Input costs, interest rates weigh on farmers’ minds

Unlike the two most recent presidential elections, the November mid-term election outcomes did little to swing farmer sentiment. The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer came in at a reading of 102 in November, unchanged from October. There was, however, slight movement in both of the barometer’s sub-indices. The Current Conditions Index declined 3 points to a reading of 98 while the Future Expectations Index increased 2 points to a reading of 104. The Ag Economy Barometer is calculated each month from 400 U.S. agricultural producers’ responses to a telephone survey. This…