Two options for reducing machinery investment are to custom hire some of the fieldwork done and sharing some equipment with other farmers in the area. Following are some advantages and disadvantages of these options for assistance in determining if these practices will work in your operation. Custom Hiring Field Work For many farms, especially dairy farms and other livestock farms, this option has many benefits.
Some advantages are as follows.
The most obvious is that farms do not need to have a high investment in machinery. This is especially appealing to young farmers getting established and to older farmers who find it hard to justify investing large amounts of money in machinery they feel they won't recoup the value of. Freed up time can be spent taking care of the cows or other livestock. Many farmers who have started hiring field work done rather than replacing worn out machinery have indicated that it has taken a lot of the rush out of the spring through fall crop season. In some cases, hiring custom work done can also replace the need of trying to find part-time hired help during the year.