2006 Shenandoah Valley Farm Custom-Work Rate Guide

Farm Business Management Update, June/July 2006

By Bill Whittle (wwhittle@vt.edu), Extension Agent, Farm Business Management, Page County, and Tom Stanley (stanleyt@vt.edu), Extension Agent, Farm Business Management, Northwest District

In late 2005, the farm business management agents in the Northwest Extension District, cooperating with other Extension agents, surveyed farmers and custom operators familiar with machinery custom-work rates in their localities. The survey instrument was prepared by the farm business management agents and mailed to farmers by participating Extension Agents in 11 counties. The farm business management agents tabulated 150 usable surveys representing 971 quotes, and developed the biannual guide that is distributed to the local Extension offices.

Reported in table format are job (activity being hired), the unit for which the charge is quoted (acre, hour, bale, etc.), the number of usable responses for each job, and the average for all the quotes followed by the low and high reported quote for each job. The last column is the Shenandoah Valley average. Surveys often get a wide variety of responses; therefore, and the values reported should be used only as guides for estimates or indications of what a sample of farmers are charging or paying. The larger the number of quotes reported and the narrower the range between the “Low and High” will indicate a value reflective of local conditions.

JOB				UNIT	OVER-ALL RESULTS			Average Shenandoah Valley
					NO.	LOW	HIGH
HAY and PASTURE
Bush Hog (Rotary Cutter)				Acre	29	$7.00	$35.00	$20.91
				Hour	17	$20.00	$75.00	$40.82
Mow				Acre	9	$10.00	$40.00	$19.00
Mow/Condition				Acre	31	$6.00	$35.00	$16.06
				Hour	3	$50.00	$65.00	$60.00
Tedder				Acre	22	$2.00	$30.00	$9.50
Rake				Acre	25	$3.00	$30.00	$10.94
Bale Small Square Bales				Bale	24	$0.35	$1.25	$0.73
Bale 400-800 Lb. Large Square Bales				Bale	15	$4.00	$9.00	$6.52
Bale 800 Lb. Large Round Bales				Bale	34	$3.50	$16.00	$7.11
Bale 1500 Lb. Large Round Bales				Bale	24	$4.50	$15.00	$7.92
Cut, Rake, Bale (Small Square Bales)				Bale	8	$1.25	$3.50	$1.76
Cut, Rake, Bale (800 Lb. Large Round Bales)				Bale	14	$9.50	$18.00	$13.32
Cut, Rake, Bale (1500 Lb. Large Round Bales)				Bale	5	$12.00	$27.00	$18.00
Bale Wrapping (Equipment & Operator)				Bale	16	$3.50	$11.50	$5.94
Bale Bagging  (Equipment & Operator)				Bale	5	$3.50	$11.25	$6.45
TILLAGE OPERATIONS
Moldboard Plow				Acre	5	$10.00	$30.00	$21.00
Chisel Plow				Acre	9	$12.00	$30.00	$19.89
Subsoil				Acre	5	$12.00	$36.00	$21.10
				Hour	4	$20.00	$150.00	$61.25
Offset Disk				Hour	3	$20.00	$65.00	$40.00
Tandem Disk				Acre	3	$12.00	$15.00	$14.00
				Hour	4	$20.00	$70.00	$47.50
MANURE SPREADING
Liquid Manure Spreading (3,000 Gal Tank)				Hour	12	$45.00	$68.00	$59.17
Poultry Litter Spreading				Acre	3	$5.00	$15.00	$10.00
				Hour	8	$40.00	$65.00	$55.00
				Ton	25	$3.00	$20.00	$10.72
PLANTING
Corn - Conventional				Acre	9	$12.00	$20.00	$15.78
Corn – No-Till				Acre	35	$8.00	$25.00	$15.47
Soybeans – Conventional				Acre	6	$14.00	$20.00	$17.17
Soybeans – No-Till				Acre	13	$8.00	$20.00	$14.08
Soybeans – Drill				Acre	6	$7.00	$18.00	$12.67
Small Grain – Drill				Acre	7	$9.00	$20.00	$15.29
Small Grain – No-Till				Acre	17	$7.00	$20.00	$13.32
Clover and Grass Seeding – Drill				Acre	11	$8.00	$22.00	$15.18
Clover and Grass Seeding – No-Till				Acre	13	$7.00	$32.00	$15.08
GRAIN CROP HARVESTING
Picking Corn			Acre		5	$25.00	$35.00	$28.40
Combining Corn			Acre		28	$15.00	$35.00	$30.29
			Hour		3	$60.00	$170.00	$111.67
Combining Soybeans			Acre		27	$20.00	$38.00	$31.41
			Hour		3	$60.00	$170.00	$116.67
Combining Small Grains			Acre		23	$20.00	$38.00	$29.52
			Hour		4	$60.00	$170.00	$106.25
Hauling Grain			Bushel		11	$0.11	$0.40	$0.20
			L. Mile		6	$1.00	$2.50	$2.08
SILAGE HARVEST
Tractor and Harvester			Hour		6	$30.00	$80.00	$56.67
Self Propelled Harvester			Hour		12	$40.00	$300.00	$213.33
Hauling Silage			Hour		12	$20.00	$70.00	$49.58
LIVESTOCK TRUCKING
2 Ton Truck		Loaded Mile			4	$2.00	$2.50	$2.29
Gooseneck Trailer		Loaded Mile			30	$1.00	$5.00	$2.18
Semi		Loaded Mile			3	$2.00	$3.00	$2.60
FENCE BUILDING
Fence Repair: Minor			Hour		11	$6.50	$20.00	$12.41
Driving Posts			Post		12	$1.00	$5.00	$2.27
			Hour		3	$10.00	$40.00	$25.00
Digging Post Hole			Hole		12	$0.50	$2.50	$1.52
			Hour		3	$10.00	$50.00	$28.33
Labor for Building Fence			Hour		15	$8.00	$20.00	$11.40
Fence Building (Complete job, not including materials.)	High Tensile		Per Ft.		4	$1.25	$10.00	$4.06
	Barbed Wire		Per Ft.		5	$1.75	$10.00	$3.72
	Woven Wire		Per Ft.		12	$1.35	$10.00	$3.53
	Board		Per Ft.		4	$3.50	$5.00	$4.13
OTHER
Large Bulldozer			Hour		11	$60.00	$95.00	$79.55
Small Bulldozer			Hour		4	$45.00	$65.00	$57.50
Backhoe			Hour		16	$40.00	$85.00	$59.69
Skid Loader			Hour		13	$10.00	$60.00	$36.15
Farm Road/Drivewary Grading			Hour		7	$22.00	$70.00	$41.00
Snow Plowing			Hour		14	$15.00	$100.00	$44.14
Lime Application (Excluding Cost of Lime)			Acre		12	$2.00	$16.00	$8.45
			Ton		5	$2.00	$12.00	$6.30
Fertilizer Application (Excluding Cost of Fertilizer)			Acre		30	$2.00	$12.00	$6.73
Chemical Spray Application (Excluding Cost of Chemicals)			Acre		23	$5.00	$10.00	$6.87
Sheep Shearing			Head		8	$2.50	$5.00	$3.13
EQUIPMENT RENTAL
Bale Wrapping Machine (Farmer supplies Wrap & Tractor)			Bale		10	$1.00	$6.50	$3.50
Bale Tube Bagging Machine (Includes Bag)			Bale		5	$3.50	$6.50	$5.20
Silage Bagging Machine (Includes Bag)			Bag		7	$540.00	$1200.00	$816.43
No-Till Drill			Acre		38	$3.00	$15.00	$8.24
Litter Manure Spreader			Day		6	$80.00	$125.00	$104.17
			Ton		8	$1.00	$10.00	$3.74
Rent Tractor		50 - 75 HP	Hour		10	$10.00	$60.00	$26.25
		75 - 100 HP	Hour		4	$10.00	$45.00	$28.75
		100+ HP	Hour		3	$25.00	$35.00	$30.00

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