This Primefact has three aims:

• to alert farmers to the real costs of owning and operating machinery;
• to explain how contract rates are calculated, for those farmers deciding whether they should buy a piece of machinery or contract someone else's; and
• to assist those farmers wanting to contract out machinery by showing them how to properly calculate their costs. This will help them arrive at a fair and realistic fee. Commonly, farmers wanting extra income will contract out their machinery but they tend to undercharge.