How farmers see the future

Rural Confidence Survey

For over fifteen years we have worked together with an independent research organisation to have access to up to date insights into what the farming community is thinking and how they respond to the ever changing conditions. To do this, we conduct a Rural Confidence Survey, interviewing an average of 450 farmers across New Zealand on a quarterly basis. Monitoring outlook and general sentiment in the country's major agricultural industries, it is one of the most robust studies of its type.

VIEW LATEST RESULTS

Latest Survey Results: June Quarter 2025

  • Farmer confidence in the broader agri economy remains elevated with primary producers across all sectors looking favourably at the 12 months ahead.
  • Among farmers holding a positive outlook on the agri economy, higher commodity prices (62%) was cited as the major source of optimism, while ‘improved marketing’ (16%) and ‘overseas markets/ economies’ (14%) were other key reasons for optimism.
  • Farmers’ expectations of their own farm business performance over the next 12 months were marginally up from last quarter and remain strong overall. Growers were markedly more positive about the prospects for their own businesses than last quarter while dairy farmers and sheep and beef farmers were largely unchanged on this measure.
  • Farmer investment intentions rose from last quarter and are at their strongest since mid-2018.
  • The number of farmers self-assessing their own farm business as ‘unviable’ fell to 3% (from 5% previously) while there was also a lift in the number of farmers assessing their own operation as ‘easily viable’ or ‘viable’ (70% from 66% last quarter).