{"id":15240,"date":"2026-03-03T10:25:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T14:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ag.purdue.edu\/commercialag\/ageconomybarometer\/?p=15240"},"modified":"2026-03-03T10:26:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T14:26:54","slug":"farmer-sentiment-rebounds-but-future-expectations-continue-to-slide-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ag.purdue.edu\/commercialag\/ageconomybarometer\/farmer-sentiment-rebounds-but-future-expectations-continue-to-slide-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Farmer sentiment rebounds, but future expectations continue to slide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Farmer sentiment improved modestly in February, as the Purdue University\/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer<\/a> 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 its lowest level since September 2024, standing 45 points below its February 2025 reading. Although concerns about agricultural exports moderated somewhat compared to January, they remain elevated relative to December. The survey was conducted Feb. 2-6.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Farmer
Farmer sentiment rebounded in February, but future expectations continue to slide.<\/strong> (Purdue University\/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer\/Michael Langemeier)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cAlthough producers reported stronger current conditions in February, the overall survey sentiment suggests farmers are carefully weighing short-term stability against longer-term uncertainty,\u201d said Michael Langemeier<\/a>, the barometer\u2019s principal investigator and director of Purdue\u2019s Center for Commercial Agriculture<\/a>. \u201cMany operations are still feeling financial pressure compared to a year ago, which is evident in their cautious investment strategies and a more reserved outlook for the coming year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Approximately 44% of respondents said their farm operations were worse off in February than a year earlier. Looking ahead, producers remained cautious about their financial outlook, with 29% expecting their farm\u2019s financial performance to worsen over the next 12 months, compared to 18% who anticipated an improvement. The Farm Capital Investment Index edged up 3 points to 50, but investment plans remain subdued, as just 7% of respondents reported plans to increase farm machinery purchases in the coming year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2016, the February barometer survey has included questions about producers\u2019 long-term growth plans. This year, approximately 15% of respondents said they plan to reduce the size of their operation, while 34% reported no plans to grow. By contrast, 51% indicated they expect to expand their farms over the next five years, including 14% who plan to increase their operation\u2019s size by 10% or more. The survey also found that 36% of producers plan to bring another family member into the business during the next five years, signaling a continued emphasis on expansion and succession planning despite ongoing financial concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Producers\u2019 outlook for U.S. agricultural exports improved slightly from January but remained more pessimistic than at the end of 2025. In February, 14% of respondents said they expect U.S. agricultural exports to decline over the next five years, down from 16% in January but still notably higher than the 5% who expressed that view in December. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Producers remained optimistic about short-term farmland values in February, while their outlook for long-run land values continued to soften. The Short-Term Farmland Value Expectations Index rose from 117 to 123. In contrast, the Long-Term Farmland Value Expectations Index, which reached a record high of 166 in December, declined to 152 in January and 150 in February. Respondents identified alternative investments, net farm income and interest rates as the three most influential factors shaping farmland values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The February survey also asked producers how they plan to use payments from the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, announced in late December. Nearly half (47%) said they intend to use the funds to pay down debt, while 27% plan to strengthen working capital. The remaining respondents indicated the payments would be used for family living expenses (12%) or to invest in farm machinery (14%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Producers\u2019 views on the broader direction of the U.S. economy weakened slightly for the second consecutive month; the percentage who indicated the U.S. is headed in the \u201cright direction\u201d declined from 62% in January to 59% in February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Purdue University Center for Commercial Agriculture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Center for Commercial Agriculture<\/a> was founded in 2011 to provide professional development and educational programs for farmers. Housed within Purdue University\u2019s Department of Agricultural Economics, the center\u2019s faculty and staff develop and execute research and educational programs that address the different needs of managing in today\u2019s business environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About CME Group<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the world’s leading derivatives marketplace, CME Group (www.cmegroup.com<\/a>) enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data \u2013 empowering market participants worldwide to efficiently manage risk and capture opportunities. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes based on interest rates<\/a>, equity indexes<\/a>, foreign exchange<\/a>, cryptocurrencies<\/a>, energy<\/a>, agricultural products<\/a> and metals<\/a>. The company offers futures and options on futures trading through the CME Globex<\/a> platform, fixed income trading via BrokerTec and foreign exchange trading on the EBS platform. In addition, it operates one of the world’s leading central counterparty clearing providers, CME Clearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CME Group, the Globe logo, CME, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Globex, and E-mini are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. CBOT and Chicago Board of Trade are trademarks of Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, Inc. NYMEX, New York Mercantile Exchange and ClearPort are trademarks of New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. COMEX is a trademark of Commodity Exchange, Inc. BrokerTec is a trademark of BrokerTec Americas LLC and EBS is a trademark of EBS Group LTD. The S&P 500 Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (\u201cS&P DJI\u201d). \u201cS&P\u00ae\u201d, \u201cS&P 500\u00ae\u201d, \u201cSPY\u00ae\u201d, \u201cSPX\u00ae\u201d, US 500 and The 500 are trademarks of Standard & Poor\u2019s Financial Services LLC; Dow Jones\u00ae, DJIA\u00ae and Dow Jones Industrial Average are service and\/or trademarks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. These trademarks have been licensed for use by Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. Futures contracts based on the S&P 500 Index are not sponsored, endorsed, marketed, or promoted by S&P DJI, and S&P DJI makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in such products. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Purdue University<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 106,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 57,000 at our main campus locations in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue\u2019s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap \u2014 including its integrated, comprehensive Indianapolis urban expansion; the Mitch Daniels School of Business; Purdue Computes; and the One Health initiative \u2014 at https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/president\/strategic-initiatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source:<\/strong> Michael Langemeier, mlangeme@purdue.edu<\/a>, 765-494-9557<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Media contacts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aissa Good, Purdue University, aissa@purdue.edu<\/a>, 765-496-3884
Anne Burke, CME Group, anne.burke@cmegroup.com<\/a>, 312-802-6839<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author:<\/strong> Morgan French<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Release date: <\/strong>March 3, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. ET<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-media"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFarmer sentiment rebounds, but future expectations continue to slide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"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. 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