The University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension is conducting a survey to estimate custom rates for common Wisconsin farming operations and we need your help. Hiring custom operations is an important part of modern farming, but determining fair rates to charge can be challenging. To help meet this need, we are conducting this survey and will publish a short report summarizing our findings on typical custom rates for Wisconsin.

If you are a Wisconsin farmer or a custom operator who performed or hired custom services in 2024, please follow the link: go.wisc.edu/CustomRates.

You only need to complete the sections of the survey that pertain to you. The survey asks about custom rates for tillage; planting and seeding; fertilizer and chemical application; manure services; grain harvesting, hauling, and drying; silage, haylage, and hay services; and tractor and machinery rental.

The survey should take at most about 15 minutes to complete. Your participation is entirely voluntary. You can choose to exit at any time and skip sections that do not pertain to you. Your responses will be confidential, and published results will be anonymous. The survey is funded by the Division of Extension at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

To show our appreciation, those who complete the survey with valid responses can enter a raffle for one of ten Fleet Farm or Cabela’s gift cards for $100. You will be asked to provide contact details at the end of the survey for the raffle.

Survey Link: go.wisc.edu/CustomRates

If you have any questions or concerns, contact Paul Mitchell at pdmitchell@wisc.edu or (608) 320-1162 or Brian Luck at bluck@wisc.edu or (608) 890-1861.

UW-Madison Institutional Review Board Approval Number: 2025-0395