Farmer sentiment improved markedly in August as the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer rose to a reading of 144, 26 points higher than a month earlier. The barometer and its two sub-indices all posted their most positive readings since February 2020 when record highs were established and before the pandemic began.

Farmer sentiment in July was virtually unchanged from a month earlier as the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer rose just one point to a reading of 118. The small change in the barometer left it 30 percent below its February 2020 peak and 23 percent below its level a year ago. 

Farmer sentiment improved again in June as the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer rose 14 points to a reading of 117. The rise was fueled by improvements in both the Index of Current Conditions which rose 19% higher than a month earlier, and the Index of Future Expectations which climbed 12% higher than in…

Farmer sentiment improved slightly in May after falling sharply in both March and April. The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer reading in May was 103; the 7 point improvement from April left the gauge of farmer sentiment nearly 40 percent below its February peak of 168.

For the second month in a row the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer dropped sharply, falling 25 points in April to a reading of 96. This marks the first time the barometer has fallen below 100 since October 2016.

The Ag Economy Barometer plummeted in March, dipping 47 points (28%) from a month earlier to a reading of 121. The point drop was the largest one-month fall in the life of the index, which dates to October 2015.

The Ag Economy Barometer rose slightly with a reading of 168 in February, just one point higher than January. The one-point rise in the sentiment index was enough to push the barometer to a new all-time high.

The Ag Economy Barometer rose to a reading of 167 in January, a 17-point jump from December when the index stood at 150. Virtually all of the rise in this month’s barometer was attributable to a sharp rise in optimism about future conditions in agriculture.

The Ag Economy Barometer dipped to a reading of 150 in December, down 3 points compared to November. The barometer’s decline was attributable to a decline in producers’ perception of current economic conditions.

The Ag Economy Barometer improved to a reading of 153 in November, up 17 points compared to October. This month’s rise in sentiment left the barometer tied with July for the highest reading of 2019.