A Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service survey to collect rates charged for custom agricultural operations is being distributed to select farmers, ranchers and landowners across Texas.

The deadline to participate is April 15.

Dr. Steven Klose, AgriLife Extension economist in College Station, says the survey is voluntary, but urges producers to respond as it provides a baseline of rates statewide and further assists with questions regarding specific custom-hire activities.

Custom rates are assigned for activities done on the farm ranging from harvesting operations to planting.

“We receive a number of inquiries each year for custom rates for a variety of activities and custom farm-machine operations,” Klose says.

The survey will collect data on the following categories: tractor rental, tillage operations, planting operations, chemical and fertilizer application, custom harvesting, hay baling, land preparation, brush control and other miscellaneous operations or services. Only regional and state averages will be published, Klose says.

Klose adds, “The survey should only take 10 to 15 minutes for most people because we only want them to answer the questions that pertain to their operations. While hard copies of the survey will be mailed to a limited group, anyone with knowledge of custom farm and ranch operations is encouraged to participate online at: http://agecoext.tamu.edu/crs2016. We need broad participation to produce an accurate and reliable publication of this market information.”

Survey collection will run through mid-April, and the publication will be available shortly after.  For more information and previous survey publications, visit: http://agecoext.tamu.edu/crs