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This publication reports average rates paid by Kansas farmers for custom work in 1997. The figures come from an annual survey of Kansas farmers, custom operators, co-ops and elevators. Questionnaires were mailed to 2,000 operations. Almost 1,700 responded by mail or telephone.

The Custom Rates book is intended to be a guide to help custom operators and farmers reach mutual agreements. The prices reported here should not be regarded as official or established rates. The average figures in this book give equal weight to all reports received.

The prices in this book are charges for machines, power, fuel and operator. Costs of chemicals, seeds and most other materials are excluded. The one exception is hay baling materials. Exchange work between farmers is not considered custom work.

There are large variations in the rates charged for specific jobs. For many items, the State averages may not be typical of any particular locale. There are many reasons for price differences. Some farmers may charge lower prices to neighbors. Soil conditions and field sizes are also significant factors. Rates are often lower in western Kansas where the larger farms are well suited to extensive operation with heavy equipment.

The average custom rates charged in 1997 are generally similar to those reported in 1996. At the State level, most average prices changed by less than 10 percent, up or down. Of the more than 110 custom work items or machinery rentals in this report, 71 increased in price, 9 were unchanged, and 30 decreased in price. The report contains historical tables and graphs which show the results of previous surveys. Data are missing for 1986 because the funding for this project was temporarily halted.

In the past year we have received many comments about the Custom Rates report from the agricultural community. We appreciate this feedback and encourage readers to continue sharing their suggestions and feelings regarding this survey.

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WHEAT: Rates for custom combining wheat averaged $13.33 per acre with, in many cases, an additional average charge of 12.6 cents per bushel for yields greater than 21 bushels per acre. The per acre rate is up 1 cent from last year.

CUSTOM RATES FOR COMBINE HARVESTING OF WHEAT, 1997

District	No. of Rpts. 1/	Dollars Per Acre		No. of Rpts. 1/	Extra Charge for High Yield
		Range	Avg.		¢ Per Bu.	Above ( ) Bu.
NW	112	10.00-25.00	12.88	109	12.7	21
WC	81	10.00-14.00	12.69	79	12.5	20
SW	116	10.00-14.00	12.52	112	12.4	20
NC	102	12.00-16.00	12.79	98	12.7	21
C	128	10.00-15.00	12.74	115	12.5	21
SC	152	10.00-14.00	12.83	147	12.7	20
NE	64	10.00-25.00	15.76	24	14.4	20
EC	48	12.00-20.00	16.77	6	12.8	23
SE	57	12.00-20.00	14.89	24	12.4	23
STATE	860	10.00-25.00	13.33	714	12.6	21

1/ Reports are counted in each district where combining was done; thus, some reports are included in more than one district.

HISTORICAL CUSTOM RATES FOR WHEAT HARVESTING

Year	Dollars Per Acre	Extra Charges for High Yield
		¢ Per Bushel	Above ( ) Bushels
1981	13.34	12.2	21
1982	13.70	12.7	21
1983	13.58	12.6	21
1984	13.48	12.6	21
1985	13.18	12.3	21
1987	12.43	11.6	21
1988	12.66	11.6	21
1989	12.71	11.6	21
1990	12.83	11.8	21
1991	12.74	11.8	21
1992	12.90	12.1	21
1993	13.05	12.1	20
1994	13.03	12.2	21
1995	13.02	12.2	20
1996	13.32	12.4	20
1997	13.33	12.6	21

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SORGHUM GRAIN: Rates charged for custom harvesting of grain sorghum averaged 14.35 per acre, an increase of 14 cents from last year. We received many reports of additional charges that averaged 12.5 cents per bushel for yields over 37 bushels per acre.

CUSTOM RATES FOR COMBINE HARVESTING OF SORGHUM GRAIN, 1997

District	No. of Rpts. 1/	Dollars Per Acre		No. of Rpts. 1/	Extra Charge for High Yield
		Range	Avg.		¢ Per Bu.	Above ( ) Bu.
NW	40	12.00-18.00	13.24	33	12.8	34
WC	36	12.00-22.00	13.36	29	12.3	31
SW	47	10.00-25.00	13.51	40	12.4	35
NC	65	11.00-25.00	13.51	54	12.5	38
C	72	10.00-18.00	13.03	64	12.4	38
SC	72	11.50-25.00	13.41	58	12.4	38
NE	48	10.00-25.00	17.18	10	14.1	55
EC	34	14.00-25.00	18.43	3	10.7	57
SE	41	12.00-24.00	15.90	15	12.2	43
STATE	455	10.00-25.00	14.35	306	12.5	37

1/ Reports are counted in each district where combining was done; thus, some reports are included in more than one district.

HISTORICAL CUSTOM RATES FOR SORGHUM GRAIN HARVESTING

Year	Dollars Per Acre	Extra Charges for High Yield
		¢ Per Bushel	Above ( ) Bushels
1980	13.00	11.3	29
1981	14.39	12.0	32
1982	14.59	12.3	31
1983	14.37	12.4	31
1984	14.15	12.4	31
1985	13.99	12.1	33
1987	13.22	11.2	33
1988	13.61	11.9	32
1989	13.58	11.3	34
1990	14.23	11.6	36
1991	13.50	11.8	33
1992	14.15	11.8	36
1993	14.62	12.0	34
1994	14.27	12.0	35
1995	14.27	11.9	36
1996	14.21	12.3	36
1997	14.35	12.5	37

GRAIN HARVESTING

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CORN: The charge to have corn custom harvested in 1997 was $18.72 per acre with some operators adding an average extra charge of 12.3 cents per bushel for yields above 66 bushels per acre. This is a decrease of 5 cents per acre.

CUSTOM RATES FOR COMBINE HARVESTING OF CORN, BY DISTRICTS, 1997

Dist.	No. of Rpts. 1/	Cents per Bushel		No. of Rpts. 1/	Dollars per Acre		No. of Rpts. 1/	Extra Charge for High Yields
		Range	Avg.		Range	Avg.		¢ per Bushel	Above ( ) Bushels
NW	61	10-28	23	18	10.00-25.00	17.19	7	13.7	73
WC	29	13-30	24	12	12.00-25.00	17.83	5	11.4	49
SW	60	12-30	23	10	12.00-25.00	16.10	4	10.3	60
NC	23	13-28	23	13	13.00-25.00	17.92	3	15.7	71
C	34	13-28	23	15	13.00-25.00	18.87	5	10.2	55
SC	54	13-32	23	11	13.00-25.00	19.87	2/
NE	9	10-25	21	49	10.00-26.00	19.65	7	11.3	79
EC	4	6-25	20	46	12.00-22.00	19.08	3	10.7	67
SE	2/			20	13.00-22.50	18.63	4	15.0	65
STATE	276	6-32	23	194	10.00-26.00	18.72	40	12.3	66

1/ Reports are counted in districts where combining was done; thus, some reports are included in more than one district.

2/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

HISTORICAL CUSTOM RATES FOR CORN HARVESTING

Year	Dollars per Acre	Extra Charges for High Yield		Flat Rate Charge
		¢ per Bushel	Above ( ) Bushels	¢ per Bushels
1980	15.41	10.0	38	21
1981	17.90	11.5	44	22
1982	17.82	11.5	45	22
1983	17.76	11.1	52	23
1984	18.79	10.7	44	23
1985	16.67	10.9	55	21
1987	17.71	10.5	58	20
1988	17.78	12.2	64	22
1989	18.64	13.0	66	19
1990	18.27	12.1	78	21
1991	18.30	9.5	58	21
1992	18.35	10.7	67	22
1993	18.21	11.8	58	21
1994	18.23	10.1	65	22
1995	17.79	12.4	62	21
1996	18.77	12.6	63	23
1997	18.72	12.3	66	23

GRAIN HARVESTING

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SOYBEANS: The charge to harvest soybeans this year increased by 14 cents per acre, to $18.68 per acre. Some operators charged an extra charge averaging 12.4 cents per bushel for yields above 26 bushels per acre.

CUSTOM RATES FOR COMBINE HARVESTING OF SOYBEANS, 1997

District	No. of Rpts. 1/	Dollars Per Acre		No. of Rpts. 1/	Extra Charge for High Yield
		Range	Avg.		¢ Per Bu.	Above ( ) Bu.
NW	27	13.00-25.00	19.31	8	12.9	25
WC	18	12.00-25.00	18.06	10	11.7	28
SW	25	12.00-25.00	18.84	6	11.3	33
NC	41	15.00-25.00	19.30	11	12.7	25
C	47	12.00-25.00	17.87	20	12.7	27
SC	63	13.00-30.00	19.49	22	11.6	25
NE	79	15.00-25.00	19.58	2/
EC	59	14.00-25.00	18.38	2/
SE	53	13.00-25.00	16.75	11	14.1	26
STATE	412	12.00-30.00	18.68	92	12.4	26

1/ Reports are counted in each district where combining was done; thus, some reports are included in more than one district.

2/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

HISTORICAL CUSTOM RATES FOR SOYBEAN HARVESTING

Year	Dollars Per Acre	Extra Charges for High Yield
		¢ Per Bushel	Above ( ) Bushels
1980	15.75	12.9	22
1981	17.50	13.2	23
1982	17.62	13.3	22
1983	17.76	12.8	23
1984	18.05	13.7	24
1985	18.05	12.2	23
1987	17.46	12.4	24
1988	17.31	12.1	24
1989	17.58	12.3	26
1990	17.92	13.0	25
1991	18.07	12.1	22
1992	18.63	12.5	22
1993	17.96	12.5	23
1994	18.15	12.2	25
1995	17.65	12.2	25
1996	18.54	12.7	24
1997	18.68	12.4	26

GRAIN HARVESTING

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SUNFLOWERS: Custom harvesting of sunflowers averaged $17.69 per acre in 1997. This compares to the average of $17.10 per acre in 1996.

CUSTOM RATES FOR COMBINE HARVESTING OF SUNFLOWERS, 1997

Dist.	Number of Rpts. 1/	Dollars per Acre
		Range	Avg.
NW	24	12.00-23.00	17.00
WC	5	12.00-25.00	18.00
SW	8	12.00-20.00	17.50
NC	12	12.00-25.00	18.17
C	6	15.00-21.00	17.50
SC	10	13.00-23.00	18.00
NE	2/
EC	2/
SE	2/
ST	70	12.00-25.00	17.69

HISTORICAL CUSTOM RATES FOR SUNFLOWER HARVESTING

Year	Dollars per Acre	Extra Charges for High Yield
		¢ per Bushel	Above () Bushels
1988	14.57	11.0	20
1989	13.92	11.0	24
1990	14.50	11.5	28
1991	15.50	11.4	38
1992	16.88	3/	3/
1993	16.06	12.0	27
1994	16.55	11.3	37
1995	16.52	3/	3/
1996	17.10	11.0	30
1997	17.69	11.6	18

1/ Reports are counted in each district where combining was done; thus, some reports are included in more than one district.

2/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals. 3/ Insufficient data to publish.

SEED CLEANING

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Wheat cleaning with treatment averaged 96 cents per bushel. Rates for cleaning wheat without treatment averaged 41 cents per bushel. The average cost for cleaning soybeans with treatment was 91 cents per bushel, up 4 cents from 1996, while the cost excluding treatment averaged 46 cents., up 3 cents from 1996. Cleaning alfalfa seed without treatment cost 18 cents per pound and the average reported charge for cleaning red clover seed without treatment was 17 cents per pound. There were not enough reports for cleaning red clover or alfalfa seed with treatment to be published.

CUSTOM RATES FOR SEED CLEANING, 1997

Dist.	With Treatment			Without Treatment			With Treatment			Without Treatment
	Number of Rpts.	Cents per Bushel		Number of Rpts.	Cents per Bushel		Number of Rpts.	Cents per Bushel		Number of Rpts.	Cents per Bushel
		Range	Avg.		Range	Avg.		Range	Avg.		Range	Avg.
	Wheat						Soybeans
NW	1/	-	-	39	25-65	38	-			-
WC	3	35-130	90	34	12-50	35	-			1/
SW	1/	-	-	40	11-60	42	-			-
NC	21	34-165	111	50	15-100	42	-			4	35-50	41
C	22	35-140	86	66	13-80	44	1/			3	40-50	43
SC	13	30-135	91	72	12-90	41	1/			3	45-50	48
NE	8	45-185	101	15	30-60	45	4	50-185	125	10	30-75	49
EC	5	115-130	125	17	20-85	46	1/			7	40-60	47
SE	5	45-115	68	27	6-80	42	1/			15	30-80	46
ST	81	30-185	96	360	6-100	41	9	35-185	91	43	30-80	46

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

HISTORICAL CUSTOM RATES FOR SEED CLEANING, 1997

Crop	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
Alfalfa (Cents/Pound)
With Treatment	1/	65	58	2/	2/	2/
Without Treatment	8	9	14	10	14	18
Red Clover (Cents/Pound)
With Treatment	1/	-	-	2/	2/	2/
Without Treatment	7	11	11	13	12	17
Soybeans (Cents/Bushel)
With Treatment	1/	82	81	112	87	91
Without Treatment	42	40	43	45	43	46
Wheat (Cents/Bushel)
With Treatment	1/	86	81	94	80	96
Without Treatment	36	38	38	41	42	41

1/ In 1992, seed cleaning was not split out by treatment.

2/ Insufficient data to publish.

GRAIN HAULING

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Custom rates for hauling wheat, grain sorghum, corn, soybeans, and sunflowers from the field to farm or to the nearest elevator increased slightly. The overall average charge for these five crops was 12.0 cents per bushel with an extra charge of 1.3 cents per bushel per mile over 12 miles. This compares with 1996 averages of 11.9 cents per bushel plus the 1.2 cents a bushel per mile over 13 miles. Only reports which included both a mileage limit and a per mile charge for additional miles were tabulated in the 'over basic mileage' columns.

CUSTOM RATES FOR HAULING GRAIN FROM FIELD TO FARM STORAGE OR ELEVATOR, 1997

District	No. of Reports	Cents per Bu.	Miles Limit	Cents/bu. /Mile Over Basic Mileage	No. of Reports	Cents per Bu.	Miles Limit	Cents/bu. /Mile Over Basic Mileage
	Wheat				Sorghum Grain
NW	75	12.7	12	1.2	27	12.4	13	1.4
WC	59	12.6	12	1.7	17	12.4	11	1.0
SW	72	12.1	13	1.5	22	11.2	10	0.9
NC	87	12.6	12	2.0	48	12.4	11	2.1
C	100	12.5	11	1.3	57	12.3	11	2.0
SC	129	12.5	11	1.0	53	11.8	11	0.9
NE	47	12.3	18	1.1	36	11.5	14	1.3
EC	31	11.5	16	1.0	25	11.5	13	1.1
SE	43	11.9	10	1.0	31	11.6	9	1.1
STATE	643	12.4	12	1.5	316	11.9	12	1.1
	Corn				Soybeans
NW	22	11.8	14	1.1	13	11.9	12	1.9
WC	7	11.7	10	1.0	5	12.4	12	1.1
SW	15	9.9	13	0.8	3	12.0	10	0.8
NC	12	10.6	9	1.5	21	11.7	11	0.6
C	14	10.4	9	1.1	25	11.8	10	1.4
SC	12	9.1	9	0.8	33	12.1	10	0.7
NE	37	11.0	15	1.4	49	11.5	17	0.9
EC	31	11.6	16	0.9	37	11.4	14	0.9
SE	13	9.7	11	1.0	36	10.9	9	1.1
STATE	163	10.8	13	1.1	222	11.6	12	1.3
	Sunflowers
West	5	10.6	13	3.0
Central	7	11.7	11	2.6
Eastern	5	12.8	12	1.0
State	17	11.7	11	2.2

-

SILAGE OPERATIONS

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Custom rates for silage operations were separated into three categories: 1) chopping, hauling, and filling the silo, 2) chopping and hauling, and 3) chopping only. The average rate per ton for the complete silage operation was $5.27 per ton, up from $4.88 in 1996. Operations which included only chopping and hauling averaged $4.54 per ton, up 12 cents from 1996, and chopping only averaged $3.00, compared to $2.94 in 1996.

CUSTOM RATES FOR SILAGE, PER TON, 1997

District	Chopping, Hauling, & Filling Silo			Chopping & Hauling
	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Ton		No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Ton
		Range	Average		Range	Average
NW	6	4.50-6.00	5.34	17	4.00-6.00	4.51
WC	8	5.00-6.50	5.49	20	3.00-6.00	4.51
SW	9	4.25-9.00	5.87	20	2.00-8.00	4.76
NC	8	4.25-5.50	4.66	15	3.00-5.00	4.40
C	5	4.00-6.00	4.85	24	3.75-6.75	4.56
SC	9	4.00-6.25	5.40	24	4.00-7.50	4.62
NE	6	4.50-6.00	5.04	11	3.50-6.00	4.50
EC	3	5.00-5.25	5.17	10	4.00-4.75	4.28
SE	1/			4	4.00-4.75	4.38
STATE	55	4.00-9.00	5.27	145	2.00-8.00	4.54

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

SILAGE MAKING, CHOPPING ONLY, 1997

District	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Ton
		Range	Average
NW	7	2.15-4.00	2.54
WC	10	2.00-2.75	2.27
SW	5	2.25-6.00	4.15
NC	6	2.00-4.50	3.63
C	9	2.00-4.50	3.28
SC	11	2.25-5.00	2.98
NE	8	2.15-5.00	2.95
EC	1/
SE	-
STATE	57	2.00-6.00	3.00

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

HAYING

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Custom rates for all hay mowing operations were divided into mowing or swathing only and mowing or swathing with conditioning. Mowing or swathing without conditioning cost an average of $7.67 per acre, 14 cents more than in 1996. Mowing or swathing with conditioning was $8.00 per acre, 3 cents higher than the 1996 average. The average charge for sideraking hay in 1997 was $2.72 per acre, 8 cents higher than the 1996 figure.

CUSTOM RATES FOR MOWING OR SWATHING HAY, 1997

District	Without Conditioning			With Conditioning
	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre		No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre
		Range	Average		Range	Average
NW	8	5.00-15.00	8.06	28	7.00-12.00	8.47
WC	7	7.50-10.00	8.50	25	7.00-12.00	8.78
SW	11	7.00-11.00	8.20	47	6.00-10.00	7.80
NC	12	6.00-9.00	7.83	41	6.00-11.00	7.41
C	19	6.00-14.00	8.03	71	6.00-16.00	8.10
SC	26	6.00-11.00	8.03	86	6.00-12.00	8.00
NE	12	3.00-10.00	6.75	32	4.00-12.00	8.23
EC	11	4.00-9.25	7.00	21	6.00-9.25	7.44
SE	20	3.00-10.00	6.93	36	7.00-12.00	7.99
STATE	126	3.00-15.00	7.67	387	4.00-16.00	8.00

CUSTOM RATES FOR SIDERAKING HAY, 1997

District	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre
		Range	Average
NW	3	2.00-6.00	4.00
WC	4	2.00-5.00	3.25
SW	12	1.25-4.00	2.94
NC	7	2.00-4.00	3.07
C	17	1.00-5.00	2.37
SC	21	0.50-5.00	2.45
NE	8	2.00-5.00	3.00
EC	9	2.00-3.50	2.69
SE	18	1.00-4.50	2.16
STATE	99	0.50-6.00	2.72

HAYING

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Custom baling of small bales with twine or wire cost an average of 51 cents per bale, up 5 cents from 1996. Large round bales cost $7.06 on average, also up a nickel from the 1996 figure. The charge for large square bales weighing about one ton averaged $11.50, down $1.13 from 1996.

CUSTOM RATES FOR BALING HAY, 1997

Type of Bale	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Bale
		Range	Average
Small: Square w/Twine	89	0.30-0.85	0.51
Square w/Wire	76	0.24-0.90	0.50
Large: Round (under 1,500 lbs.)	340	4.00-13.00	6.82
Round (over 1,500 lbs.)	231	5.00-16.00	7.30
Square (approx. 1 ton)	51	4.50-17.50	11.50

CUSTOM RATES FOR BALING, SMALL SQUARE BALES, 1997

District	With Twine			With Wire
	No. of Rpts.	Cents per Bale		No. of Rpts.	Cents per Bale
		Range	Average		Range	Average
NW	1/			8	35-55	44
WC	1/			9	24-70	48
SW	12	40-80	53	16	40-80	53
NC	10	40-75	58	4	40-60	50
C	11	30-70	52	7	32-65	47
SC	12	40-85	54	11	34-75	49
NE	6	40-55	46	11	25-65	49
EC	12	35-75	46	4	45-90	64
SE	23	40-55	46	6	30-80	58
STATE	89	30-85	51	76	24-90	50

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

CUSTOM RATES FOR BALING, LARGE ROUND BALES, 1997

District	Under 1,500 Pounds			Over 1,500 Pounds
	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Bale		No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Bale
		Range	Average		Range	Average
NW	27	5.00-9.00	6.44	16	5.00-8.25	6.63
WC	24	5.00-9.00	6.31	9	5.50-11.00	7.00
SW	28	6.00-13.00	7.88	23	6.00-16.00	8.52
NC	36	5.00-10.00	6.67	24	5.00-8.00	6.90
C	45	4.50-8.00	6.61	41	6.00-9.50	7.01
SC	69	4.50-10.00	6.93	52	5.00-9.00	7.07
NE	35	4.50-10.00	6.81	31	6.00-10.00	7.45
EC	34	4.00-10.00	6.51	15	5.00-10.00	7.40
SE	42	5.00-12.00	7.11	20	6.00-12.00	7.90
STATE	340	4.00-13.00	6.82	231	5.00-16.00	7.30

HAYING

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Custom rates for hauling small bales from field to farm storage averaged 43 cents per bale in 1997, up 7 cents from 1996. Rates for hauling large bales average $2.74 per bale or $6.19 per ton. In 1996, the rates were $2.68 per bale and $5.54 per ton. The custom rate for stacking hay of stacks 4-6 tons averaged $47.86 and compares to $52.14 in 1996.

CUSTOM RATES FOR HAULING SMALL BALES FROM FIELD TO STORAGE, 1997

District	No. of Rpts.	Cents per Bale
		Range	Average
NW	-
WC	4	12-100	47
SW	13	25-50	31
NC	1/
C	4	10-200	88
SC	9	35-175	56
NE	1/
EC	12	34-50	41
SE	21	35-45	39
STATE	67	10-200	43

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

HAYING

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CUSTOM RATES FOR STACKING HAY, 1997

Stack Size (Tons)	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Stack
		Range	Average
Up to 2	1/
3	1/
4-6	7	40.00-50.00	47.86
Over 6	1/

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

CUSTOM RATES FOR HAULING LARGE BALES FROM FIELD TO STORAGE, 1997

District	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Bale		No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Ton
		Range	Average		Range	Average
NW	5	1.50-5.00	3.10	4	2.00-10.00	5.25
WC	4	1.00-6.00	3.63	1/
SW	15	2.00-5.00	2.63	1/
NC	5	1.00-2.50	1.80	3	2.63-5.00	3.54
C	6	1.00-4.00	2.29	3	5.00-7.00	6.33
SC	13	0.40-5.00	2.38	1/
NE	4	2.00-3.00	2.50	1/
EC	11	1.25-6.00	2.89	1/
SE	11	1.00-5.00	2.50	1/
STATE	74	0.40-6.00	2.74	21	2.00-15.00	6.19

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

HAYING

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Rates per bale for the entire haying operation, including cutting, baling, hauling, and stacking, at $1.02 per small bale, were down 6 cents from 1996. Large bales, at $12.63 per bale, were down 90 cents from 1996. Rates reported on a per ton basis averaged $23.26, down from the 1996 figure of $23.78.

CUSTOM RATES FOR ENTIRE HAYING OPERATION, PER BALE, 1997

District	Small Bales			Large Bales
	No. of Rpts.	Cents per Bale		No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Bale
		Range	Average		Range	Average
NW WC SW NC C SC NE EC SE STATE	1/ 1/ 1/ 1/ 1/ 1/ 1/ 5 8 18	0.95-1.30 0.38-1.22 0.38-1.30	1.14 0.95 1.02	1/ 1/ 4 1/ 1/ 1/ 1/ 15 16 41	5.00-17.10 9.00-15.00 10.00-19.00 5.00-19.00	11.15 11.97 13.58 12.63

CUSTOM RATES FOR ENTIRE HAYING OPERATION, PER TON, 1997

District	No. of Reports	Dollars per Ton		District	No. of Reports	Dollars per Ton
		Range	Average			Range	Average
WEST CENTRAL	14 5	17.00-25.00 23.00-28.00	21.8224.80	EAST STATE	4 23	14.00-34.00 14.00-34.00	26.37 23.26

ROTARY MOWING

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The average custom rate for rotary mowing was $7.21 per acre or $41.96 per hour in 1997. In 1996, charges were $7.20 per acre or $34.39 per hour.

CUSTOM RATES FOR ROTARY MOWING, 1997

Dist.	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre		No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Hour
		Range	Avg.		Range	Avg.
NW WC SW	- 1/ 10	6.00-8.00	6.80	- - 3	40.00-75.00	55.00
NC C SC	1/ 4 4	6.00-7.50 7.00-10.00	6.63 8.63	- 4 4	20.00-70.00 12.00-40.00	42.00 31.75
NE EC SE	6 6 8	5.00-15.00 6.50-15.00 3.00-7.00	8.33 9.08 5.50	1/ 9 1/	25.00-60.00	41.11
STATE	40	3.00-15.00	7.21	23	12.00-75.00	41.96

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

SKID LOADER TREE SHEARING, 1997

Dist.	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre
		Range	Avg.
NC C SC	5 1/ 3	40.00-45.00 45.00-60.00	43.40 53.33
NE EC SE	7 1/ 7	35.00-45.00 25.00-70.00	40.71 36.43
STATE	25	25.00-70.00	40.68

LAND TILLAGE

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Custom rates for tillage operations vary depending on the area of the State, type of soil tillage practice, size of fields and size of equipment. For all disking operations, the average charge was $5.71 per acre, an increase from $5.64 per acre in 1996. Average charges for regular disking were $5.53 per acre, up 7 cents per acre from the 1996 rate. The average charge per acre for one-way disking was $5.05, a 37 cent decrease from the 1996 figure of $5.42. The average offset disking charge of $6.17 was up 15 cents an acre from the 1996 rate.

CUSTOM RATES FOR DISKING, 1997

Dist.	Disking			One-Way Disk			Offset Disk
	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre		No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre		No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre
		Range	Avg.		Range	Avg.		Range	Avg.
NW	15	4.00-6.50	4.77	1/			9	4.00-8.00	5.86
WC	10	3.00-5.50	4.30	3	4.00-5.00	4.67	5	4.00-7.00	5.05
SW	15	4.50-6.00	5.17	5	4.00-6.00	4.60	17	4.15-6.50	5.24
NC	9	4.50-6.50	5.55	1/			5	5.00-6.50	5.95
C	16	4.00-7.25	5.27	3	5.00-6.00	5.33	10	3.50-8.00	5.38
SC	24	4.00-8.00	5.48	3	4.00-6.50	5.17	17	4.00-8.00	6.35
NE	12	5.00-12.00	7.04	-			3	5.50-11.00	7.67
EC	15	5.00-7.00	5.77	1/			7	4.00-8.50	7.18
SE	21	3.75-8.00	6.14	-			8	6.00-12.00	8.47
STATE	137	3.00-12.00	5.53	19	4.00-7.00	5.05	81	3.50-12.00	6.17

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

LAND TILLAGE

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In 1997, charges for spiketooth harrowing averaged $4.65, an increase of 48 cents per acre. The average for springtooth harrowing increased by 45 cents in 1997 to $4.79 per acre.

CUSTOM RATES FOR HARROWING, 1997

District	Spiketooth Harrow			Springtooth Harrow
	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre		No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre
		Range	Average		Range	Average
NW	1/			1/
WC	-			1/
SW	3	5.00-5.50	5.17	4	3.00-6.00	4.75
NC	1/			-
C	4	4.50-5.25	4.94	8	3.00-8.00	4.97
SC	3	4.00-5.50	4.83	3	4.00-7.50	5.33
NE	-			-
EC	1/			-
SE	1/			3	3.50-6.00	4.67
STATE	15	2.00-6.50	4.65	20	3.00-8.00	4.79

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

LAND TILLAGE

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Rates for custom chiseling 4-12 inches deep averaged $6.70 per acre, a 51 cent per acre decrease from the 1996 rate. Deep chiseling, over 12 inches deep, averaged $8.76 per acre, an increase of 52 cents from the 1996 average.

CUSTOM RATES FOR CHISELING, 1997

District	Chisel (4-12")			Deep Chisel (Over 12")
	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre		No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre
		Range	Average		Range	Average
NW	3	5.00-6.00	5.50	1/
WC	3	4.00-5.00	4.33	3	5.00-10.00	6.67
SW	11	4.00-6.00	5.32	9	5.00-8.00	6.97
NC	5	6.00-9.00	6.81	3	7.50-8.00	7.83
C	13	4.00-10.00	6.83	6	5.00-12.00	9.17
SC	12	5.00-10.50	6.88	9	7.00-15.00	9.36
NE	5	7.00-10.50	8.30	5	9.00-15.00	11.20
EC	5	6.00-10.00	8.00	3	8.50-9.00	8.83
SE	6	6.00-10.00	7.83	4	9.00-13.00	10.63
STATE	63	4.00-10.50	6.70	44	5.00-15.00	8.76

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

LAND TILLAGE

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The average moldboard plowing rate increased 72 cents per acre to $8.95, while undercutting operations averaged $4.86 an acre, compared to $4.98 an acre in 1996.

CUSTOM RATES FOR PLOWING AND UNDERCUTTING, 1997

District	Moldboard Plow			Undercutter (Large "V" Blade)
	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre		No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre
		Range	Average		Range	Average
NW	1/			24	4.00-6.00	4.82
WC	-			30	3.00-8.00	4.37
SW	5	4.00-8.00	6.20	30	4.00-6.00	4.76
NC	1/			7	5.00-7.00	5.66
C	11	5.00-12.00	9.00	15	3.00-7.50	5.15
SC	10	6.50-12.00	9.50	15	4.00-7.00	5.44
NE	4	10.00-15.00	12.63	-
EC	4	7.00-11.00	9.13	-
SE	5	6.00-12.00	8.70	-
STATE	43	4.00-15.00	8.95	121	3.00-8.00	4.86

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

LAND TILLAGE

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Custom operators charged an overall average of $5.22 an acre for field cultivation, up 2 cents an acre since last year. The shank cultivator rate was $5.33 and wheel springtooth cultivation averaged $4.74 per acre. The table at the bottom shows historical average custom rate charges for land tillage in Kansas.

CUSTOM RATES FOR FIELD CULTIVATION, 1997

District	Shank Cultivator			Wheel Springtooth
	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre		No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre
		Range	Average		Range	Average
NW	6	3.50-6.00	4.83	1/
WC	7	3.00-6.00	4.68	1/
SW	9	3.75-7.50	5.21	3	3.50-4.50	4.17
NC	8	4.75-5.50	5.11	1/
C	16	3.50-8.00	4.83	7	3.75-5.50	4.62
SC	16	3.00-6.00	5.05	5	4.00-6.00	5.60
NE	11	3.50-10.00	6.34	1/
EC	14	3.50-7.50	5.63	1/
SE	13	3.50-7.50	5.94	1/
STATE	100	3.00-10.00	5.33	24	3.50-6.50	4.74

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

LAND TILLAGE

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CUSTOM RATES FOR LAND TILLAGE, KANSAS HISTORICAL AVERAGES

Type of Operation	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
	Dollars per Acre
Disking	5.01	5.20	5.18	5.25	5.36	5.26	5.60	5.46	5.53
One-Way Disk	5.27	5.38	5.75	5.35	5.63	5.07	5.58	5.42	5.05
Offset Disk	5.62	5.52	5.71	5.88	5.81	5.77	5.74	6.02	6.17
Spiketooth Harrow	4.43	4.18	4.77	4.53	4.34	4.04	4.21	4.17	4.65
Springtooth Harrow	3.69	4.06	4.02	4.07	4.53	4.36	4.13	4.34	4.79
Chisel 4-12"	6.20	6.47	6.28	6.50	6.36	6.34	6.76	7.21	6.70
Chisel Over 12"	7.45	7.94	7.88	8.02	7.99	7.72	8.24	8.24	8.76
Undercutter	4.59	4.70	4.76	4.81	4.83	4.93	4.91	4.98	4.86
Moldboard Plow	8.20	9.16	8.62	9.17	8.50	8.78	8.99	8.23	8.95
Shank Cultivator	4.73	4.86	4.83	5.06	5.10	5.12	5.17	5.33	5.33
Wheel Springtooth Cultivator	4.19	4.59	4.60	4.71	4.69	4.69	4.55	4.70	4.74

PLANTING (Regular-Till)

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Small grain seeding charges averaged $5.94 per acre, an increase of 23 cents per acre. Sorghum grain charges increased by 17 cents per acre, to $6.82 per acre, in 1997. The average price charged for planting corn was $7.28 per acre, compared to $7.19 per acre in 1996. Soybean seeding charges averaged $7.06 per acre in 1997. This is an increase of 29 cents per acre from last year. The grass seeding rate decreased by 23 cents an acre, to $8.27 per acre, in 1997. The price for seeding alfalfa-legumes averaged $7.42 an acre, an increase of 13 cents per acre.

CUSTOM RATES FOR REGULAR-TILL PLANTING, 1997

District	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre		No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre
		Range	Average		Range	Average
	SMALL GRAINS			SORGHUM
NW	24	4.00-8.00	5.50	8	5.00-8.00	6.81
WC	27	3.00-12.00	5.71	15	5.00-12.00	7.10
SW	29	3.75-8.00	5.43	24	4.00-8.00	6.24
NC	15	5.00-14.00	6.98	20	5.50-10.00	6.95
C	23	2.57-8.00	5.62	22	4.00-10.00	6.50
SC	25	2.00-10.00	5.69	28	4.00-10.50	7.25
NE	10	6.00-10.50	8.05	10	6.50-10.50	8.13
EC	7	4.00-12.00	6.79	11	4.00-12.00	6.55
SE	15	5.00-9.00	6.10	14	5.00-8.00	6.21
STATE	175	2.00-14.00	5.94	152	4.00-12.00	6.82
	CORN			SOYBEANS
NW	16	5.00-8.00	7.03	4	5.00-8.00	6.50
WC	8	5.00-12.00	7.25	3	5.00-12.00	8.17
SW	14	4.50-9.00	7.18	1/
NC	10	6.00-10.00	7.08	10	6.00-10.00	6.93
C	11	5.00-12.00	7.36	10	5.00-9.00	6.90
SC	16	5.50-10.50	8.23	15	5.50-11.00	7.48
NE	14	6.00-10.50	7.84	14	5.00-10.50	7.91
EC	15	4.00-12.00	6.63	12	4.00-12.00	6.54
SE	11	5.00-10.00	6.68	12	5.00-8.00	6.42
STATE	115	4.00-12.00	7.28	82	4.00-12.00	7.06
	GRASS SEEDING			ALFALFA-LEGUME SEEDING
NW	1/			1/
WC	1/			1/
SW	1/			6	5.00-8.50	7.42
NC	5	6.00-10.00	8.05	1/
C	5	5.00-10.00	7.80	7	5.00-8.50	6.93
SC	4	5.00-10.00	6.63	6	5.00-10.00	6.42
NE	-			-
EC	1/			3	7.50-10.00	9.00
SE	-			6	6.50-9.00	7.67
STATE	21	5.00-13.00	8.27	33	5.00-14.00	7.42

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

PLANTING

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CUSTOM RATES FOR REGULAR-TILL PLANTING, KANSAS HISTORICAL AVERAGES

Crops	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
	Dollars per Acre
Small Grains	4.82	4.92	5.13	5.20	5.22	5.37	5.34	5.52	5.71	5.94
Sorghum	5.38	5.70	5.95	5.81	5.95	6.13	6.10	6.40	6.65	6.82
Corn	5.86	5.87	6.19	6.10	6.21	6.41	6.33	6.81	7.19	7.28
Soybeans	5.76	5.91	6.16	6.04	6.09	6.23	6.27	6.69	6.97	7.06
Grass	7.19	7.21	7.16	7.19	7.38	7.37	7.19	7.93	8.50	8.27
Alfalfa-Legume	7.02	6.77	6.17	7.06	6.96	6.42	6.41	7.24	7.29	7.42

PLANTING (Minimum-Till)

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Rates for minimum-till planting of small grains averaged $8.88 per acre, down from $9.26 in 1996. Minimum-till sorghum planting averaged $8.12, up 6 cents from last year's rate. Corn planting averaged $8.46 per acre, a 2 cent increase. Soybean planting averaged $8.88, compared to last year's average of $8.87 per acre.

CUSTOM RATES FOR MINIMUM-TILL OR NO-TILL PLANTING, 1997

District	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre		No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre
		Range	Average		Range	Average
	Small Grains			Sorghum
NW	4	7.00-10.00	8.25	14	6.00-12.00	7.50
WC	12	3.50-14.00	7.50	8	6.00-12.00	8.25
SW	4	4.50-10.00	6.75	11	5.00-8.50	6.70
NC	7	4.00-16.00	8.64	13	6.00-10.00	7.38
C	14	5.00-14.00	9.55	12	5.50-13.50	8.63
SC	5	5.00-8.00	6.15	11	7.00-11.00	8.34
NE	20	7.50-13.50	10.58	13	6.00-13.00	9.96
EC	9	5.50-10.00	8.67	6	7.00-12.00	8.54
SE	8	4.50-13.00	9.06	4	6.00-9.00	7.50
STATE	83	3.50-16.00	8.88	92	5.00-13.50	8.12
	CORN			SOYBEANS
NW	22	4.00-15.00	7.89	4	6.00-12.00	8.00
WC	6	5.00-10.00	7.92	3	7.00-12.00	9.00
SW	9	5.00-10.50	7.28	1/
NC	9	6.00-10.00	7.39	10	6.00-10.00	7.50
C	6	5.50-12.00	9.00	4	6.00-13.50	9.00
SC	9	6.50-12.00	8.97	6	7.50-13.50	9.04
NE	20	5.00-15.00	9.95	23	6.00-14.00	10.09
EC	6	7.00-12.00	8.67	9	7.00-12.00	8.61
SE	1/			7	5.00-12.00	8.00
STATE	89	4.00-15.00	8.46	67	5.00-14.00	8.88

PLANTING (Minimum-Till)

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CUSTOM RATES FOR MINIMUM-TILL OR NO-TILL PLANTINGS,

KANSAS HISTORICAL AVERAGES

Crops	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
	Dollars per Acre
Small Grains	6.52	7.71	7.23	7.46	7.28	7.41	8.31	9.26	8.88
Sorghum	6.29	7.14	6.91	6.91	7.08	6.96	7.70	8.06	8.12
Corn	6.64	7.24	7.08	7.19	7.35	7.47	8.39	8.44	8.46
Soybeans	6.78	7.43	7.52	7.35	7.51	7.53	8.61	8.87	8.88

CHEMICAL APPLICATIONS

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The custom rates for chemical applications presented here include the cost of machine, power, and operator, but the cost of the chemicals is excluded. Rates charged for crop cultivation with fertilizer application averaged $5.91 per acre, while cultivation without fertilizer application averaged $5.96. This compares with $5.78 and $5.74 per acre, respectively, in 1996.

CUSTOM RATES FOR ROW CROP CULTIVATION, 1997

District	With Fertilizer			Without Fertilizer
	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre		No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre
		Range	Average		Range	Average
WEST	11	3.25-10.00	6.50	18	4.00-10.00	5.97
CENTRAL	7	3.50-9.50	6.57	10	3.40-8.50	6.12
EAST	6	3.00-6.00	4.04	6	4.00-7.50	5.66
STATE	24	3.00-10.00	5.91	34	3.40-10.00	5.96

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

CHEMICAL APPLICATIONS

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Dry fertilizer applications averaged $3.06 per acre, 4 cents more than in 1996. Liquid fertilizer was applied for an average charge of $3.19 per acre, up 5 cents from last year.

CUSTOM RATES FOR FERTILIZER APPLICATION, 1997

District	Dry Fertilizer			Liquid Fertilizer
	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre		No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre
		Range	Average		Range	Average
NW	26	1.50-5.00	3.19	31	1.50-6.00	3.32
WC	7	3.00-4.50	3.29	26	2.50-6.50	3.43
SW	30	2.50-7.00	3.47	31	1.50-8.00	3.85
NC	36	2.00-3.75	3.08	55	2.50-3.75	3.19
C	35	2.50-8.00	3.04	70	2.20-4.00	2.92
SC	71	1.50-4.00	2.82	70	1.50-5.50	2.85
NE	35	2.50-4.05	3.30	42	1.50-4.05	3.40
EC	31	2.00-3.50	3.02	36	2.50-4.25	3.30
SE	42	2.00-4.00	2.84	30	2.50-5.00	3.19
STATE	313	1.50-8.00	3.06	391	1.50-8.00	3.19

CHEMICAL APPLICATIONS

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Custom chemical applicators charged an average of $5.24 per acre to apply anhydrous ammonia, 32 cents lower than the 1996 average.

CUSTOM RATES FOR APPLICATION OF

ANHYDROUS AMMONIA, 1997

District	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre
		Range	Average
NW	9	3.50-8.00	5.22
WC	13	2.50-9.00	4.85
SW	16	3.25-6.50	5.35
NC	11	1.25-7.00	4.36
C	13	2.45-9.00	5.06
SC	12	2.50-6.50	4.23
NE	16	3.00-8.50	6.64
EC	14	3.50-9.00	5.77
SE	4	2.75-8.00	4.69
STATE	108	1.25-9.00	5.24

CHEMICAL APPLICATIONS

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The average cost for aerial application of herbicide was $3.30 per acre, down 90 cents from 1996. When herbicides were applied with a ground rig, the average cost was $3.28, 4 cents below 1996.

CUSTOM RATES FOR HERBICIDE APPLICATION, 1997

District	Aerial			Ground Rig
	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre		No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre
		Range	Average		Range	Average
NW	15	2.50-6.00	4.05	41	2.00-4.00	3.33
WC	11	3.00-5.50	3.73	37	2.25-4.50	3.23
SW	23	2.50-9.50	4.12	49	1.50-5.00	3.38
NC	16	3.05-5.00	3.87	68	2.50-4.25	3.22
C	9	2.85-8.50	4.45	72	2.20-4.50	3.08
SC	20	2.50-9.00	4.36	71	2.50-5.75	3.12
NE	3	3.50-4.50	4.08	59	3.00-4.50	3.65
EC	1/			56	2.50-4.25	3.35
SE	5	2.50-6.00	4.00	47	2.00-4.00	3.25
STATE	104	2.50-9.50	3.30	500	1.50-5.75	3.28

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State total.

CHEMICAL APPLICATIONS

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The average cost for aerial application of insecticide was $3.91 per acre, 29 cents lower than last year. When insecticides were applied with a ground rig, the average cost was $3.30 per acre, down 4 cents from the 1996 rate.

CUSTOM RATES FOR INSECTICIDE APPLICATION, 1997

District	Aerial			Ground Rig
	No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre		No. of Rpts.	Dollars per Acre
		Range	Average		Range	Average
NW	13	2.50-5.00	3.98	22	3.00-4.00	3.38
WC	7	3.00-5.50	3.89	23	2.50-4.50	3.22
SW	19	2.50-4.75	3.67	31	2.50-4.00	3.40
NC	12	3.05-4.25	3.84	39	2.75-3.75	3.22
C	6	2.25-4.00	2.93	37	2.25-4.50	3.06
SC	15	3.25-7.50	4.15	44	2.50-5.00	3.05
NE	1/			35	3.00-4.10	3.52
EC	1/			28	3.00-7.00	3.66
SE	3	3.00-6.00	4.67	28	2.75-4.00	3.33
STATE	79	2.25-8.00	3.91	287	2.25-7.00	3.30

CHEMICAL APPLICATIONS

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CUSTOM RATES FOR CHEMICAL APPLICATION,

KANSAS HISTORICAL AVERAGES

Type of Operation or Application	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
	Dollars per Acre
Cultivation with Fertilizer	5.20	5.07	5.21	5.95	5.39	5.69	6.08	5.78	5.91
Cultivation without Fertilizer	4.61	4.37	4.56	5.16	4.76	5.16	5.31	5.74	5.96
Dry Fertilizer	2.60	2.66	2.71	2.78	2.88	2.91	2.93	3.02	3.06
Liquid Fertilizer	2.78	2.89	2.90	2.96	3.02	3.09	3.09	3.14	3.19
Anhydrous Ammonia	4.43	4.65	4.64	4.66	4.71	4.87	5.09	5.56	5.24
Herbicide
Aerial	1/	1/	1/	1/	4.30	4.46	3.89	4.20	3.30
Ground Rig	2.97	3.01	3.06	3.15	3.11	3.18	3.25	3.32	3.28
Insecticide
Aerial	3.71	3.79	3.84	3.95	4.25	4.53	3.81	4.20	3.91
Ground Rig	3.05	3.05	3.02	3.12	3.12	3.24	3.22	3.34	3.30

1/ Aerial and ground rig were combined prior to 1993.

FEED PREPARATION

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Rates for custom feed preparations are those generally charged by grain elevators and feed mills. Rates charged in 1997 are very similar to those reported in 1996. Reports averaged 29 cents per cwt. for grinding grain, 28 cents per cwt. for rolling grain, 22 cents per cwt. for mixing, 42 cents per cwt. for rolling and mixing, and 44 cents per cwt. for grinding and mixing.

CUSTOM RATES FOR FEED PREPARATION, 1997

District	Grinding Grain			Rolling Grain
	No. of Rpts.	Cents per Cwt.		No. of Rpts.	Cents per Cwt.
		Range	Avg.		Range	Avg.
NW	6	12-35	28	14	12-35	26
WC	7	20-35	27	5	20-35	28
SW	1/			6	25-50	37
NC	13	18-50	28	20	10-50	25
C	6	15-50	34	14	15-40	26
SC	10	15-40	29	19	20-35	28
NE	12	20-35	28	12	15-35	25
EC	8	10-60	33	7	25-45	31
SE	10	20-40	32	14	20-50	31
STATE	73	10-60	29	111	10-50	28

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

District	Mixing			Rolling and Mixing			Grinding and Mixing
	No. of Rpts.	Cents per Cwt.		No. of Rpts.	Cents per Cwt.		No. of Rpts.	Cents per Cwt.
		Range	Avg.		Range	Avg.		Range	Avg.
NW	11	5-35	18	11	20-50	37	3	20-50	35
WC	4	5-55	26	6	30-60	40	4	30-60	39
SW	6	25-50	34	3	50-70	60	1/
NC	14	10-30	18	15	20-70	37	8	25-70	41
C	12	10-25	18	12	20-55	40	6	25-65	41
SC	16	15-30	21	16	30-65	47	7	40-62	48
NE	10	5-35	21	12	20-60	38	11	25-60	41
EC	10	10-60	30	8	20-100	50	6	20-65	39
SE	13	15-40	24	12	12-75	47	15	12-75	50
STATE	96	5-60	22	95	12-100	42	61	12-75	44

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

FEED PREPARATION

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Pelleting feed operations averaged 67 cents per cwt., 5 cents lower than in 1996. The charge for grinding, mixing, and pelleting operations combined was an average of 95 cents per cwt., 23 cent lower than in 1996. Sacking operations, excluding the cost of sacks, averaged 73 cents per cwt., 1 cent higher than last year.

CUSTOM RATES FOR FEED PREPARATION, 1997

District	Pelleting Only			Grinding, Mixing and Pelleting			Sacking
	No. of Rpts.	Cents per Cwt.		No. of Rpts.	Cents per Cwt.		No. of Rpts.	Cents per Cwt.
		Range	Avg.		Range	Avg.		Range	Avg.
NW	-			-			8	20-70	46
WC	-			-			3	35-150	87
SW	1/			-			4	25-100	63
NC	-			-			13	50-100	78
C	1/			1/			6	35-150	84
SC	4	50-125	71	4	95-125	105	16	25-180	86
NE	-			-			11	30-125	80
EC	-			-			11	15-150	69
SE	1/			1/			11	25-135	57
STATE	9	40-125	67	7	50-130	95	83	15-180	73

1/ Insufficient reports; included in State totals.

FEED PREPARATION

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CUSTOM RATES FOR FEED PREPARATION,

KANSAS HISTORICAL AVERAGES

Type of Preparation	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
	Dollars per Acre
Grinding Grain	26	28	27	29	29	29	30	29	29
Rolling Grain	24	25	25	26	26	27	28	28	28
Grinding Hay	54	52	51	49	58	56	49	75	-
Mixing	17	17	18	18	20	21	20	21	22
Rolling and Mixing	36	35	37	38	40	43	40	44	42
Grinding and Mixing	37	39	39	39	42	43	45	46	44
Pelleting	53	54	67	65	71	72	69	72	67
Grinding, Mixing,
and Pelleting	91	97	103	103	115	107	108	118	95
Sacking
(excluding sacks)	56	58	74 1/	68	64	76	69	72	73

1/ Includes the cost of sacks for 1991.

FEED DELIVERY

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There are many different methods of charging for bulk feed deliveries. Rates for four of the most commonly reported methods are presented below. Method 1 has a charge per load plus a charge per mile. Method 2 is a straight charge per mile, while Method 3 is a straight charge per ton. Method 4, the most commonly reported, is a flat rate per load. Many other types of charges were reported but could not be summarized for this report. The average flat rate per load charge was $15.96 with an average load of 5.7 tons. Many operators also charge extra for miles beyond a specified limit. For all methods, the average extra charge was 87 cents per mile after 10.4 miles.

CUSTOM RATES FOR FEED DELIVERY, 1997

District	Method 1 (Charge per Load plus Mileage)					Method 2 (Charge per Mile)			Method 3 (Charge per Ton)			Method 4 (Charge per Load)			Extra Charge (All Methods)
	No. of Reports	Dollars per Load	+	Dollars per Mile	Avg. Load (Tons)	No. of Reports	Dollars per Mile	Avg. Load (Tons)	No. of Reports	Dollars per Ton	Avg. Load (Tons)	No. of Reports	Dollars per Load	Avg. Load (Tons)	No. of Reports	Maxim. Miles	Extra Charge $ per Mile
NW	4	9.25		1.60	9.0	1/			1/			5	15.00	6.2	5	10.8	0.65
WC	1/					1/			1/			7	13.61	5.7	3	13.0	1.00
SW	1/					4	1.83	8.0	1/			1/			1/
NC	6	9.10		1.04	5.2	1/			1/			20	14.56	6.6	6	9.5	0.91
C	5	15.40		0.90	6.6	1/			4	7.50	10.8	10	17.10	5.5	1/
SC	10	12.70		1.08	7.6	1/			3	6.00	7.3	15	17.29	5.4	5	12.6	0.90
NE	4	16.50		1.08	5.3	1/			5	5.50	5.7	13	16.15	6.2	3	7.0	1.00
EC	1/					1/			4	8.25	6.8	10	18.75	4.0	3	10.0	1.03
SE	6	13.33		1.25	7.2	1/			1/			8	13.81	5.3	1/
STATE	40	12.92		1.17	6.6	10	1.57	6.5	21	6.69	8.2	89	15.96	5.7	28	10.4	0.87

MACHINERY RENTALS

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Rental costs listed below do not include the cost of fuel or labor for self-propelled equipment and tractors. Fertilizer applicators were the most commonly reported rental items, followed by tractors, combines, and tillage equipment. Many items, such as siderakes, rotary mowers, tractor loaders, and skid loaders were reported but had too few reports to summarize.

Rental charges are similar to those reported in recent years. Average rental costs for most items show only small increases or decreases. Some of the variation may be due to the small numbers of reports for some rental items.

MACHINE RENTAL RATES, 1997

Machine or Tool	Method of Charge	Number of Reports	Range	Average
Combine	$/Hour	48	40.00-110.00	84.50
Corn Head	$/Acre	6	5.00-7.00	6.08
Row Crop Head	$/Acre	1/
Chisel	$/Acre	4	1.00-6.00	2.56
Undercutter	$/Acre	4	1.00-2.00	1.38
Sweep Tillage Tool	$/Acre	1/
Field Cultivator	$/Acre	6	2.00-4.00	2.92
Tandem Disk	$/Acre	1/
Drill-Seeder	$/Acre	23	3.00-10.00	6.39
Row Planter	$/Acre	1/
Fertilizer Applicators
Dry	$/Ton	21	3.50-16.00	8.46
Dry	$/Acre	26	.40-3.00	1.38
Liquid	$/Acre	8	1.00-4.00	1.93
Anhydrous	$/Ton	11	5.00-22.00	13.09
Anhydrous	$/Acre	45	.40-6.00	1.57
Dual	$/Acre	20	1.40-3.00	2.06
Hay Equipment
Baler, Large bales	$/Bale	6	3.00-6.00	3.88
Swather	$/Acre	3	3.00-5.00	4.33
Rake	$/Acre	3	1.50-3.00	2.17
Tractor
51-100 HP	$/Hour	3	15.00-20.00	17.33
101-150 HP	$/Hour	12	18.00-30.00	22.51
151-200 HP	$/Hour	20	15.00-28.00	21.05
201+ HP	$/Hour	12	20.00-35.00	28.29
(Size not specified)	$/Hour	22	18.00-100.00	36.51
Any Size
Tractors	¢/HP/Hour	6	.10-.15	.12