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Uncertainty driving farmer sentiment

An ag economist says uncertainty is the main driver behind farmer sentiment.

Jim Mintert is the head of Purdue’s Center for Commercial Agriculture. “It’s not really a reflection of weak economic conditions on the part of producers,” he said. “It just really is reflecting this concern about the future and this uncertainty about the future. That has people on edge and has them worried about where we’re headed.”

Mintert says the latest Purdue University/CME Ag Economy Barometer survey asked farmers where they saw the financial health of the operation heading in the next year.

He tells Brownfield, “The last two months the two highest, most negative responses to that question we’ve ever gotten since we started collecting data,” Mintert said. “Roughly half the people in the survey are telling us they think their financial position is going to deteriorate over the next 12 months.”

The Ag Economy Barometer is calculated each month from 400 U.S. agricultural producers’ responses to a telephone survey. This month’s survey was conducted between July 11-15.