Optimism on the Rise: Farmer Sentiment Improves Amidst Economic Uncertainty

May 03, 2023

The latest farmer sentiment survey shows an improvement in the outlook of US farmers, with fewer expressing pessimism about interest rates. The monthly survey, which measures the overall mood of agricultural producers across the country, found that the majority of farmers are feeling more optimistic about the industry's future.

The survey, which is conducted by the Purdue University Center for Commercial Agriculture, revealed that concerns over interest rates have diminished, with more farmers expressing confidence in the direction of the economy. The shift in sentiment is likely due to a combination of factors, including lower inflation rates and improved commodity prices.

The survey also found that farmers are more optimistic about the profitability of their operations, with many indicating plans to invest in new equipment and technology. The growing optimism among farmers is seen as a positive sign for the agricultural industry, which has faced numerous challenges in recent years, including trade disputes and weather-related disruptions.

While there are still concerns over market volatility and regulatory pressures, the overall outlook for agriculture appears to be improving. With more farmers expressing confidence in the industry's future, there is hope that the sector will continue to grow and thrive in the years to come.

As the agricultural industry continues to adapt to changing economic and environmental conditions, the resilience of US farmers remains a key factor in the sector's success. The latest farmer sentiment survey is a positive indication that the industry is on the right track, and that there are opportunities for growth and prosperity in the years ahead.

Video: Why Your Food Future Could be Trapped in a Seed Morgue

In a world of PowerPoint overload, Rex Bernardo stands out. No bullet points. No charts. No jargon. Just stories and photographs. At this year’s National Association for Plant Breeding conference on the Big Island of Hawaii, he stood before a room of peers — all experts in the science of seeds — and did something radical: he showed them images. He told them stories. And he asked them to remember not what they saw, but how they felt.

Bernardo, recipient of the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award, has spent his career searching for the genetic treasures tucked inside what plant breeders call exotic germplasm — ancient, often wild genetic lines that hold secrets to resilience, taste, and traits we've forgotten to value.

But Bernardo didn’t always think this way.

“I worked in private industry for nearly a decade,” he recalls. “I remember one breeder saying, ‘We’re making new hybrids, but they’re basically the same genetics.’ That stuck with me. Where is the new diversity going to come from?”

For Bernardo, part of the answer lies in the world’s gene banks — vast vaults of seed samples collected from every corner of the globe. Yet, he says, many of these vaults have quietly become “seed morgues.” “Something goes in, but it never comes out,” he explains. “We need to start treating these collections like living investments, not museums of dead potential.”

That potential — and the barriers to unlocking it — are deeply personal for Bernardo. He’s wrestled with international policies that prevent access to valuable lines (like North Korean corn) and with the slow, painstaking science of transferring useful traits from wild relatives into elite lines that farmers can actually grow. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. But he’s convinced that success starts not in the lab, but in the way we communicate.

“The fact sheet model isn’t cutting it anymore,” he says. “We hand out a paper about a new variety and think that’s enough. But stories? Plants you can see and touch? That’s what stays with people.”

Bernardo practices what he preaches. At the University of Minnesota, he helped launch a student-led breeding program that’s working to adapt leafy African vegetables for the Twin Cities’ African diaspora. The goal? Culturally relevant crops that mature in Minnesota’s shorter growing season — and can be regrown year after year.

“That’s real impact,” he says. “Helping people grow food that’s meaningful to them, not just what's commercially viable.”

He’s also brewed plant breeding into something more relatable — literally. Coffee and beer have become unexpected tools in his mission to make science accessible. His undergraduate course on coffee, for instance, connects the dots between genetics, geography, and culture. “Everyone drinks coffee,” he says. “It’s a conversation starter. It’s a gateway into plant science.”