Farmer Optimism Continues to Rise

The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer showed farmer sentiment edged higher in January. “Farmers have retained most of the optimism that was generally associated with the fall 2024 election,” said Purdue University Extension Economist Jim Mintert. “In September the barometer was at a reading of 88, got as high as 145 in November and now we’re at 141, so a lot of that optimism is still there.” Farmers remain hopeful about the future. “Probably the single biggest driver was the fact that commodity prices, especially for corn and soybeans, rose from December to January.”