Mainstreet Index again below growth neutral; South Dakota floundering

Since at least 2017 Creighton University's Ernie Goss has been warning that the Trump Organization is bad for American agriculture. Goss follows the economies of several breadbasket states including South Dakota's and banksters are freaking out as the region’s overall reading for February fell to 47.9 from 52.0 in January. This marks the 12th time that the Rural Mainstreet Index has dropped below growth-neutral or 50.0 since January 2025.

According to trade data from the International Trade Association (ITA), regional exports of agriculture goods and livestock for the first 11 months of 2025, compared to the same period in 2024, fell from $11.5 billion in 2024 to $10.8 billion in 2025, for a decline of 6.6%. The February RMI for South Dakota sank to 47.2 from January’s 54.2. The state’s farm and ranchland price index fell to 45.2 from 46.3 in January. South Dakota’s February new hiring index decreased to 48.7 from 50.3 in January.

Read it all here.