Farmers Optimistic About The Year Ahead

Despite the challenges of 2019, a new poll finds farmers are optimistic about the year ahead.  The DTN/Progressive Farmer Agriculture Confidence Index rose to 164.1 in December 2019, significantly higher than the Index of 110.2 in March and the December 2018 level of 109.2.  The long, drawn-out, challenging crop year, along with trade battles, didn’t dampen their mood for the future, or their feelings about the Trump administration.

About 75% of farmers said that if the 2020 presidential election was held at that time, they would vote to reelect the current administration.  About a quarter said they would likely not vote for the current administration. Farmers were surveyed in mid-to-late December, when President Donald Trump announced the Phase One trade agreement with China, and the House approved USMCA.

The DTN/Progressive Farmer Agriculture Confidence Index is conducted three times a year, before planting, before harvest, and before the end of the year.

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