At the 2025 NAFB National Convention, Purdue University Ag Economist Michael Langemeier shared new insights from the Ag Economy Barometer, noting the sharp divide in sentiment between crop and livestock producers. “Net returns for crop producers look really tight again in 2025, and it looks like that might be the case in 2026, whereas livestock producers, particularly beef producers, have had some pretty good returns this year.” Despite short-term market pressures and lingering trade questions, long-term confidence remains solid across most of the country. “There is a lot of uncertainty right now, but as that uncertainty gets resolved, people typically become more optimistic.”
