There was a modest improvement in agricultural producer sentiment, according to the December Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer. The barometer increased 7 points from November to a reading of 174. Both of the barometer’s sub-indices, the Index of Current Conditions and the Index of Future Expectations, were also higher in December than in November. The Index of Current Conditions climbed 15 points to 202, and the Index of Future Expectations increased by 5 points to a reading of 161. The Ag Economy Barometer is calculated each month from 400 U.S. agricultural producers’ responses to a telephone survey. This month’s survey was conducted Dec. 7–11, 2020.
“The rise in the Ag Economy Barometer was primarily driven by farmers’ perception that t
