By a fifth-generation farmer who knows the numbers and the ground they come from.

What It Costs to Own a Combine

A new Class 8 combine with heads can cost close to a million dollars today. Once you account for financing, depreciation, repairs, insurance, fuel, and labor, the true cost per acre adds up quickly.

Based on 2025 University of Illinois estimates for a 470 hp machine with a 12-row corn head and 35-foot bean platform:

• Corn combining: ~$54 per acre
• Soybean combining: ~$48 per acre
• Hourly equivalent: $500–$575 per separator hour

And here’s the kicker: if you only farm 1,000 acres a year, the cost can spike to $70–90 per acre because you’re spreading those fixed expenses over fewer acres.

What It Costs to Hire Custom Harvest

The Iowa State Custom Rate Survey gives a good snapshot of market rates. In 2025:

• Corn combining: ~$44 per acre
• Soybean combining: ~$42 per acre
• Complete package (combine + cart + trucking): $68–72 per acre

Over the last decade, custom rates have risen about 20–25 percent. Meanwhile, the true ownership cost of a combine has climbed closer to 60 percent.

Break-Even Acres: Own vs. Hire

Here’s where the decision line falls:

Why Custom Harvesting Can Work for Owners Too

If you already own the machine, picking up neighbor acres often makes sense. Your variable costs (fuel, labor, and repairs) run about $20–25 per acre. At a going rate of $42 – $44 per acre, that leaves $18–20 margin to chip away at your fixed ownership costs.

The Intangibles

Numbers aren’t the whole story:

• Timeliness: Owning a combine means you harvest when you want. That matters in a wet fall.
• Capital risk: A combine ties up hundreds of thousands of dollars. Hiring custom frees up cash.
• Breakdowns: When you hire custom, the risk and repair bills are someone else’s problem.

The Bottom Line

• Under 1,500 acres: Hiring custom almost always makes financial sense.
• 1,500–2,000 acres: Gray area: the right choice depends on financing, harvest timing, and risk tolerance.
• 2,500+ acres: Owning usually pays off.
• For owners: Custom harvesting neighbor acres can help keep your machine justified.

Whether you run your own combine or hire, the decision comes down to acres, costs, and priorities. Combines are incredible tools, but like anything in farming, you’ve got to know your numbers before you hit the field.