Mixed Bag From Producer Ag Barometer Sentiment Survey

(WEST LAFAYETTE, IN) Despite a weak near-term outlook provided by farmers in the latest Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer, they expressed some optimism about the future. According to the Index of Future Expectations, another sub-index of the Ag Economy Barometer, producer sentiment climbed six points in September compared to August. So, even though farmers are concerned about the near-term both on their own farms and for the ag economy, improved crop growing conditions during the last half of the summer appeared to boost optimism regarding the future. Also in the September survey, only one in five producers said they expect profitability to decline over the next year. Considered jointly with this month’s decline in the Index of Current Conditions, this could be a signal that growers expect better times in 2020 compared to 2019. Dr. Jim Mintert is Director for the Center for Commercial Agriculture at Purdue and attributes the optimism to farmers looking forward to a return to more normal growing conditions and crop production in 2020.