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Farmers optimistic about industry in national survey by Purdue

The Ag Economy Barometer year-over-year.
The Ag Economy Barometer year-over-year.

Farmers nationally remain optimistic about the future of their industry, according to May’s Ag Economy Barometer from Purdue University. Farmer sentiment hit its most positive level since May of 2021.

The results were driven by a hopeful outlook on ag exports and less negative views on the impact of tariffs.

In May, the percentage of producers who said they expect U.S. agricultural exports to increase over the next five years went from 33 percent a month earlier to 52 percent.

In April, 56 percent of respondents said they expected tariffs to have a “negative” or “very negative” impact on their farm’s income.

In May, that percentage fell to 43 percent, while the percentage expecting “No Impact” rose to 30 percent, compared to 22 percent in April.

Read more:  Southern Indiana business owners in Trump country react to tariffs

Clayton Baumgarth is a multimedia journalist for Indiana Public Media. He gathers stories from the rural areas surrounding Bloomington. Clayton was born and raised in central Missouri, and graduated college with a degree in Multimedia Production/Journalism from Drury University.