What to charge for plowing?

The neighbor asked me to plow his rather large 4-5 acre garden. I have a JD 2520 and a JD 145 3x16 plow. Does anyone have an idea what the going rate is, e.g. $ per acre. Paul

PAUL...here is part of something I saved that addresses your question. I wish I were more computer savvy and could put up the pdf file in total. Hope this helps. Note the "assumption" on cost of fuel.

Custom Rate Survey File A3-10
Many Iowa farmers hire some custom machine work in their farm
business, or perform custom work for others. Others rent machinery
or perform other services. The information below is based on a survey
of 187 Iowa farmers, custom operators, and farm managers. For each
operation, the average rate from the survey and the range are shown.
Thirty percent of the respondents perform custom work, 18 percent
hire work done, and 52 percent indicated doing both.
Values below are rates expected to be charged or paid, including
fuel and labor. The average price for diesel fuel was assumed to
be $2.25 per gallon. This rate schedule is intended only as a guide.
Actual custom rates may vary according to availability of machinery
in a given area, timeliness, operator skill, fi eld size and shape, crop
conditions, and the performance characteristics of the machine being
used. Machinery rental rates can be estimated on the back.
Harvesting, Drying, and Storing Grain
Average Range
Corn combining, / acre $29.90 20.00 - 40.00
- with chopper head, / acre 32.70 23.00 - 41.75
Soybean combining, / acre 28.70 20.00 - 39.05
- with air reel, / acre 29.75 22.00 - 39.70
Small grain combining, / acre 27.20 22.00 - 32.45
Complete harvesting (combine, cart, haul to farm storage)
- Corn, / acre 38.55 24.50 - 55.00
- Soybeans, / acre 35.90 22.50 - 48.50
Added charge for GPS mapping, / acre 2.20 0.50 - 4.00
Picking ear corn, / acre (farm use) 27.25 20.00 - 34.85
Drying corn (includes fuel, electricity, labor)
- continuous fl ow dryer (/ point / bu.) 0.047 0.030 - 0.060
- bin dryer (/ point / bu.) 0.052 0.040 - 0.070
Bin dryer rental (/ bu.) no fuel or labor 0.074 0.020 - 0.130
Handling grain by auger, / bu. 0.066 0.020 - 0.170
Storing grain, bin rental, / bu. / month 0.023 0.010 - 0.050
Storing grain, bin rental, / bu. / year 0.147 0.100 - 0.250
Tillage
Average Range
Chopping cornstalks, / acre $9.95 5.00 - 16.00
Moldboard plowing, / acre 14.50 10.00 - 18.45
Chisel plowing, / acre 13.30 8.00 - 18.45
Disk/chiseling, / acre 14.20 8.00 - 19.00
Subsoiling (8 to 15 in. deep), / acre 16.45 9.50 - 24.00
V-ripping (over 15 in. deep), / acre 17.00 12.00 - 23.40
V-ripping with tandem disk, / acre 17.95 11.00 - 24.50
Disking, tandem, / acre 11.60 7.00 - 16.00
Disking, offset, / acre 14.25 10.00 - 18.00
Harrowing, / acre 8.10 4.00 - 12.50
Soil fi nishing, / acre 11.30 7.00 - 15.00
Field cultivating, / acre 10.85 7.00 - 15.00
Rock picking, / acre 13.00 11.00 - 15.00
Cultivating, / acre 10.10 8.00 - 12.00
Cultivating, ridge-till, / acre 12.45 9.00 - 15.80
Rotary hoeing, / acre 7.95 4.50 - 12.00
Land rolling, / acre 6.55 3.00 - 10.00


The figures shown appear to be over some sort of range. Moldboard plowing shows 10.00 to 18.45/per acre. My gut feeling is that 20-25/acre would be minimum. Distance to job?? Drive or trailer your equipment?? Can you get any idea of what prevailing rates are in your area??

Here is a link to the NASS site
http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Pennsylvania/Publications/Machinery_Custom_Rates/custom11.pdf

well i just inquired for a plowing rate for my ihc 660 with a 770 ihc 5 btm. plow and i was quoted 75.00/acre. so i would think 1/2 of that should be fair. but then area might be of diff. prices.

Up to five years ago 15 dollars per acre give or take a dollar was the rate here in New York. With the fuel increase you should get 20 dollars per acre or better. Something to consider would be how much wear on the shares. Been quite a while but it seems to me an OEM Deere share for our F145H Plow would last 50 to 70 acres or more. Guys on really coarse sandy soil around here could wear a set out in 10 acres.

With that small of a job you would be better off charging by the hour. You are going to spend more time going to the job, going home, turning around than its worth charging by the acre. $50 to $75 per hour from the time you leave till you get back home would be my guess.

I charge by the hour... but it's going to work out to 30-35 per acre. That said... I'm generally dealing with a lot of rock and sand ground. Wear rates and breakage rates are higher...

Rod

Paul---about 5 years ago, a neighbor was charging by the "bottom" per hour. $10 per bottom.

His 4 bottom charged out at $40 per hour....didn"t see this mentioned in any of the other answers as a method of charging..

Tim

Wow! Thanks for all the great responses. I forgot to add I am in WI. Again, Thanks. Paul

Its your neighbor,charge him fuel if needed

jimmy

if it was my neighbor i would do it for the fuel.
RICK