Combines Custom Combining Rates

[Mike]

I was quoted $18-$23 an acre in PA.

 

[Kurt]

In Kansas wheat is cut for 13, 13, 13, (cutting, hauling, extra over 40 bushels) Corn about $.14 a bushel, soybeans $25 to $30 an acre. Where are you located atIJ

 

[Combineman]

We cut wheat for many years until 1994. We charged 12_12_12 and I think the extra 12 was for bushels over 20 bu_ac. (not over 40bu_ac) I think that triple 13's is plenty cheap and with the costs of doing bus. I sure would try for triple 14's. Up north,(Dakotas) it gets "too cheap". We went to Idaho instead. Up there, on Barley and irr. wheat, we got 24$_ac for the mach. Hauling was on top. For windrow, it was 2$_ac. more, depending on size. (We cut around 18,000ac. each year there) That .14 _bu on corn....well, I hope that hauling was extra. Might as well leave the combines in the barn and go fishing instead. I wouldn't pick a bu. for under .22_bu including hauling.(out to 15 miles or so.) I'd put a 22$_ac min. on it for low yield or dryland. I'm looking for that oppertunity to "chase" the harvest again. (am I stupid or what. That blood still runs in my veins) CM

 

[T__langan]

We do some custom work for surrounding farmers here in Wisconsin. We charge $25_acre across the board for any crop and hauling_grain cart is extra. We charge $.10_bu for hauling up to about 10 miles and the grain cart is on a per job basis. Since we do a lot of harvesting for dairy farmers and their grain is going into silos, it would be difficult for us to charge per bushel for the combine. Most of that grain is hauled by wagons or the grain cart. We also have a roller mill we rent out for rolling high moisture corn for silos - we charge: diameter of silo X n of feet filled. If we fill an empty 20X60 = $1200. This makes it real simple to figure without having to try to figure number of bushels rolled. This may sound like a dumb question for some of you western harvesters, but what do you mean by "13-13-13"IJ I've heard that before for harvesting rates in wheat country, but never knew what it meant. Thanks,

 

[Combineman]

13_13_13 is what many harvesters charge for dryland wheat. What it amounts to is $13_ac. for the combine; .13cents_bu for the hauling; and finally .13cents_bu. for every bushel over 20 bu_ac based on yeild. This makes it fair for both the farmer and the cutter. If the yeild is under 20 bu_ac, then that doesn't apply. Ex. IF the yeild on a particular field is 40 bu_ac, the farmer would pay $13 _ac; an additional 5.20_ac for the hauling based on .13_bu; and an additional 2.60_ac based on .13_bu over 20bu_ac. It is the fairest way for both parties to cut dryland wheat. CM