Ag Economy Barometer

As input costs soar, many local farmers are tightening their belts. The latest sentiment survey reveals some surprising insights into their struggles.

April brought a sobering shift for farmers, with worries about costs weighing heavily on their minds as optimism dwindles.

Farmers are feeling the squeeze like never before, with rising costs pushing them to take on bigger loans. It's a tough road ahead for American growers.

Thanks to rising corn and soybean prices, as well as improved export prospects, farmer sentiment strengthened in November.

Farmer sentiment saw an unexpected surge in October just ahead of the 2024 general election.  The latest Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer rose to 115, marking a 27-point increase from September.   This boost in sentiment was primarily driven by a rise in producers' confidence in the future, with the Future Expectations Index jumping 30 points to 124.  While the Cu...

This has been a challenging year for the farming community, at least on the national scene.  Is that the same here in the Northwest?   Pat Hatzenbuehler, Ag economist at the University of Idaho says the latest Ag economy barometer shows farmers are pessimistic about the way things look now, and where the farm economy is headed into the future.  And he said ...

The August Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer dipped 13 points from July to a reading of 100.  That drop echoes levels seen from fall 2015 through winter 2016 during the early stages of a significant downturn in the U.S. farm e...

The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer Index rose again in January, to a reading of 130, four points above its 2022 year-end index value.     The January survey results also pushed the index 34% above its 2022 low point, which occurred in June.  The baromete...

A new USDA survey says cover crops are more popular than first thought.  Growers who responded to the survey say they’re using cover crops on 40% of their cropland in 2022.  Successful Farming says that hints at a sizable increase from the 15.4 million acres of cover ...

Farmer sentiment weakened in January as the Purdue University CME Group Ag Economy Barometer declined six points. At 119, it's second-lowest reading for the Barometer since July 2020. The Current Conditions Index fell 13 points to 133, while the Future Expectations Index changed little in January, down two points at 112 ...