A new reading from the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer Index shows sentiment across the Heartland, more specifically, on America’s farms, has tumbled to the lowest levels since 2016 as incomes pressured lower on concerns of “commodity prices, input costs, and future of trade after upcoming elections.”
In September, the Ag Economy Barometer, a survey of 400 farmers across America, plunged 12 points to 88, the lowest reading since March 2016, or around the time former president Trump began his first term.
“These were the weakest barometer and future expectations readings since March 2016, when the farm economy was in the throes of an economic downturn,” James Mintert and Michael Langemeier of the Purdue Center for Commercial Agriculture wrote in the report.