A ‘Trump bump’ on the farm, with a dollop of trade war anxiety
As it did eight years ago, Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election has ignited a surge of enthusiasm among farmers, although two-fifths of them say there is a risk of a damaging trade war, said a Purdue University poll released on Tuesday. The Ag Economy Barometer, a gauge of farmer confidence, surged 30 points to its highest reading since May 2021.
Farmer confidence rebounds, reaches highest level in a year
High crop yields and a rapid fall harvest helped boost farmer confidence to its highest level since last November, just a month after it fell to its lowest reading in six years, said a Purdue University poll on Tuesday. "Farmers' optimism about the future shifted in October, leading to an expectation of better financial performance in 2025 than in 2024," said the monthly Ag Economy Barometer.
Farmer confidence falls along with commodity prices
More than half of American farmers say their farming operations are worse off financially now than a year ago, according to a Purdue University poll released on Tuesday, which also found increasing concern about low market prices for crops and livestock. "The weakness in farmer sentiment could indicate that farmers expect this year's farm income downturn to last for an extended period," said the Ag Economy Barometer.
Farmers expect land rental rates to hold steady in 2025
Cropland values have climbed for four years in a row, but three out of four farmers expect cash rental rates in 2025 to remain the same this year, said a Purdue University poll on Tuesday. The monthly Ag Economy Barometer said the rest of producers were split fairly evenly between those who expected an increase and those expecting a decrease in rental rates.
Higher lease rates, escalator clauses offered for solar projects
Developers of solar farms are offering higher and higher annual lease rates — often above $1,500 an acre — with escalator clauses to sweeten the deal, said farmers in a Purdue University survey released on Tuesday. Some 27 percent of farmers who spoke to developers said they were offered at least $1,500 an acre, according to the monthly Ag Economy Barometer.
Farmer interest in solar leasing doubles since winter
One in five U.S. farmers has actively discussed leasing land for a solar project — twice as many as in February, according to a survey released by Purdue University on Tuesday. Developers offered high payments in many cases and, overall, 6 percent of landowners have signed a solar energy lease, according to the monthly Ag Economy Barometer.
Carbon injection discussions involve many farmers
More farmers and landowners are involved in discussions of carbon capture utilization and storage on farmland than in leasing land for solar panels, said a Purdue University survey on Tuesday. "Interest on the part of companies desiring to use farmland for either sequestering carbon or solar energy production appears to be rising," said the monthly Ag Economy Barometer.
As input prices fall, farmers’ concerns shift to commodity prices
For the past year, the top concern, by far, of U.S. farmers polled by Purdue University has been higher input costs. Now, it's a tie between lower commodity prices and higher input costs at 28 percent each, said the monthly Ag Economy Barometer on Tuesday.
Corn and soy growers take a step back from cover crops, says Purdue survey
Fewer of America's large-scale corn and soybean farmers are planting cover crops this year than last, and nobody says they're doing it to lock carbon in the soil, said a Purdue University survey on Tuesday. Cover crops, long promoted as a way to improve soil health, have more recently been promoted as an agricultural practice that mitigates climate change and could be a new source of income.
Farmers say carbon contracts ought to pay more
The small portion — 2 percent — of corn and soybean farmers who have signed carbon contracts said they were ready, if required, to change their production practices to earn the money, said a Purdue University poll on Tuesday. Most growers said the payment rates were too low to entice them.
Farmers doubt there will be a farm bill this year — Poll
For the first time in polling by Purdue University, a plurality of farmers say Congress is unlikely to pass a farm bill in 2023. Lawmakers are all but certain to fail to enact a successor to the 2018 farm bill before it expires on Sept. 30 and plan to be in session for as few as nine of the remaining 22 weeks of this year.
Farmers skeptical of farm bill as Prop 12 slayer
Large-scale farmers and ranchers are slightly more optimistic than they were last month that Congress will pass a farm bill this year, but they doubt it will be a vehicle for overturning California’s Proposition 12 animal welfare law, said the Ag Economy Barometer on Wednesday. The pork industry is seeking a legislative override of Prop 12 after losing a Supreme Court challenge to the voter-approved law in May.
Farmers are becoming more doubtful of a farm bill in 2023
Two out of three crop and livestock producers say they are uncertain or believe Congress is unlikely to enact a new farm bill this year, said a Purdue University survey on Tuesday. Neither the Senate nor House Agriculture committees has unveiled a preliminary version of the bill or scheduled a bill-drafting session, an unusually slow start.
Farmers expect a revenue payoff from growth in renewable diesel
Farmers are far more bullish about the chances of expansion of the renewable diesel industry than in ethanol, the dominant "green" fuel in rural America, said a Purdue University poll on Tuesday. The telephone survey for the monthly Ag Economy Barometer also found nine of 10 farmers expect higher soybean prices at the farm gate as more and more renewable diesel fuel reaches the market.
Few farmers adjust operations because of higher energy prices
Higher input costs are by far the No. 1 concern among farmers, but only a minority of them have altered their operations because of rising energy prices, according to a Purdue University poll of large-scale operators.
Many farmers expect cost increases will last into 2023
A significant number of America's biggest farmers expect this year's sharp increases in the price of fertilizer, pesticides and machinery parts to continue in 2023, said Purdue University on Tuesday. Three of every four producers polled for the monthly Ag Economy Barometer said they expected farm input costs to rise by at least 20 percent this year, while more than one-third said they expected 2023 crop input prices to be at least 10 percent higher.
Farmer confidence sours amid rising costs, income squeeze
Despite high farm income in 2021, farmer confidence has been on a nearly unbroken decline since last April, said Purdue University on Tuesday. "Producers expect financial performance in 2022 to be much weaker than in 2021," said the monthly Ag Economy Barometer, pointing to rising costs and difficulties in acquiring pesticides, fertilizer and machinery parts.
Poor or no internet for 3 in 10 of largest U.S. farmers
A sizable portion of America's largest farmers "are unable to take advantage of many applications and services" on the internet because they don't have a connection or it is of poor quality, said a Purdue University survey released on Tuesday. The gap in access exists at the same time the sector is embracing precision agriculture technology such as GPS guidance of tractors and combines.
‘Quite large’ amounts of corn and soy land were not planted
One out of every 10 corn farmers was unable to plant 25 percent or more of intended corn acreage due to the wettest spring in a quarter-century, according to a survey by Purdue University. Soybean plantings also were smaller than planned, with 9 percent of growers saying they were unable to …