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Current Ag Economy Barometer report released: June 4, 2024

Upcoming release: July 2, 2024

About the Ag Economy Barometer

The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer is a nationwide measure of the health of the U.S. agricultural economy. On the first Tuesday of each month, the Ag Economy Barometer provides a sense of the agricultural economy’s health with an index value. The index is based on a survey of 400 agricultural producers on economic sentiment each month. Quarterly, the index is accompanied by an in-depth survey of 100 agriculture and agribusiness thought leaders.

As CME Group’s roots are in agriculture, and Purdue University’s Center for Commercial Agriculture has a long history of producing cutting-edge agricultural research, this partnership is designed to create a new and important tool for producers, economists, traders, finance industry professionals and journalists who are interested in understanding the agriculture industry and the broader global economy.

Find the Ag Economy Barometer on the Bloomberg Terminal: AGECBARO, AGECCURC and AGECFTEX.

Ag Sentiment Moderates in September, Continues to Favor Livestock

October 4, 2016

By Jim Mintert, David Widmar, Michael Langemeier The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer indicated that farmer sentiment improved modestly during September as fall harvest got under way across most of the U.S. Based on a monthly survey of 400 agricultural producers, the Ag Economy Barometer was at 101 in September (Figure 1). While this was moderately above the August value of 95, the barometer’s current reading remains well below its peak of 112 in July.   The Ag Economy Barometer’s two sub-indices, the Index of Current Conditions and Index of Future Expectations, provide a more detailed view of what…

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Low Commodity Prices Weigh on Producer Sentiment

September 6, 2016

James Mintert, David Widmar, and Michael Langemeier After several months of improvement in sentiment toward the ag economy, declining commodity prices weighed heavily on farmer sentiment during August. The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer–based upon a monthly survey of 400 farmers across the U.S.–fell to 95 in August, down from 112 in July. The 17-point drop from July to August was the largest one-month decline in the Ag Economy Barometer since November 2015.   Farmer sentiment regarding both the current state of the ag economy (measured by the Index of Current Conditions) and future prospects (measured by the Index…

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Long Term Outlook Strengthens

August 2, 2016

By James Mintert, David A. Widmar, Michael Langemeier As the dust settled on what turned out to be a volatile June and early July for commodity markets, agricultural producer sentiment turned higher (Figure 1). The Purdue/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer, which is based on a monthly survey of 400 agricultural producers, came in at 112 for July, up from 104 in June and 97 in May.   The improvement in producer sentiment occurred despite the fact that grain and oilseed prices declined sharply in late June and early July. The uptick in sentiment was driven by producer’s expectations for the…

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