Ag Barometer Insights: May 2025 Survey Results

Farmer sentiment reached a four-year high in May. Purdue ag economists James Mintert and Michael Langemeier share their insight into the results of the May 2025 Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer survey, conducted from May 12-16, in this episode of the Purdue Commercial AgCast. The barometer rose 10 points to 158, the highest since May 2021, driven by optimism about future and current farm conditions. The Farm Financial Performance Index also saw an increase, while the Farm Capital Investment Index declined slightly. Other key points include a surprising jump in the Short-Term Farmland Value Expectation Index, shifting attitudes toward ag exports, and concerns about labor impacts due to U.S. immigration policies. Current farmer concerns remain centered on high input costs and interest rates, and there is notable interest in the passage of a new 2025 farm bill.

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/agcast188.

You can find the FULL video episode on our YouTube channel. Visit https://youtu.be/GRm0BZYXeR0 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.