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.

The Ag Economy Barometer improved to a reading of 136 in October, up 15 points compared to September, which pushed the barometer back to the same level observed in October 2018.