By Ann Johanns
Farmers who depend on custom work or provide custom services can review rates reported by others across the state in the latest Iowa Farm Custom Rate Survey.
For over 50 years, the survey, conducted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, has provided guidance for Iowans who hire custom work and those who do custom work for others. According to the most recent Iowa Farmland and Tenure Survey, only 3% of Iowa farmland is fully operated under custom farming agreements. A much greater proportion of farm operations within the state utilize custom work for occasional operations throughout the year.
The 2026 Farm Custom Rate Survey is based on 205 responses and 4,698 custom rates provided by Iowa farmers, custom operators and farm managers. Thirty-two percent of respondents perform custom work, 20% hire work done, 47% indicated doing both and 2% did not indicate whether they perform or hire custom work.
Farm tasks in the report range from field preparation to planting to harvest, with cost data that reflects the average, median and range for each task. Rental rates for select machinery, grain bins and hourly machinery operating wages are also included. New operations surveyed in 2026 include drone spraying and side-dressing anhydrous ammonia.
Ann Johanns, program specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach and editor of Ag Decision Maker, said this report is a valuable resource for custom operators and those who hire custom work done.
Source : iastate.edu