Ag Economy Barometer

Farmers are expressing more concerns regarding the future as the monthly Ag Economy Barometer drifts lower.  Released this week, the March survey fell to 133 down three points month-over-month.  Organizers say increasing concerns about future economic conditions drove the barometer lower as the Index of Future Expectations declined to 139 in March compared to the 145 reported in February.  The cur

The Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index for February fell but remained above growth neutral.  The monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state Midwest region dependent on agriculture and energy sank to 50.2 from January's 51.5.  ...

The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer took a big jump up in October.  The October index came in at 136, which was 22 points higher than the September index, and sits at a number close to its level in 2017.  The driving force behind the jump in the index level was the improved way that producers see both current and future conditions.   Month-to-m...

The Ag Economy Barometer rebounded in August to a reading of 129 after falling to 117 in July.  However, producer sentiment remains well below its late spring readings of 141 in May and 143 in June.  Organizers say the shift occurred primarily because producer's perception of current conditions improved as the Index of Current Conditions increased to a reading of 121 following a dip to 99 in July.

The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer turned higher for January, showing some optimism among farmers and ranchers.  After trending lower in late 2017, the monthly survey of 400 agricultural producers from across the U.S. indica...

For the second-straight month, the Purdue/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer dipped lower, coming in with an index of 126 in December.  That number was the lowest since March of last year and the second-lowest of 2017.  The decline is driven entirely by producers becoming less optimistic about the future.  The Future E...

The Purdue/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer dropped seven points in November, signaling a slump in U.S. agricultural producers’ confidence compared to a month earlier.  At 128, the measure of producer optimism was the second weakest observed this year, and just four points above the lowest reading in 2017, of 124, last March.  However, orga...

The latest Purdue/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer showed farmer optimism improving slightly in October, coming in at an index of 135.  That’s actually the third-highest level since the survey began two years ago.  The modest improvement during October came about because of increasing optimism for what lies ahead.  The Index of Future Exp...

Future expectations for the agriculture economy turned lower in the latest monthly Ag Economy Barometer.  On Tuesday, CME Group and Purdue released the September reading, which came in at 132.  While that figure was unchanged from August, the barometer’s two sub-indices, the Index of Current Conditions and Index of Future Expectations, moved in opposite directions.   The Current Cond...

The Purdue University Ag Economy Barometer for February dipped compared the January reading.  Organizers of the index say the overall producer sentiment reading dipped to 134, down 19 points from a month earlier.   Despite the drop, the February reading is the second-highest for the index.  A readi...