In the CSI columns, we rely heavily on the results from our proprietary surveys. This provides current information and data specific to our subscribers and the businesses we interact with. It is also valuable to aggregate information from other resources. This allows us to corroborate the data we generate and provide context to the information we generate.
When looking at broader industry data, it is critical to remember that most data looks at wider categories within the industry and may not be granular enough to be applied directly to a specific niche. That said, here are some nuggets from other data sources with attributions to allow you to return to them in the future.
The health and market sentiment for agriculture has an obvious relationship to the types of construction covered in Rural Builder magazine. Purdue University is a great source of agricultural industry information and market sentiment. It issues a monthly Ag Economy Barometer and conducts an annual Producer Survey.
The May Barometer result (released June 3, 2025) is 158. This is the highest since May 2021 and up 10 points since April. Find the Ag Economy Barometer on the Bloomberg Terminal: AGECBARO, AGECCURC and AGECFTE.
The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer is a nationwide measure of the health of the U.S. agricultural economy. The table showing the historical Barometer data from May 2016 shows a marked increase over the last few months, almost doubling since December 2024.
Purdue University’s annual Producer Survey also demonstrates increased optimism in agriculture. 32% of respondents believe their farm operation will be better off in a year vs. 21% thinking it will be worse. 53% think the next five years for U.S. agriculture will be “Good Times,” while only 20% predict “Bad Times.” Both of these represent an increase in positive sentiment over the previous few years.
Purdue University also publishes a Farm Capital Investment Index. This index for May 2025 was at 55, also a significant increase from December 2024. April was 61, which was the highest since May 2021.
According to the data from Purdue University, the outlook for agriculture and ag construction appears significantly more positive than it has for four years. More information and the charts provided can be found at https://ag.purdue.edu/commercialag/ageconomybarometer/charts/
