How Custom Farming Works for Corn Growers and Landowners

Each spring, many corn fields across Nebraska are planted not by the landowners, but by other farmers hired to complete these key tasks. This practice, known as custom farming or custom hire farming, allows landowners to hire others to farm their land.

Farmer Ethan Zoerb, of Litchfield, Nebraska, provides custom farming services in addition to farming his own fields. He takes as much pride in the work he does for land owners as he does in his own fields.

“We farm it, and we treat it exactly like our own,” he said.

In Nebraska there are two main types of custom farming: landowners can contract for part of their farming operation, or they can hire someone to perform all the services for that year’s farming season. Hiring a farmer to provide custom farming services is especially common for owners who are short on time or who don’t have a specific piece of necessary equipment.

Most of the custom farming done by Zoerb involves a specific task, such as planting corn, applying fertilizer, managing irrigation systems or harvesting the crop. Often, the landowner will do the rest of the work themselves.

A custom farming contract offers flexibility, efficiency and economic advantages for everyone involved. Here are some of the benefits of custom farming for farmers and landowners:

More Control for Landowners

Custom farming provides more control for landowners, who have the final say on what is grown and how. In a cash rent or sharecrop arrangement, the farmer growing the crops usually has more authority to make those decisions.

Addressing Time Constraints for Busy Landowners

Some landowners want to be involved in farming but are too busy due to an off-the-farm career or other obligations. With custom farming, they can hire a farmer to handle aspects of the operations they don’t have time for. That’s the case with one of Zoerb’s custom farming clients, who is an engineer.

“Custom farming allows him to still have the farm, still be a farmer, still be a producer,” Zoerb said.

Access to Equipment and Expertise

Doing custom work for area landowners can be a way for farmers to afford newer, more efficient farming equipment. Farmers may not feel comfortable making such a large investment to only farm their own land, but the upgrade is more practical knowing they will also use it for custom work.

“It allows them to farm more acres, so they can justify a larger, more efficient piece of equipment on their own farm,” Zoerb said.

From the landowner’s perspective, hiring a farmer with the latest smart farming equipment allows them to benefit from the farmer’s technology without the expense of buying it themselves.

Testing New Techniques with Reduced Risk

Farmers are always trying to make their operations more efficient. That often requires trying new things and evaluating how well they work. Custom farming is a way for landowners to experiment on a small portion of their land without risking their whole crop or having to buy new equipment. Twenty years ago, some of Zoerb’s neighbors hired him to do strip tilling, a form of reduced tillage that reduces erosion, on a small portion their land so they could evaluate how well it worked.

Typically, custom farming of corn in Nebraska is done by local farmers who also run their own operations. Zoerb estimates about a quarter of the state’s farmers do some custom work in addition to farming their own fields. In addition, landowners can also contract with companies or local grain cooperatives for custom farming services.

Often, landowners seeking custom farming services reach out to a farmer whose work they respect. That’s why Zoerb considers it a compliment to be asked to provide custom farming services. It’s also why it’s critical for him to put the same time, effort and attention to detail into his custom work as he does his own fields.

“If they’re successful, we’re successful,” he said.