National Agricultural Statistics Service
April Farm Prices Received Index Increased 2.0 Percent
The April Prices Received Index (Agricultural Production), at 104, increased 2.0 percent from March. The Crop Production Index, at 89, increased 3.5 percent. At 116, the Livestock Production Index decreased 0.9 percent.
Producers received higher prices for broilers, cattle, onions, and hay but lower prices for market eggs, hogs, corn, and oranges. In addition to prices, the indexes are impacted by the five-year average monthly mix of commodities producers market. Increased monthly movement of strawberries, milk, broilers, and oranges offset the decreased marketing of corn, cattle, soybeans, and hay.
The Prices Received Index is down 9.6 percent from the previous year. The Food Commodities Index, at 111, increased 0.9 percent from the previous month but is down 11 percent from April 2014.
April Prices Paid Index Unchanged
The April Index of Prices Paid for Commodities and Services, Interest, Taxes, and Farm Wage Rates (PPITW), at 110, is unchanged from March but is down 1.8 percent from April 2014. Lower prices in April for concentrates, supplements, complete feeds, and wage rates offset higher prices for feeder cattle, hay & forages, nitrogen, and self-propelled machinery.