The latest Ag Economy Barometer from Purdue University/CME Group revealed a modest increase in the number of farmers with a positive outlook on the farm economy. Although concerns remain and conditions have stayed relatively similar to last month, the February barometer reached 111, a 5-point gain from January.

Producer optimism has risen with the Future Expectations Index climbing 7 points to 115. Even so, farmers’ financial performance expectations slightly fell from January and are notably lower than the December peak. Primary concerns among producers are still led by high input costs, followed by lower livestock and commodity prices. Concerns over interest rates have fallen from 26% in November to 18% in February.

Read more on the latest Ag Economy Barometer here.