Survey

For the second month in a row, the Ag Economy Barometer declined, this time by 10 points, says Purdue University, based on a survey of 400 producers. Optimism zoomed with President Trump's election but has been on the decline since peaking at its highest-ever level in January.

More than a quarter of respondents to an Agrimoney survey say trade issues, such as introduction of tariffs or disintegration of trade pacts, are "the biggest concern for world agribusiness investors," says the London-based news site. But President Trump won mention by 20 percent of respondents, including one who called him "the elephant in every room, including on ag."

The Agriculture Department faces a vexing problem: Its crop reports can move markets but fewer and fewer farmers are taking part in the surveys that assure the USDA estimates are accurate. "From response rates of 80-85 percent in the early 1990s, rates have fallen below 60 percent in some cases," write USDA chief economist Robert Johansson and Mississippi State University economist Keith Coble.

The portion of consumers who care passionately about, are dissatisfied with, and are distrustful of how food is made, packaged and sold zoomed to 24 percent from 10 percent in two years, becoming a "mainstream segment that manufacturers cannot ignore," said Food Navigator, citing a Food 2020 report by public relations firm Ketchum.

By a mile, the top issues for grocery shoppers are affordable and nutritious food, according to a nationwide survey commissioned by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. When asked about food purchases, nearly 60 percent of participants in the poll rated affordable or nutritious food as very important - 25 percentage points ahead of "not genetically modified" and "antibiotic-free" and three times the ratings for "locally grown," "organically grown" or "from a family farm."