A recent survey from Purdue University shows farmer sentiment is slipping in rural America, and economists say today’s problems are very different than just months ago.
“Back in August, before the election, 22 percent of the respondents in the survey chose interest rate policy as one of their top concerns versus 20 percent choosing trade policy. Since the election, over 40 percent, an average of 43 percent, of the respondents to the survey have chosen trade policy as their top concern. While the percentage choosing interest rate policy as a top concern has been falling, and this month was just ten percent,” said James Mintert.
Right now, Mintert says interest rate policy is a top concern for just 10 percent of those who responded.
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“It does not extinguish right away here — in any sort of sense — the real profitability concerns and people’s ability to pay bills and get to the other side of this in the very short term. This is where the skepticism builds.”
