Impact of Fuel Price Increases
on Field Operations Cost
Fuel price increases are having a big impact on the costs of operating
farm machinery. This has farmers and custom operators alike asking what
this additional fuel cost is for different field operations.
The best source of information for fuel use is past records. If these
records are not available, estimate annual fuel consumption and costs
using the following method:
Average Gasoline Consumption (litres/hour)
= (0.229) x PTO horsepower per hour
Diesel units will use approximately 73% less fuel than gasoline units.
Average Diesel Fuel Consumption (litres/hour)
= (0.167) x PTO horsepower
Annual Fuel Costs
= litres of fuel used per hour x hours of use per year x fuel cost per
litre.
For example, a 220 HP combine used 200 hours per year would have an annual
diesel fuel cost of $9,185 at $1.25 per litre.
= 0.167 x 220 HP x 200 hours x $1.25/litre = $9,185
Per acre fuel cost estimates at different price levels for selected field
operations are presented in Table 1. The litres per acre are estimated
using work rates for the different field operations and the above diesel
fuel consumption rates. This table does not account for the variation
in rates of work or horsepower requirements caused by differences in soil
type, topography, field shape, drainage or equipment operators.
For each field operation the litres per acre are multiplied by the fuel
price to arrive at the cost per acre. Use the 'Your Farm' column to calculate
your field operation fuel costs.
OMAFRA factsheet, Budgeting
Farm Machinery Costs, Order No. 01-075 has more details on the fuel
usage and horsepower requirements. To order: call ServiceOntario by phone
Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm at 1-800-668-9938 toll-free across
Canada or 1-800-268-7095 TTY Toll-free across Ontario, in person at ServiceOntario
Centres located throughout the province, or on-line at www.publications.serviceontario.ca/ecom/
OMAFRA's Farm Business Decision Calculators website has a number of machinery
cost calculators that can help you calculate your total machinery cost
at ontario.ca/agbusiness.
Table 1. Per Acre Fuel Costs at Different $ per Litre
Price Levels
| |
Work Rate*
(Ac/hr) |
Fuel Use*
(L/ac) |
$ per Litre |
Your Farm |
| 0.80 |
1.00 |
1.20 |
1.40 |
| 4-18 in. Furrow Plow |
2.8
|
4.5
|
3.58
|
4.47
|
5.37
|
6.26
|
|
| 6-18 in. Furrow Plow |
4.2
|
5.1
|
4.14
|
5.17
|
6.20
|
7.24
|
|
| 8-18 in. Furrow Plow |
5.6
|
4.7
|
3.82
|
4.77
|
5.73
|
6.68
|
|
| 12.5 ft Field Cultivator |
9.0
|
1.4
|
1.11
|
1.39
|
1.67
|
1.95
|
|
| 18 ft Field Cultivator |
13.0
|
1.3
|
1.08
|
1.35
|
1.62
|
1.89
|
|
| 37 ft Field Cultivator |
26.7
|
1.4
|
1.13
|
1.41
|
1.69
|
1.97
|
|
| 11 ft Chisel Plow |
5.9
|
2.1
|
1.70
|
2.12
|
2.55
|
2.97
|
|
| 15 ft Chisel Plow |
8.0
|
2.7
|
2.17
|
2.71
|
3.26
|
3.80
|
|
| 11 ft Tandem Disk |
6.4
|
1.5
|
1.25
|
1.57
|
1.88
|
2.19
|
|
| 15 ft Tandem Disk |
8.7
|
2.0
|
1.61
|
2.02
|
2.42
|
2.82
|
|
| 4R — 36 in. Row Crop Planter |
5.6
|
1.2
|
0.95
|
1.19
|
1.43
|
1.67
|
|
| 6R — 30 in. Row Crop Planter |
7.0
|
1.4
|
1.15
|
1.43
|
1.72
|
2.00
|
|
| 12R — 30 in. Row Crop Planter |
14.0
|
1.2
|
1.00
|
1.25
|
1.50
|
1.75
|
|
| 4R —- 36 in. Minimum-Till Planter |
5.1
|
1.9
|
1.57
|
1.96
|
2.36
|
2.75
|
|
| 6R — 30 in. Minimum-Till Planter |
6.4
|
2.0
|
1.57
|
1.96
|
2.35
|
2.74
|
|
| 8R— 30 in. Minimum-Till Planter |
8.5
|
2.1
|
1.65
|
2.06
|
2.48
|
2.89
|
|
| 25 ft Grain Drill |
4.7
|
4.6
|
3.70
|
4.62
|
5.54
|
6.47
|
|
| 35 ft Grain Drill |
14.9
|
1.8
|
1.43
|
1.79
|
2.15
|
2.51
|
|
| 12 ft. Presswheel Drill |
5.1
|
2.5
|
1.96
|
2.46
|
2.95
|
3.44
|
|
| 20 ft Presswheel Drill |
8.5
|
2.5
|
2.04
|
2.55
|
3.06
|
3.58
|
|
| 15 ft No-Till Drill |
6.4
|
3.4
|
2.71
|
3.39
|
4.07
|
4.75
|
|
| 25 ft No-Till Drill |
8.5
|
3.1
|
2.51
|
3.14
|
3.77
|
4.40
|
|
| 30 ft Sprayer |
15.4
|
0.4
|
0.35
|
0.43
|
0.52
|
0.61
|
|
| 50 ft Sprayer |
25.6
|
0.4
|
0.31
|
0.39
|
0.47
|
0.55
|
|
| 9 ft Mower Conditioner |
4.4
|
1.6
|
1.21
|
1.52
|
1.82
|
2.13
|
|
| 9 ft Rotary Mower/Conditioner |
6.6
|
1.9
|
1.52
|
1.90
|
2.28
|
2.66
|
|
| Square Baler |
4.4
|
1.6
|
1.21
|
1.52
|
1.82
|
2.13
|
|
| Round Baler 1000 lbs. |
3.0
|
3.3
|
2.67
|
3.34
|
4.01
|
4.68
|
|
| Round Baler 1500 lbs. |
4.0
|
2.5
|
2.00
|
2.51
|
3.01
|
3.51
|
|
| Large Size Square Baler |
16.3
|
1.3
|
1.07
|
1.33
|
1.60
|
1.86
|
|
| Round Baler 1000 lb/Wrapper |
3.0
|
3.3
|
2.67
|
3.34
|
4.01
|
4.68
|
|
| 2-Row Forage Harvester |
1.4
|
12.5
|
10.02
|
12.53
|
15.03
|
17.54
|
|
| Combine 4R—30 in. Corn Hd |
2.8
|
11.4
|
9.07
|
11.33
|
13.60
|
15.87
|
|
| Combine 12R—30 in. Corn Hd |
7.6
|
6.0
|
4.83
|
6.04
|
7.25
|
8.46
|
|
| Combine Grain Head 20 ft |
6.8
|
5.4
|
4.32
|
5.40
|
6.48
|
7.56
|
|
| Combine Grain Head 30 ft |
10.2
|
4.5
|
3.60
|
4.50
|
5.40
|
6.30
|
|
| Combine Soybean Head 15 ft |
4.5
|
8.2
|
6.53
|
8.16
|
9.80
|
11.43
|
|
| Combine Soybean Head 25 ft |
7.4
|
6.2
|
4.96
|
6.21
|
7.45
|
8.69
|
|
* Source: Budgeting Farm Machinery Costs, OMAFRA Factsheet, Order No.
01-75
