Combine Rental

Combine Rental

I’m Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

At the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasters Convention in Kansas City Ag Information Network’s Greg Martin had a chance to speak with Justin Miller, Marketing Manager for Farm Link, about the Machinery Link side of the business that rents combines to growers in 26 states, including Washington. Miller says renting as opposed to buying underused farm equipment is “a win/win for farmers”

MILLER: The combine is the most underutilized piece of equipment on the farm. It’s used for thirty days out of the year at the most for a lot of people. And the value proposition there is simply that the financials and how it runs out for renting. We cover the repair costs, we cover the delivery, all transportation. It’s really a win/win all the way around for the farmer - cost wise and time wise.

Farm Link has been in business for 13 years and Miller says that interest continues to grow, and that with continually rising input costs renting is proving to be a financial advantage for producers.

MILLER: We had a great year last year. We’re having a lot of interest coming into this next harvest even. We’re finishing up the 2013 harvest and we’re getting a lot of interest for 2014 already. You look at your input costs and then machinery, maintenance, everything else - you know you can fix a cost. You can fix the combine cost going in - you know what it’s going to be going in to this next harvest. It’s a pretty good deal all the way around.

Miller explains what the responsibilities are of the grower in terms of renting farm equipment.

MILLER: They operate it themselves. They pay for the gas. Pretty much everything else we provide - oil and things for the daily kind of maintenance. Any repairs we cover. Really, it’s operation and just daily upkeep.

Interested growers here in Washington can contact Matt Hays in Kennewick at mhays@machinerylink.com.

That’s Washington Ag Today.

I’m Lacy Gray on the Ag Information Network.