In August, the latest results available from the CME Group/Purdue University-backed survey, the Ag Barometer fell to a reading of 124, down 29 points compared with a month earlier and just slightly below the June reading of 126. Weaker sentiment was fueled in part by both crop and livestock price declines that took place during late July and early August. In particular, prices for corn and soybeans fell sharply as crop conditions improved and USDA released larger than expected crop production estimates on the August Crop Production report. (Successful Farming)