Farmer sentiment dipped slightly in December, with the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer dropping 3 points to 136. The decline was attributable to a softening in producers’ long-term outlook. The Future Expectations Index fell 4 points from the previous month to 140, while the Current Conditions Index remained steady at 128. Crop producers expressed increased concern about the competitiveness of U.S. soybean exports as Brazil expands its role in global markets, contributing to the more cautious outlook. The survey was conducted Dec. 1-5, 2025.

Purdue ag economists James Mintert and Michael Langemeier review the results from the Ag Economy Barometer and give their insights into farmer sentiment and the farm economy.

The Ag Economy Barometer sentiment index is calculated each month from 400 U.S. agricultural producers’ responses to a telephone survey. Further details on the full report is available at https://purdue.edu/agbarometer. Slides and the transcript from the discussion can be found at https://purdue.ag/agcast204.

You can find the FULL video episode on our YouTube channel. Visit https://youtu.be/0Jnm3_yti_g to subscribe and watch.

Podcast provided by Purdue University's Center for Commercial Agriculture. For more economic information and insights on the Ag Economy Barometer, visit us at http://purdue.edu/commercialag.

Subscribe to audio: https://purdue.ag/agcast

Socials: https://twitter.com/PUCommercialAg, https://www.facebook.com/PUCommercialAg

Chad Fiechter and Todd Kuethe reflect on their conversations this past year and talk about future plans. They cover past discussions with notable guests, including Nate Kauffman from the Federal Reserve, Matt Erickson from the Senate, Joe Balagtas from the White House, ag investing consultant Joe Suttles, and Indian hog farmer Brian Martin. Todd shares his upcoming sabbatical plans to teach economies on the Semester at Sea program, while they both share more on their recent trip to Arkansas to learn about rice farming. They explore the impact of AI in agriculture and highlight the importance of understanding different agricultural practices and community perspectives. The conversation wraps up with light-hearted discussions on personal preferences and their hopes for future podcast topics.

Find all the past episodes discussed: https://purdue.ag/agcast

Podcast provided by Purdue University's Center for Commercial Agriculture. For more economic and farm management information, visit us at http://purdue.edu/commercialag.

Transcript from the discussion can be found at https://purdue.ag/agcast203.

Check out all of our Purdue Commercial AgCast video interviews on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS0sw5w6odSS111rbY1glHw

Socials: https://twitter.com/PUCommercialAg, https://www.facebook.com/PUCommercialAg, https://www.linkedin.com/company/center-for-commercial-agriculture

Whoosh in-out #1 by beman87 -- https://freesound.org/s/162841/ -- License: Attribution 3.0

November brought the highest farmer sentiment reading since June, with the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer jumping 10 points from October to 139. The increase was driven primarily by producers’ more optimistic outlook for the future, as the Future Expectations Index climbed 15 points to 144, while the Current Conditions Index dipped 2 points to 128. November’s survey is the first conducted after the late-October announcement of a U.S.-China trade pact that includes provisions to expand U.S. agricultural exports and revealed a notable improvement in producers’ confidence in future export opportunities. Sentiment also received support from a sharp rise in crop prices between mid-October and mid-November. The barometer survey took place Nov. 10-14.

Purdue ag economists James Mintert and Michael Langemeier review the results from the November Ag Economy Barometer and give their insights into farmer sentiment and the farm economy.

The Ag Economy Barometer sentiment index is calculated each month from 400 U.S. agricultural producers’ responses to a telephone survey. Further details on the full report is available at https://purdue.edu/agbarometer. Slides and the transcript from the discussion can be found at https://purdue.ag/agcast202.

You can find the FULL video episode on our YouTube channel. Visit https://youtu.be/KDhYF5vTo_M to subscribe and watch.

Podcast provided by Purdue University's Center for Commercial Agriculture. For more economic information and insights on the Ag Economy Barometer, visit us at http://purdue.edu/commercialag.

Subscribe to audio: https://purdue.ag/agcast

Socials: https://twitter.com/PUCommercialAg, https://www.facebook.com/PUCommercialAg