Farmer sentiment improved in August as the Purdue-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer index rose 14 points above its July reading to 117. The rise in the overall measure of agricultural producer sentiment was driven by increases in both the Index of Current Conditions, which rose 9 points in August to 118 and the Index of Future Expectations, which climbed 16 points in August to 116.

The Purdue-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer sentiment index rose 6 points in July to a reading of 103. Producers in this month’s survey were somewhat more optimistic about both current and future economic conditions on their farms than they were in June.

Farmer sentiment remained weak in June as the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer fell to a reading of 97, 2 points below its May reading. During June farmers were a bit more optimistic about current conditions as the Current Conditions Index of 99 was 5 points higher than in May.

The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer plummeted in May to a reading of just 99, the weakest farmer sentiment reading since April 2020. The May 2022 barometer reading marked just the 9th time since data collection began in fall 2015 that the overall measure of farmer sentiment fell below 100.

The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer improved in April to a reading of 121, which was 8 points higher than a month earlier. Despite this month’s increase, the ag sentiment index remains 32% lower than its April 2021 reading.

The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer dipped to a reading of 113 in March, the weakest farmer sentiment reading since May 2020 which was in the early days of the pandemic. The March reading was 12 points lower than a month earlier and 36% lower than in March 2021.

The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer rose 6 points in February to 125, matching the sentiment index’s reading from December. This month’s survey was conducted from February 14-18 2022, which was just prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Farmer sentiment weakened in January as the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer declined 6 points to 119, down from 125 a month earlier. This month’s decline leaves the barometer just three points higher than in November and is the second-lowest sentiment reading since July 2020.

For only the second time since May, the Ag Economy Barometer rose in December. This month’s index climbed to a reading of 125, 9 points higher than in November.