension ran a new survey in 2026; its report was not out when this page was built.
Questions
What does custom combining cost per acre?
Survey averages for combining corn, per acre: Iowa $46.05 (2026 survey, 119 answers); Indiana $36.97 (2025 survey, 53 answers); Kansas $41.87 (2026 survey, 82 answers); Missouri $43.29 (2023 survey, 17 answers); North Dakota $43.87 (2024 survey, 38 answers); Nebraska $50.70 (2026 survey, 30 answers); Ohio $34.61 (2024 survey, 60 answers); Wisconsin $38.39 (2024 survey, 46 answers). Soybeans: Iowa $43.05 (2026 survey, 94 answers); Indiana $35.94 (2025 survey, 54 answers); Kansas $38.67 (2026 survey, 79 answers); Missouri $39.42 (2023 survey, 19 answers); North Dakota $36.02 (2024 survey, 61 answers); Nebraska $50.87 (2026 survey, 38 answers); Ohio $33.53 (2024 survey, 58 answers); Oklahoma $27.11 (2021 survey, 9 answers); Wisconsin $37.13 (2024 survey, 46 answers). Some surveys price combining alone and some include the grain cart and hauling, so check the wording in each state's table. Rates are survey averages; your local custom operator may charge more or less.
What is the custom rate for planting corn?
Survey averages for planting row crops without fertilizer, per acre: Iowa $26.50 (2026 survey, 69 answers); Indiana $22.97 (2025 survey, 31 answers); Kansas $22.64 (2026 survey, 48 answers); Missouri $24.17 (2023 survey, 15 answers); North Dakota $21.02 (2024 survey, 28 answers); Nebraska $29.19 (2026 survey, 8 answers); Ohio $23.51 (2024 survey, 44 answers); Wisconsin $23.36 (2024 survey, 14 answers). Planting with fertilizer and no-till planting run a little higher in most surveys; each state's table has its lines.
What does custom spraying cost?
Ground rig spraying, per acre, chemical not included: Iowa $9.35 (2026 survey, 121 answers); Indiana $8.39 (2025 survey, 40 answers); Kansas $8.57 (2026 survey, 196 answers); Missouri $7.71 (2023 survey, 28 answers); North Dakota $9.23 (2024 survey, 111 answers); Nebraska $9.85 (2026 survey, 29 answers); Ohio $9.89 (2024 survey, 97 answers); Oklahoma $6.48 (2021 survey, 56 answers); Wisconsin $11.48 (2024 survey, 42 answers).
Who sets these custom rates?
Nobody sets them. Each number is an average of what farmers and custom operators told a university or state survey they charged or paid. AGSIST copies the survey's own numbers and links the survey; it does not set, adjust or update them between surveys. Your local custom operator may charge more or less.
Which states are covered?
States with a public survey read for this page: Iowa (2026), Indiana (2025), Kansas (2026), Missouri (2023), North Dakota (2024), Nebraska (2026), Ohio (2024), Oklahoma (2021), Wisconsin (2024). Illinois Extension points readers to the Iowa survey; no Illinois survey of its own was found. Kentucky's guide averages other states' surveys, so it is not a Kentucky survey. Michigan State publishes machinery cost estimates, not a survey of rates charged, so it is not mixed in here. No current University of Minnesota custom rate survey was found (the last one in the university archive is from 1993). SDSU Extension ran a new survey in 2026; its report was not out when this page was built.
Why do the same jobs differ between states?
The surveys were taken in different years, ask about the job in different words (combine only, or combine, cart and haul), and hear from different people. Some print the lowest and highest answer, Iowa leaves out the single lowest and highest, Purdue prints a one standard deviation band and Oklahoma prints no range. Compare the wording before you compare the numbers.
Where the numbers come from
Each state's survey, as published. AGSIST typed the averages, ranges and answer counts from the survey itself and links it; it did not set, adjust, inflate or average them. A job a survey left unclear is left out rather than guessed at, and each state page says which. The full data: index.json, one file per state beside it.