Posts by Sarah E Zahn

Farmer sentiment improves despite rising input cost concerns

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Farmer sentiment improved in March as the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer rose to 127, up from 116 in February. The improvement was driven by a notable increase in producers’ expectations for the future, with the Future Expectations Index climbing 14 points and the Current Conditions Index rising 6 points.…

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Farmer Sentiment Improves Despite Rising Input Costs Concerns

Michael Langemeier and Joana Colussi, Purdue Center for Commercial Agriculture Download report (pdf)   Farmer sentiment improved in March as the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer (AEB) Index rose from 116 points in February to 127 (see Figure 1). The Current Conditions Index increased by 6 points, while the Future Expectations Index increased by…

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Farmer Sentiment Rebounds, but Future Expectations Continue to Slide

Farmer sentiment improved in February as the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer Index rose from 113 points in January to 116. The Current Conditions Index increased by 11 points, while the Future Expectations Index dropped 1 point. Although concerns about agricultural exports moderated somewhat from the previous month, they are still higher than those expressed in December. In addition, the percentage of respondents who think the U.S. is headed in the “right direction” declined for the second month in a row.

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Farmer sentiment rebounds, but future expectations continue to slide

Farmer sentiment improved modestly in February, as the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer rose by 3 points from January to a reading of 116. The increase was driven by a stronger assessment of current conditions; the Current Conditions Index climbed 11 points, while the Future Expectations Index slipped by 1 point and fell to…

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Farmer sentiment drops sharply at start of 2026 as economic concerns increase

Farmer sentiment weakened sharply in January, as the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer fell 23 points from December to a reading of 113. The decline reflected growing pessimism about both current conditions and the future outlook for U.S. agriculture; the Current Conditions Index dropped 19 points to 109, while the Future Expectations Index fell…

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Farmer Sentiment Drops Sharply at the Start of 2026 as Economic Concerns Increase

The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer Index climbed to 139 in November, 10 points higher than in October and the highest barometer reading since June of this year. The improvement in farmer sentiment was attributable to producers’ more optimistic outlook for the future, as the November Future Expectations Index reading of 144 was 15 points higher than in October.

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Farmer Sentiment Drifts Lower As Trade Uncertainty Hangs Over Agriculture

The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer Index climbed to 139 in November, 10 points higher than in October and the highest barometer reading since June of this year. The improvement in farmer sentiment was attributable to producers’ more optimistic outlook for the future, as the November Future Expectations Index reading of 144 was 15 points higher than in October.

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