Nearly 1 in 5 farmers expects lower taxes — a factor in ag optimism
Farmers and ranchers say they are in a better financial situation than a year ago, according to the Ag Economy Barometer's monthly survey. The Purdue economists who oversee the barometer said farmers are markedly more optimistic than last summer, with one factor being the expectation of lower taxes in coming years.
Farmers increasingly pledge land as collateral to get a loan
With profit margins weak due to low commodity prices, farmers and ranchers are offering their land as collateral to obtain short-term operating loans — and banks are demanding it amid "a growing sense of risk in the farm sector," said the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank.