Farmer Sentiment Falls as Input Cost Worries Hit Record High
A September Purdue/CME Group survey found 52% of farmers named input costs as their top concern, a new record, as a key conditions index dropped 18 points.
Farmer confidence in the agricultural economy declined sharply in September, with a record share of producers pointing to rising input costs as their primary worry, according to the latest Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer survey released Tuesday.
Fifty-two percent of respondents identified higher input costs as their top concern, a figure that has never been recorded at that level in the survey's history. The finding underscores mounting financial pressure on farm operations as expenses for seeds, fertilizer, fuel, and other essentials remain elevated.
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The strain on current conditions was also reflected in a separate barometer component: the Index of Current Conditions fell 18 points, signaling that farmers view the present operating environment as meaningfully worse than in prior months. Such a sharp single-month decline in that index points to deteriorating confidence about day-to-day farm finances rather than longer-term outlooks alone.
The Purdue/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer is a monthly gauge of U.S. agricultural producer sentiment drawn from a national survey of farmers. Movements in its subindices are closely watched by commodity markets, lenders, and policymakers as early indicators of stress or resilience across the farm sector. A sustained drop in current-conditions readings can foreshadow tighter farm spending and slower equipment or input purchases in the months ahead.
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