(OMAHA, NE) — The overall Rural Mainstreet Index fell below growth neutral for the 18th time in the past 19 months in March.
When comparing 2025 farm income against 2024 farm income, only 3.7 percent of bankers expect an increase, while 63 percent predict an income drop. For the tenth time in the past 11 months, the Index said farmland prices sank. Farm equipment sales also dropped for the 19th straight month. When discussing tariffs, only 7.5 percent of bank CEOs recommend returning to January 2025 tariff levels.
“The economic outlook for 2025 farm income remains weak, according to bank CEOs. Despite the negative fallout from tariffs, 75% of bankers support the tariffs on China, and 79.2% back the 90-day pause on other tariffs,” said Ernie Goss, PhD, Jack A. MacAllister Chair in Regional Economics at Creighton University’s Heider College of Business.
According to trade data from the International Trade Association, regional exports of agriculture goods and livestock for the first month of 2025, compared to the first month of last year, fell from $1.1 billion in 2024 to $964.3 million in 2025, for a decline of 14 percent. Mexico began 2025 as the top destination for ag exports, accounting for 45 percent of total regional agriculture and livestock exports.
Read the full results here: https://www.creighton.edu/economicoutlook/mainstreeteconomy
