You will find, if you ring around and ask 5 different people what the going rate is per ha, you will likely get 5 different answers.
You ring a spray contractor in WA and hear $8/ha at a certain water rate and $13 for the highest water rate, or you ring a fella in NSW and hear $12.50/ha flat rate but have a fill-up fee.
Trust me, we scratch our head, but as much of a nightmare as it can be, it is good that everyone has a choice to set their rates.
After all, the more choices we have in business, the better off we are.
As you understand, and as we do, the pricing tends to fluctuate on workload.
In this paper yarn, we are going to break down what we know and hopefully you can take something from it.
Let us just get straight into the ballpark figures and hopefully it will answer your questions, but then put faith in you to utilise our system to find available verified contractors.
The somewhat standard ha rate for broadacre is a 36m, or 120ft, self-propelled sprayer doing blanket work. The current market average is $9.50 to $12.00 per ha.
Camera setups, including Weed-IT and WeedSeeker for spot spraying, expect to pay $14.00 to $18.00 per ha.
For your smaller booms around that 24m, working in row crops or tighter country, the efficiency drops, so the rate seems to increase around that $18.00 to $24.00 per ha.
We do still see hourly rates. It is rare, but some operators charge around $650/hr, which works out to roughly $12.50/ha if they are covering 52ha/hr including fill times and so on.
This document is not an industry standard.
It is not us telling people what rates should be. What we are doing is showing what we know to essentially help everyone.
We all know price varies on water rate, unless the job is charged out on an hourly rate.
The base rate covers the 80L/ha.
A common rule of thumb we are seeing is a $1.00/ha increase for every 10L above the base rate.
Simple example:
For broader spray setup and application considerations, the GRDC Spray Application Manual is a useful resource for growers and operators.
We generally see a lot of spraying rates come down to the size of job and efficiencies on farm.
If the contractor is doing 1km to 3km runs, and water is fairly close and accessible or delivered when required, we feel everything will work in both parties’ favour.
We see a lot of debate about SPs, camera setups and trailing sprayers.
At the end of the day, most growers know what they prefer.
If they are wanting to step out of their knowledge base, the neighbour can generally provide feedback.
For growers looking at camera or optical spot spraying systems, the GRDC optical spot sprayers module gives more context on how these systems are used and what should be considered.
A lot of the time, spraying rates are not just about the sprayer.
They come down to how efficient the job is.
So a suggestion to contractors: if a grower is experimenting, showing your knowledge, photos of previous jobs, how the tech is working, or why you are recommending a trailing boom over an SP will go a long way.
It helps the grower understand the value, not just the number on the quote.
If you want verified contractors, reach out to us at Broadacre Contracting.
That simple.
You can look through sprayer equipment listings to see what is available, or post your job in tenders so verified members can see what you need.
Have a good one, cheers.
These resources may help growers and contractors think through spraying systems, setup, water rates and camera spraying options.
If you need contract spraying, camera spraying, a self-propelled sprayer, a trailing sprayer or just want to see what is available, Broadacre Contracting gives you a clearer place to start.
Rates vary by state, job type, water rate, sprayer setup and efficiency. From what Broadacre Contracting is seeing, broadacre blanket spraying may sit around $9.50 to $12.00 per ha, while camera spraying can sit higher.
Spraying rates are commonly charged per hectare, but some contractors may charge hourly. Water rate, fill time, travel, job size and sprayer setup can all affect the final rate.
Broadacre spraying costs vary because every job is different. Run lengths, water access, paddock size, crop type, travel distance, sprayer type and contractor workload can all shift the rate.
Trailing sprayers can sometimes be cheaper, but not always. Self-propelled sprayers may suit taller crops, controlled traffic setups and jobs where efficiency matters. It depends on the farm, crop, timing and job requirements.
You can browse sprayer equipment listings or post your job in tenders through Broadacre Contracting so verified contractors can see what you need.
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