Custom rate survey data is getting harder to come by. Pennsylvania’s custom rate survey wasn’t conducted this year due to state ag department budget cuts.

The accompanying custom work charges come from University of Maryland Extension’s 2017 survey. The chart lists charges as average and median values tabulated from 40 custom operators and farmers — compared to 77 in 2015. The survey, conducted every two years, was conducted by Shannon Dill, University of Maryland Extension educator.

Tasks with three or less responses were dropped. Charges can vary widely. The "average" or mean is the midpoint between the top and bottom charges, explains Dill. You get it by adding up the values of all reported charges, then dividing that sum by the number of reports.

Median refers to the number in the middle of the range. It's less sensitive to extremes and is a better measure than the average, she adds.

Some variations between the median and average may be due to lack of awareness of local competition or how many jobs are accepted by custom operators. Other factors include location, field size and topography, crop yields, soil conditions, weather conditions, work quality, equipment size and timeliness.

Notable trends
Most fall and winter custom rates varied little from 2015 to 2017. But here are a few more notable averages that have steadily increased since 2011:

• Moldboard plowing averages have trended higher since 2011, rising 24% from 2015 to 2017.

• Corn planting — no-till and conventional — also has trended higher since 2011, rising 15% to 22% from 2015 to 2017.

• Soybean planting — no-till and conventional — also trended higher since 2011, rising between 15% to 18% from 2015 to 2017.

• Combining corn, soybeans and small grains rose 9% to 10% from 2015 to 2017.

Maryland’s full 2017 report, including all rates having responses, minimum and maximum charges, plus comparative rates with previous surveys can be found at extension.umd.edu/grainmarketing/custom-rates-0.

For Pennsylvania’s 2016 Machinery Custom Rate report, go to “2016 Pennsylvania custom rate guide arrives.” Or download it directly from nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Pennsylvania/Publications/Machinery_Custom_Rates/.