Purdue Commercial AgCast Purdue Center for Commercial Agriculture

Dig into strategic risk management for farm businesses with the Purdue University Center for Commercial Agriculture. Join James Mintert, Michael Langemeier, and Brady Brewer as they discuss what strategic risks are and how to start thinking about your farm's ability to withstand shocks. The team of ag economists also discuss how important it can be to identify and capture the business opportunities that sometimes accompany a shock to the operating environment. This is the first episode in a series focused on helping ag producers learn to manage strategic risks.
Podcast provided by Purdue University's Center for Commercial Agriculture. Slides and the transcript from the discussion can be found at https://purdue.ag/agcast163.
You can find the FULL video episode on our YouTube channel. Visit https://youtu.be/GbXtaQUecGY to subscribe and watch.

April witnessed a steep decline in U.S. farmer sentiment, as indicated by the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer, which fell 15 points from March to a reading of 99. April marked the lowest farmer sentiment reading since June 2022 and the weakest current condition rating since May 2020. The sentiment decline was driven by worries regarding the current financial situation on farms and anticipated financial challenges in the coming year. The April Ag Economy Barometer survey was conducted from April 8-12, 2024.
The Ag Economy Barometer sentiment index is calculated each month from 400 U.S. agricultural producers’ responses to a telephone survey. Purdue ag economist James Mintert shares some insight into the results of the April 2024 Ag Economy Barometer survey. The full report is available at https://purdue.ag/agbarometer.
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.

Total operator interest expense over the past year has increase 43%, leading producers to seek answers among a diversified agricultural credit space. From traditional lenders in ag, like the farm credit system and commercial banks or more non-traditional lenders like implement dealers and co-ops - How do these lenders compare?
Host Brady Brewer, accompanied by guests Dr. Jennifer Iftt, Dr. Noah Miller, and Dr. Gerald Mashange, explore how agricultural loan interest rates vary among lenders. In this episode, they unpack a series of recent FarmDoc articles dissecting the nuances of interest rates in ag loans across various groups of lenders, geographic regions, and different types of farms.
This podcast reviews three Farmdoc articles released by the guests: (1) Farm Loan Interest Rate Trends by Major Lender Group, (2) Farm Loan Interest Rate by Geographic Region, and (3) Do Different Types of Farms Pay Different Interest Rates?
Podcast provided by Purdue University's Center for Commercial Agriculture. The transcript from the discussion, as well as additional resources can be found at https://purdue.ag/agcast161.

U.S. farmers’ perspective on the future improved in March helping to push the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer up 3 points from February to a reading of 114. The Index of Current Conditions at 101 was 2 points below a month earlier while the Index of Future Expectations reached 120, 5 points higher than in February. The split between the current and future indices was driven primarily by farmers’ perception that their financial condition has deteriorated over the last year while they expect their financial situation to improve modestly in the next 12 months. The March Ag Economy Barometer survey was conducted from March 11-15, 2024.
The Ag Economy Barometer sentiment index is calculated each month from 400 U.S. agricultural producers’ responses to a telephone survey. Purdue ag economists James Mintert and Michael Langemeier share some insight into the results of the March 2024 Ag Economy Barometer survey. The full report is available at https://purdue.ag/agbarometer.
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.

The latest Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer reveals a modest increase in farmer sentiment compared to the previous month, though concerns remain regarding farm financial performance in the year ahead. The barometer rose in February posting a reading of 111, 5 points higher than a month earlier. The modest rise in the barometer was attributable to producers expressing somewhat more optimism about the future as the Future Expectations Index rose 7 points to a reading of 115 while the Current Conditions Index was unchanged, both compared to a month earlier. Although farmers’ expectations for the future improved in February, their financial performance expectations did not. February’s Farm Financial Performance Index reading of 85 was 1 point lower than in January and 13 points below its most recent peak in December. Weak crop prices continue to weigh on financial expectations as mid-February Eastern Corn Belt cash prices for corn and soybeans were 7 and 8% lower, respectively, than two months earlier when the December survey was conducted. The February Ag Economy Barometer survey was conducted from February 12-16, 2024.
The Ag Economy Barometer sentiment index is calculated each month from 400 U.S. agricultural producers’ responses to a telephone survey. Purdue ag economists James Mintert and Michael Langemeier share some insight into the results of the February 2024 Ag Economy Barometer survey. The full report is available at https://purdue.ag/agbarometer.
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.

This episode of the Purdue Commercial AgCast is a great opportunity for producers to review their crop insurance choices for the upcoming season. Purdue University Center for Commercial Agriculture’s ag economists Michael Langemeier and James Mintert and Brad Lubben, policy specialist and extension associate professor from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, walk participants through key considerations when making their 2024 insurance choices. During the episode they discussed a handy thumb rule to use when considering an increase in coverage levels for revenue protection insurance and the role of SCO insurance for farmers who opt for the PLC program on their corn acreage. After listening to the podcast you’ll be ready to make your 2024 crop insurance decisions.
Podcast provided by Purdue University's Center for Commercial Agriculture. Slides and the transcript from the discussion can be found at https://purdue.ag/agcast158.
You can find the FULL video episode on our YouTube channel. Visit https://youtu.be/dBaWfegRLLg to subscribe and watch.