More Good News Than Bad: CME weighs in on the latest Ag Economy Barometer

The latest Ag Economy Barometer has been released and it shows that farmer sentiment has improved as interest rate expectations shift.

The barometer improved in March, pushing the reading up 3 points to a reading of 114. The Index of Current Conditions came in 2 points below last month at 101.
While the Index of Future Expectations climbed to 120, 5 points higher than in February.

That split was driven primarily by farmers’ perception of their financial condition and how they expect that to improve over the next year.

Farm Financial Performance was down 1 point at a reading of 83.

CME Executive Director of Ag Research, Fred Seamon spoke with RFD-TV’s own Suzanne Alexander on what contributed to the shift, his thoughts on the report, and what to expect as planting season approaches.

Related Stories
According to the most recent version of the Household Food Security Report for 2022-2023, food insecurity is on the rise in the U.S.
Cindy Kovar with AgriSafe joined us on Monday’s Market Day Report to talk about road safety and agriculture as we age.
Andy Lee, with GHX Golden Harvest, discusses the mission of the Golden Harvest Experience, which gives farmers a personalized plan for their farm, including predictive seed placement and in-person support.
“The farm economy is, if it isn’t in a crisis, it’s well on its way to one right now.”
Dairy farmers are expected to face strong output and export gains, but lower prices and tighter margins will persist into next year.