Custom farm rates by state: the going rate for hired field work
Every state custom rate survey I could find, lined up. Each job shows the middle rate across the states, how far apart they run, and each state's own number, whether you're hiring the work or doing it. Rates are survey averages; your local custom operator may charge more or less.
The going rate
Combine corn per acre
$41.87 an acre
The middle across 9 state surveys (2024 to 2026 rates). States run $34.61 to $49.29 an acre.
Each dot is a state survey's average, the dark line is the middle, and your state is the gold dot. The bar starts at zero.
Nebraska $49.29, Missouri $47.56, Iowa $46.05, North Dakota $43.87, Kansas $41.87, Maryland and Delaware $40.03, Wisconsin $38.47, Indiana $36.97, Ohio $34.61.
Quote my job
Put in your acres, bushels or miles for each job. Each line uses your state's survey average where its survey prices the job, else the middle across the states. Survey average x your numbers, not a price from anyone.
The quote fills in once the rates load.
Spread lime: Wisconsin's line ($31.71 a ton, Lime application) is shown on its own, not in the middle: material not stated (Iowa and Ohio leave the lime out).
Haul grain by truck: states measure different distances: IA 25 mi one way, to market; IN average 23.2 mi one way, to market; KS field to storage or elevator, up to 16 mi; MO bin to market, over 20 mi; ND base charge, average base 47.62 mi; NE flat rate to storage or elevator, miles not stated; OH farm to market, average 22.7 mi one way; PA base charge, miles not stated; WI miles not stated.
How I figure the going rate
For each job I take each state survey's own average, as the survey printed it, and show the middle one. Half the states sit at or above it, half at or below. Under it you get the lowest and highest of the state averages and how many surveys priced the job. Tap a job and every state's number is there with its year, how many answered, and the lowest and highest answer that survey printed.
Each state counts once, however many people answered. I don't inflate older surveys or adjust anything. A survey of rates from before 2023 is shown with its year but kept out of the middle. A job needs 3 surveys before I give a middle; with fewer, each number stands on its own. Surveys word jobs their own way (combine only, or combine, cart and haul), so I only line up jobs that read the same, and each state's wording is under its number.
Beside some jobs I also show what it costs to do the work yourself, from the University of Illinois machinery cost estimates (August 2025): New machinery held 10 years (combine 7), diesel at $3.00 a gallon, labor at $22.00 an hour, overhead (depreciation, interest, insurance, housing, repairs); no profit. Field operations are sized for a 1,400 acre grain farm; the combine is 470 hp on 2,500 acres; bales assume 1.3 tons an acre. Those are costs to own and run the machine, not rates anyone charged, so they never go in the middle.
9 surveys, 2024 to 2026 rates.
- Iowa, 2026: 2026 Iowa Farm Custom Rate Survey (Ag Decision Maker File A3-10, FM 1698, revised March 2026), Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
- Indiana, 2025: 2025 Indiana Farm Custom Rates (Purdue University, Michael Langemeier, April 2025), Purdue University Extension.
- Kansas, 2026: 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.
- Maryland and Delaware, 2025: Custom Work Charges in Maryland and Delaware (University of Maryland Extension FS-683, updated March 2025), Table 1, University of Maryland Extension, with the University of Delaware.
- Missouri, 2025 rates: Custom Rates for Farm Services in Missouri (MU Extension guide G302, revised March 2026 by Drew Kientzy and Ben Brown), University of Missouri Extension.
- North Dakota, 2024: 2024 North Dakota Custom Rates, Part I Early Season Operations (August 2024, marked draft) and Part II Late Season Operations (December 2024), North Dakota State University Extension (late season survey run by USDA NASS).
- Nebraska, 2026: 2026 Nebraska Agricultural Custom Rates (Nebraska Extension EC823, April 24, 2026), University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, Center for Agricultural Profitability.
- Ohio, 2024: Ohio Farm Custom Rates 2024 (Ward, Richer, Barker and Bennett), Ohio State University Extension.
- Oklahoma, 2021: 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. Too old for the middle; shown with its year.
- Pennsylvania, 2022: Pennsylvania's 2022 Machinery Custom Rates Report (USDA NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office, with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture), USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Pennsylvania. Too old for the middle; shown with its year.
- Wisconsin, 2025 rates: Custom Rates for 2025 Wisconsin Farm Operations (2026 Wisconsin Custom Rate Survey, of 2025 rates), University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension.
Not here yet: Illinois Extension points readers to the Iowa survey; no Illinois survey of its own was found. The University of Illinois machinery cost estimates show beside some jobs as the cost of doing it yourself. Kentucky's guide averages other states' surveys, so it is not a Kentucky survey. Michigan State's 2026 Custom Work Rates are machinery cost estimates built on Minnesota's machinery cost spreadsheet, not a survey of rates charged, so they are not mixed in here. No current University of Minnesota custom rate survey was found (the last one in the university archive is from 1993). Nebraska's 2025 livestock services survey prints its tables as pictures; it is not typed in yet. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County's 2024 sheet is a rate guide for one county with no answer counts, not a survey, so it is not mixed in. Ohio State released a 2026 survey in late summer 2026; it is not read in here yet, so Ohio here is still the 2024 survey. SDSU Extension ran a new survey in 2026; its report was not out when this page was built.
State by state
| 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 |
| Maryland and Delaware 2025 | $40.03/ac | $39.63/ac | $27.23/ac | $14.01/ac |
| Missouri 2025 rates | $47.56/ac | $42.33/ac | $24.65/ac | $9.42/ac |
| North Dakota 2024 | $43.87/ac | $36.02/ac | $21.02/ac | $9.23/ac |
| Nebraska 2026 | $49.29/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 |
| Pennsylvania 2022 | $38.60/ac | $38.70/ac | $28.10/ac | $15.60/ac |
| Wisconsin 2025 rates | $38.47/ac | $38.45/ac | $23.22/ac | $11.01/ac |
Each state's own survey average, the year it covers, and its whole table on the state's page. The surveys are named under How I figure the going rate.
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); Maryland and Delaware $40.03 (2025 survey, answers not printed); Missouri $47.56 (2025 rates, 2026 survey, 9 answers); North Dakota $43.87 (2024 survey, 38 answers); Nebraska $49.29 (2026 survey, 42 answers); Ohio $34.61 (2024 survey, 60 answers); Pennsylvania $38.60 (2022 survey, answers not printed); Wisconsin $38.47 (2025 rates, 2026 survey, 34 answers). Soybeans: Iowa $43.05 (2026 survey, 94 answers); Indiana $35.94 (2025 survey, 54 answers); Kansas $38.67 (2026 survey, 79 answers); Maryland and Delaware $39.63 (2025 survey, answers not printed); Missouri $42.33 (2025 rates, 2026 survey, 9 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); Pennsylvania $38.70 (2022 survey, answers not printed); Wisconsin $38.45 (2025 rates, 2026 survey, 29 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); Maryland and Delaware $27.23 (2025 survey, answers not printed); Missouri $24.65 (2025 rates, 2026 survey, 23 answers); North Dakota $21.02 (2024 survey, 28 answers); Nebraska $29.19 (2026 survey, 8 answers); Ohio $23.51 (2024 survey, 44 answers); Pennsylvania $28.10 (2022 survey, answers not printed); Wisconsin $23.22 (2025 rates, 2026 survey, 9 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); Maryland and Delaware $14.01 (2025 survey, answers not printed); Missouri $9.42 (2025 rates, 2026 survey, 20 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); Pennsylvania $15.60 (2022 survey, answers not printed); Wisconsin $11.01 (2025 rates, 2026 survey, 29 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 names 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), Maryland and Delaware (2025), Missouri (2025 rates), North Dakota (2024), Nebraska (2026), Ohio (2024), Oklahoma (2021), Pennsylvania (2022), Wisconsin (2025 rates). Illinois Extension points readers to the Iowa survey; no Illinois survey of its own was found. The University of Illinois machinery cost estimates show beside some jobs as the cost of doing it yourself. Kentucky's guide averages other states' surveys, so it is not a Kentucky survey. Michigan State's 2026 Custom Work Rates are machinery cost estimates built on Minnesota's machinery cost spreadsheet, not a survey of rates charged, so they are not mixed in here. No current University of Minnesota custom rate survey was found (the last one in the university archive is from 1993). Nebraska's 2025 livestock services survey prints its tables as pictures; it is not typed in yet. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County's 2024 sheet is a rate guide for one county with no answer counts, not a survey, so it is not mixed in. Ohio State released a 2026 survey in late summer 2026; it is not read in here yet, so Ohio here is still the 2024 survey. 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.
What does custom grain hauling cost per bushel?
Survey averages for hauling grain by truck, and how far each survey's rate carries it: Iowa 2026 $0.20 a bushel (25 mi one way, to market; 97 answers); Indiana 2025 $0.188 a bushel (average 23.2 mi one way, to market; 47 answers); Kansas 2026 $0.239 a bushel (field to storage or elevator, up to 16 mi; 117 answers); Missouri 2025 rates $0.26 a bushel (bin to market, over 20 mi; 6 answers); North Dakota 2024 $0.222 a bushel (base charge, average base 47.62 mi; 27 answers); Nebraska 2026 $0.16 a bushel (flat rate to storage or elevator, miles not stated; 22 answers); Ohio 2024 $0.17 a bushel (farm to market, average 22.7 mi one way; 68 answers); Wisconsin 2025 rates $0.18 a bushel (miles not stated; 14 answers). The middle of the 8 current surveys is $0.194 a bushel, but the surveys measure different distances, so set the miles beside the number before you compare. Older, not in the middle: Pennsylvania 2022 $0.28 (base charge, miles not stated).
What does custom round baling cost per bale?
Survey averages for baling round bales, per bale: Iowa 2026 $13.15 (11 answers, "Hay baling, large round bales without wrap"); Indiana 2025 $19.58 (13 answers, "Baling large round bales (5 feet wide)"); Kansas 2026 $17.50 (4 answers, "Baling large round bales under 1,500 pounds, without net"); Maryland and Delaware 2025 $15.01 (answers not printed, "Bailing-large Round"); Missouri 2025 rates $17.20 (5 answers, "Round bale with twine"); North Dakota 2024 $12.99 (21 answers, "Baling round bales, 1,500 lbs or less (wire or twine included)"); Ohio 2024 $12.09 (38 answers, "Large round bales, baled and left in field"). The middle of the 7 current surveys is $15.01 a bale. Bale size, twine or net wrap differ by survey, so read each state's wording. Rates are survey averages; your local custom operator may charge more or less.
Do custom combiners charge extra for a big corn crop?
Some do. In Kansas's 2026 survey, harvesters who charge a base rate averaged $35.27 an acre for corn, plus $0.279 a bushel on yield over 69 bushels an acre. Those who charge one flat rate with no yield charge averaged $41.87 an acre.