Ag Barometer

Ag poll: War in Ukraine means higher U.S. farm costs

The largest U.S. farmers and ranchers say the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with its disruption of grain, oil and fertilizer shipping, will drive up their costs of production, according to a Purdue University poll released on Tuesday. The Ag Economy Barometer also showed big operators are tempering somewhat their expectations of soaring input prices.

Farmers growing skeptical of victory in Sino-U.S. trade war

American farmers were dogged supporters of President Trump's trade war with China, accepting as "patriot farmers" the pain of retaliatory tariffs in the belief Beijing would be forced to alter its trade practices. But they are becoming skeptical of victory: Only half of them believe the trade war will be resolved to their benefit and even fewer believe China will meet its "phase one" commitments negotiated with the Trump administration.

Farmer optimism is record high in a pandemic year of extremes

Farmer confidence is the highest in the five-year history of the Ag Economy Barometer, said Purdue University on Tuesday. The monthly survey of large-scale farmers and ranchers has returned dynamic results in a year disrupted by the pandemic by setting record highs twice in eight months, …

Farmers doubt China will meet phase-one target for ag imports

The “phase one” Sino-U.S. trade agreement called for a doubling or tripling of U.S. ag exports to China, but with four months left in the year more farmers than not are skeptical the sales bonanza will be realized, according to a Purdue University poll released on Tuesday. There is reason …

With harvest at hand, farmers’ coronavirus thoughts turn to marketing

Farmers and ranchers are increasingly focusing on market access for their crops and livestock as the coronavirus grips the world, said the Ag Economy Barometer on Tuesday. In a poll by Purdue University for the monthly gauge of farmer sentiment, 45 percent of producers said market access was …

Coronavirus fears ease, but many farmers expect a worse year financially

An unusually large portion of U.S. farmers and ranchers expects worse financial performance on their farms this year than last, said a Purdue University poll released on Tuesday. And although producers are less worried by the coronavirus pandemic than in the spring, they are calling for …

Trade war and planting delays erode farmer confidence

U.S. farmers don’t expect the Sino-US trade war to end soon and fewer of them expect to be winners when it does, said a Purdue poll released on Tuesday. The monthly Ag Economy Barometer said farmer confidence was the the lowest since October 2016, wiping out the “Trump bump” that followed …

Fewer farmers aim to expand their operations

It may be hard times in agriculture but a larger share of farmers than a year ago say they don’t plan to expand their operations or get out of farming. Half of operators now hold those views, compared to 39 percent in 2018, according to the Ag Economy Barometer produced by Purdue University. …