Farmers Back Tariffs to Boost U.S. Ag Economy Long-Term

May 08, 2025
By Farms.com

Farmers Expect Strong Financial Performance in 2025

American farmers are showing strong support for the administration and efforts to restore fairness in global trade and open new markets for domestic producers.

According to the latest Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer, 70% of farmers believe that administration tariffs will strengthen the agricultural economy in the long run.

Farmer sentiment improved in April, with increases in both current and future expectations. The Farm Capital Investment Index reached its highest level since May 2021.

This month, one out of four respondents said it was a good time to make large investments, nearly double the percentage of respondents who said it was a good time to invest when surveyed from May through October of last year.

Additionally, the Farm Financial Performance Index has been above 100 for four consecutive months, indicating that producers expect financial performance this year to match or slightly exceed last year’s levels.

Video: Porcine Gut Models in Nutrition Research - Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen, postdoc researcher at Aarhus University, discusses how porcine intestinal cell lines and organoids can help study the impact of nutrition on gut health. He explains how in vivo piglet trials identify diet-driven shifts in microbiota and metabolites, while in vitro models allow researchers to test specific metabolites, barrier function, immune markers, and future organ-on-chip systems before moving back to animal studies. Listen now on all major platforms!

"In vitro models can reduce early animal use by helping researchers screen nutritional candidates before moving back to in vivo trials."

Meet the guest: Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen / li-hsuan-chen-9a95a7279 is a postdoc researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark. Research focuses on porcine gut health, host-microbe interactions, cell lines, and organoids, with PhD work at Aarhus University studying how dietary protein and amino acid levels shape gut microbiota, microbial metabolites, and intestinal epithelial responses. Learn more from Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen on The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.