Iowa Farm Custom Rate Survey Supports Producers

By Andi Anderson

The 2026 Iowa Farm Custom Rate Survey is an important resource for farmers who offer or hire custom farming services.

For more than five decades, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has conducted this survey to help producers estimate fair prices for fieldwork and machinery use. While only 3% of Iowa farmland relies entirely on custom farming, many farm operations still use custom services for specific tasks throughout the year.

This year’s survey gathered 205 responses and a total of 4,698 custom rate entries from farmers, farm managers and custom operators. According to the results, 32% of participants perform custom work, 20% hire work and 47% both perform and hire custom services.

The report includes cost information for major tasks such as field preparation, planting and harvesting. It also provides rental rates for machinery, grain bins and wages paid to machinery operators. New categories for 2026 include drone spraying and side‑dressing anhydrous ammonia.

Ann Johanns, a program specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, emphasized the value of this report, saying, “This survey report is heavily used by Iowans and across the Midwest, as the 116,000 downloads in the past year show.” She also noted that “The 2026 survey report shows increases across all categories of operations surveyed, ranging from 0.3% for bin and machinery rental rates to 8.5% for pre-harvest operations, which include tillage, spraying, fertilizer application and planting.”

Survey users are reminded that actual custom rates may differ based on machinery availability, operator skill, field size, crop conditions and machine performance.

Fuel prices also affect overall custom costs. Diesel fuel was estimated at $2.89 per gallon when the survey invitations were sent, but it later increased. A rise of $0.50 per gallon can increase machinery costs by about 5%. Farmers can adjust custom rates by using fuel consumption estimates for each field operation.

To help farmers plan better, ISU provides tools for calculating machinery ownership and operating costs. Price comparisons for fuel, fertilizer and crops are also updated regularly.

Farmers interested in joining the 2027 survey mailing list can contact Ann Johanns at the Iowa State University Borlaug Learning Center.

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