West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
April 7, 2020
The Ag Economy Barometer plummeted in March, dipping 47 points (28%) from a month earlier to a reading of 121. The point drop was the largest one-month fall in the life of the index, which dates to October 2015.
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The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer recorded its largest one-month drop in sentiment during March. The barometer dipped 47 points to a reading of 121, as concerns over the impact of the global pandemic on the agricultural economy weighed heavily on farmers' minds. The Ag Economy Barometer is based on a mid-month survey of 400 U.S. agricultural producers and was conducted from March 16-20, 2020 as the coronavirus crisis escalated in the U.S. and around the world.
Both the Index of Current Conditions and Index of Future Expectations also recorded their largest one-month declines. Farmer sentiment regarding current conditions fell 43 points to a reading of 111 and future expectations fell 49 points to a reading of 126. Collectively, this month's decline in the barometer and its sub-indices pushed the index down to levels last seen in September 2019, when weak commodity prices and an unresolved trade dispute left many farmers concerned over their financial futures.
First and foremost, the U.S. farmers in this month's survey said they were concerned about how the coronavirus will impact their farms in 2020 leaving little doubt that it was the leading driver for this month's sharp sentiment decline. Seventy-four percent of respondents to the March survey said they were either "fairly worried" (34 percent) or "very worried" (40 percent) about the impact of the virus on their farm's profitability this year. That sentiment also spilled over into their perceptions of financial performance, with 40 percent of respondents expecting a worse year compared to 2019.
Farmers also became less optimistic in March about the outcome of the trade dispute with China and whether it would be resolved in a way that benefits U.S. agriculture. The percentage of farmers expecting the soybean trade dispute with China to be resolved soon, which peaked in January at 69 percent, fell to 47 percent in March. Meanwhile, the percentage of producers that expect the trade dispute to be resolved in a way that's ultimately beneficial to U.S. agriculture was down to 68 percent this month from an average of just over 80 percent who felt that way in January and February. In another sign that farmers were less confident that the trade dispute with China will be resolved soon, more farmers in the March survey said they expect to receive an MFP payment on their 2020 crop production than did a month earlier. In March, 62 percent of survey respondents said they anticipate USDA providing MFP payments to U.S. farmers for the 2020 crop year. That was a significant increase compared to February when just 45 percent of farmers said they expect to receive an MFP payment this year.
Read the full Ag Economy Barometer report at http://purdue.ag/agbarometer. This month's report provides further insight into producer's sentiment towards making large farm capital investments as well as their expectations for short-term and long-term farmland values. The site also offers additional resources - such as past reports, charts and survey methodology - and a form to sign up for monthly barometer email updates and webinars. Each month, the Purdue Center for Commercial Agriculture provides a short video analysis of the barometer results, available at https://purdue.ag/barometervideo
Bloomberg Terminal
The Ag Economy Barometer and two of its components - the Index of Current Conditions and the Index of Future Expectations - are reported on the Bloomberg Terminal under the following ticker symbols: AGECBARO, AGECCURC and AGECFTEX.
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