During my time working as a county-based extension educator, one of the questions I was asked most often was the going rate for custom work. People wanted to know what others were charging for baling hay, chopping corn, hauling manure, and so on.

Many variables go into what custom operators need to charge for the services they provide, so there is not a one-size-fits-all answer. However, the custom rate guides released by some states provide a handy reference to help wrap our heads around these prices.

Updating these custom rate guides is no small undertaking; that’s why not every state conducts such a survey. It’s also the reason why some states may only update their guide every couple of years rather than annually.

The most recent Wisconsin Custom Rate Guide is from 2020, and there’s no doubt that prices have gone up in the past three years. While a new guide is not being released this year, University of Wisconsin-Madison economists Paul Mitchell and Guang Tan took some current economic factors into consideration to estimate custom rates in the Badger State for 2023.

The pair estimated custom rates by inflating the 2020 custom rates by two different indexes. The first method raised the rates by 23.3% based on the USDA price index. The second method utilized Iowa’s custom rates, which are updated every year. The economists took each 2020 Wisconsin rate and increased it by the same percentage that operation (or a similar one) changed in Iowa from 2020 to 2023.

For example, dragline pumping and injecting manure in the 2020 guide was listed at $9.30 per 1,000 gallons. Using the USDA Price Index inflation rate of 23.3%, the price per 1,000 gallons in 2023 would be $11.46. When compared to the percent of change in the Iowa rates, the 2023 Wisconsin price would be $11.36 per 1,000 gallons.

As another example, corn planting with fertilizer cost $20.95 an acre in 2020. When adjusted for the USDA Price Index, that rate rose to $25.82 per acre. Compared to the Iowa rates, the Wisconsin price per acre for 2023 would be $24.26.

To see all the price adjustments for 2023, take a look at the tables in the article, “Estimating custom rates for 2023 Wisconsin farm operations.”

To see custom rate from other parts of the country, check out this handy list of guides compiled by Mike Rankin, managing editor of Hay & Forage Grower. This list was created in March of this year and includes guides that have been updated since 2019.