This morning, the March Rural Mainstreet survey was released from CreightonUniversity. The survey's overall index improved slightly to 18.7 from February's record low of 16.9. The index is composed of roughly 200 bankers in rural areas, primarily in the Midwest. The population of each area is about 1,300.

Creighton University economics professor Ernie Goss commented, "Of course, all states in the survey are being negatively affected by the national and global recession. However, states with significant mining and natural resources industry, such as North Dakota and Wyoming, have held up much better than other states."

The Confidence Index, which measures expectations of the economy six months from now, jumped to 35.9. The index is at its highest since August, 2008. The overall economy is continuing to deteriorate, but this improvement in confidence is a step in the right direction.



The Farmland Price Index dipped slightly to 33.1 after last month rising for the first time in five months. However, two bankers in Kansas reported strong farmland price growth. This could mean that farmland prices are bottoming. Just like Jim Rogers has said recently on many news programs, it could be a great time to buy farmland.