Wisconsin custom rate survey provides early look at 2025 field operation costs
Wisconsin custom rate survey provides early look at 2025 field operation costs
Silva Gaku, Paul Mitchell, Brian Luck and Guang Tian, UW-Madison Division of Extension... See moreMon, May 11, 2026 at 10:07 AM UTC
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Survey participants in the Wisconsin Custom Rate Survey provided custom rates for 2025 data crop year including the application of fertilizers and chemicals.
The 2026 planting season in Wisconsin is underway, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension has released its preliminary findings from the 2025 Wisconsin Custom Rate Survey. This early release highlights rates for tillage and field preparation, planting activities, and the application of fertilizers and chemicals. A comprehensive report covering all field operations, along with figures, will be made available in the coming weeks.
Survey participants provided custom rates for 2025 data crop year. The reported rates include fuel and the driver. These figures are intended as general benchmarks; actual rates may differ based on local supply, demand, and operating conditions. To provide additional context, we include the range of reported values and the number of responses, allowing users to gauge the level of variation and reliability of the estimates.
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To adjust these rates for inflation to 2026, they can be increased by 6% based on the producer price index from March 2025 to March 2026. For example, adjust chisel plowing rates by multiplying $20.83 by 1.06 to get $22.08 per acre. Alternatively, the Iowa State Custom Rate Guide reports a percentage increase by operation category. For example, the 8.5% increase for preharvest operations suggests a chisel plowing rate of $20.83 x 1.085 = $22.60 per acre.
Preliminary 2025 custom rate results
Preliminary findings from the 2025 Wisconsin Custom Rate Survey for land tillage services.
Preliminary findings from the 2025 Wisconsin Custom Rate Survey for drilling services.
Preliminary findings from the 2025 Wisconsin Custom Rate Survey for seeding and planting services.
Preliminary findings from the 2025 Wisconsin Custom Rate Survey for applications of fertilizers and chemicals.
There is also still time to complete the 2026 survey at go.wisc.edu/CustomRates
This article originally appeared on Wisconsin State Farmer: Custom rates point to higher field operation costs for Wisconsin farmers
Source: “AOL Money”
