American Farmers Shun Big-Ticket Buys as Outlook Turns ‘Nasty’

Sunny skies and mild temperatures this week greeted the biggest US farm show of the year. The contrast couldn’t be greater with the sentiment among attendees as low crop prices and trade tariffs squeeze the agricultural sector.

The market for American crops is getting “pretty nasty,” said Scott Metzger, who drove more than 300 miles (482 kilometers) to attend. That helped to keep the mood subdued at the Farm Progress Show this week in Illinois.

Metzger grows soybeans, corn and wheat in central Ohio, and he said farmers are dealing with too much chaos to think about spending this ...