Three publications commonly used by Wisconsin agricultural producers and their advisers to put values on machine operations are listed below. These machinery cost guidelines and estimates are based on 2010 information from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.
You should make appropriate adjustments for price changes to machinery, fuel, and/or labor when using this 2010 information for subsequent years.
The Wisconsin and Iowa information are both based on survey answers from farmers and custom machinery operators, as to prices paid or charged in 2010.
The Minnesota information is based on calculations (not a survey). Engineering and economic assumptions are made for depreciation, labor, fuel price, machine capacity and efficiency, etc.
Machine operation cost guidelines and estimates available from the Internet:
Wisconsin
Custom Rate Guide – 2010, National Ag Statistics Service, WI-DATCP, Feb, 2011.
http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Wisconsin/Publications/custom_rates_2010.pdf
Minnesota
Machinery Cost Estimates, University of Minnesota, May, 2011.
http://faculty.apec.umn.edu/wlazarus/documents/machdata.pdf
Iowa
2011 Iowa Farm Custom Rate Survey, Iowa State University, March, 2011.
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/crops/pdf/a3-10.pdf FG
—UW-Discovery Farms Program website, December 2011
