Small farming jobs will usually be less attractive to contractors, particularly if travel is involved, so it can be useful to pool work with your neighbours to make the job larger and more enticing.Ĭompared to using a contractor, hiring farm machinery can save the cost of wages as your own time will be spent on the machine. Paying their bill promptly will certainly assist here.
When you find a reliable, quality contractor, stick with them and build a relationship. A reasonable negotiation with your contractor well in advance is a good idea. The main criticism for hiring contractors is the failure to get to the job done on time.
Using contractors is very common on farms, with numerous professional contractors available for a wide range of small farming tasks. Owning poorly maintained, old, undersized or unreliable machinery may hold no advantage at all.
Most advantages are associated with timeliness: having the machinery on hand to do the job when it is required.
Owning all of your own farm machinery does have some advantages, provided it is in good, reliable working condition. This article will explore some of these alternatives and compare them to ownership. The cost factor is one of the most compelling reasons to look at alternatives to outright ownership. Farm machinery, especially tractors, can be expensive to purchase and a questionable use of capital, particularly if only used occasionally during the year – as is the case on many small farms.