Operators of large farms are losing faith in exports as an ever-growing market for U.S. crops and livestock, said a Purdue poll released on Tuesday. Only one-third of farmers surveyed for the monthly Ag Economy Barometer said they expected agricultural exports to increase over the next five years, down from 72 percent in 2020.
An agricultural lodestar since the 1970s, exports reached a record $196.4 billion in fiscal 2022, a three-fold increase in a quarter-century. One-fifth of U.S. agricultural production is sold overseas.
“Producers’ confidence in U.S. agriculture’s exporting prowess has weakened considerably,” wrote agricultural economists James Mintert and Michael Langemeier, who oversee the barometer. They said the downturn in sentiment could be a factor in the 5-point decline in the barometer to a reading of 125, the same as a year earlier.
In early 2020, 72 percent of farmers said they expected exports to increase over the next five years. “Since then, the percentage of farmers looking for exports to grow over time has drifted lower, dipping to just 33 percent in the February survey,” wrote Mintert and Langemeier. “And in this month’s survey, the percentage of respondents who expect U.S. exports to decline reached 18 percent, providing the weakest perspective on future exports since barometer data collection began” in 2019.
While 18 percent of those polled expected a decline, 49 percent of producers expected exports to remain the same over the next five years; the combined 67 percent was the largest share of respondents expecting exports to hold steady or decline in four years of polling.
The USDA estimates that exports will retreat to $184.5 billion this year, down by 6 percent, due to softer commodity prices and smaller tonnage but still the second-highest sales tally ever. The long-term USDA baseline projects the decline will continue through 2026, due to a global economic slowdown, higher interest rates and a strong dollar, before a modest recovery begins. Exports would decline across the board, with grains and soybeans hit the hardest.
Just over 10 percent of producers said they have discussed leasing their land for solar energy production, said Purdue. “This month’s survey suggests companies have started to increase lease rates they are willing to pay.” Among producers who have investigated a lease, 48 percent said they were offered $1,000 or more per acre. In November 2021, 34 percent said the offer was $1,000 or more.
Producers reported little change in the quality of internet service on their farms in the past year. Some 30 percent rated service quality as high, 39 said moderate, 21 percent said poor and 10 percent said they had no service. A year ago, the ratings were 30 percent high, 42 percent moderate, 16 percent poor and 12 percent none.
Purdue says it interviews operators with production worth at least $500,000 a year for the barometer. The latest telephone survey was from Feb 13-17. USDA data say the largest 7.4 percent of U.S. farms top $500,000 in annual sales. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent.
The Ag Economy Barometer is available here.