UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A Web site sponsored by Penn State Cooperative Extension will help to connect agricultural and dairy producers with the custom operators that can provide the goods and services needed for enhanced profitability.

The Custom Operators Database, found at http://cod.aers.psu.edu, was developed by Sarah Roth, extension associate in farm business management for the Penn State Dairy Alliance, in response to rising demand from farm owners, custom operators and extension agents.

"Custom work can be seen as the agricultural equivalent of 'out-sourcing' in business," Roth explains. "A custom operator is a person or business outside of the farm operation that is hired to perform one or more activities necessary for the function of the whole farm -- activities such as heifer raising, artificial insemination, crop tillage and cultivation and harvesting."

"Custom operators can free up a farm's owner and labor for the many other things that must be done, so the farmer can specialize in what he's good at -- milk production, for instance," Roth says. "Custom operators are specialists, as well. And when you have specialists doing what they're good at, you can get higher quality and lower costs."

The Web site is a database that allows farmers to search for the nearest custom agricultural operator offering the specific service needed. Custom operators can register their business information with the database to let producers know that they are available.

The database allows searches by county among seven categories of animal services, including heifer raising and dry/transition cow housing; eight categories of crop services, including harvesting, grinding/shredding and wrapping round bales, and seven other services, including brush hogging, fencing and skid loading.

"Farmers who have thought of hiring a custom operator but don't know anyone can use the site as a search tool," Roth says. "They can consider the services available to them, and the locations of the nearest operators, before deciding to contact them. For custom operators, this is another place to put their information before potential clients."

Penn State Cooperative Extension agents around the state see the database as a way to support the state's agricultural producers, Roth says.

"A number of agents are interested because they understand that not all farmers have the time or resources to do everything themselves," she says. "Custom operators act as a support infrastructure for dairy producers and other agricultural operations in the state. For some producers, hiring a custom operator has the potential to substantially increase farm profitability."

For more information on the Custom Operators Database, contact Sarah Roth by phone at 814-863-8645 or by e-mail at sar243@psu.edu.

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EDITORS: Contact Sarah Roth at 814-863-8645 or sar243@psu.edu

Contact: Gary Abdullah gxa2@psu.edu 814-863-2708 814-863-9877 fax #108