One of most popular Nebraska Extension publications for those involved in providing or hiring custom machine hire on farms and ranches is the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s biennial Nebraska Custom Rates Survey and Report. The 2024 survey is now in development, and anyone involved in providing custom work for hire in Nebraska is invited to participate.

The survey of agricultural custom operators is conducted in the state every two years by the university’s Center for Agricultural Profitability. Corresponding reports publish the current rates charged by custom operators for machine hire services or other work they provide for neighboring farms and ranches, or as part of a business enterprise that covers a broader area.

“The larger the survey sample size of those completing the survey, the more useful the survey results will be,” said Glennis McClure, an extension educator and farm and ranch management analyst who leads the survey.

Participants may submit their responses either online or by mail. Requests for a survey should be made on the Center for Agricultural Profitability’s website.

The Nebraska Custom Rates Survey includes spring and summer operations such as tillage, planting and haying in part one. The second part surveys operators that provide custom machine hire typically done in the fall, including grain harvest, hauling, cutting ensilage, hauling livestock and other miscellaneous operations. Results from the 2024 survey will be published by second quarter of 2024. Custom rate information in Nebraska is grouped in the report by the eight Nebraska Agricultural Statistics Districts.

The 2022 Nebraska Custom Rates report is available online.

For questions, contact McClure at 402-472-0661.