For Kent Harfmann, Mantorville Township, Dodge County, Minnesota Friday, September 18, 2026. Filed by The MI Farm AI Desk.
Weather, Dodge County, MN
What this means for today: A chance of rain showers before 7am, then showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 61. Wind 5 to 16 mph through the day (see the hour by hour table below). Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible. Source: NOAA National Weather Service via the MI Farm AI weather layer for Dodge County, MN, pulled this morning. Hour by Hour, the day ahead
Source: NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast and station observations, pulled this morning. Wind this morning at your nearest weather station was about 6 mph. Rain WindowWe could not get a reading right on your field this morning. The nearest weather station (Rochester MN, about 18 miles north) recorded 0.12 inches in the past 24 hours. Your own ground may differ, so check your gauge. Rain expected at your field: Next 24 hours: 0.00 inches expected Next 48 hours: 0.23 inches expected Next 72 hours: 0.30 inches expected Source: NOAA National Weather Service forecast and NOAA radar rainfall estimates, pulled this morning. Corn Today
Cash bid, your nearby buyers (best net after haul first)
Cash bid is each buyer's own posted local price (the local cash plus basis). Ranked best net after haul first (net is the cash bid minus the cost to truck it there). Patronage is money a co-op pays back on the bushels you deliver, often a few cents a bushel.
Local cash bids, as of 2026-09-18.
Grain and Livestock, corn, soybeans, wheat, cattleCal's Grain Call: Price a portion of 40,500 bu corn at $5.05/bu via Crystal Valley, Mantorville Branch (a recommendation, see the factors).Corn: Grain in the bin is 2025 old crop corn; in September it prices on the old crop September board. Soybeans: The growing 2026 crop is new crop soybean; it prices on the November board.
Source: CME livestock futures. Cal's Market ReadOvernight, corn slipped about 1 cents; and beans slipped about 16 cents. Recent trend, over the last 5 sessions, corn has eased and beans have firmed. That is the backdrop your cash bid is moving against. Here is our read on why. Cutting the other way, demand still reads firm per Tri-State Neighbor: Select right variety based on survival, dormancy. Honest truth, the tape does not hand us one clean reason today, so take this as our best read, not gospel. Stocks are steady going into the open, S&P futures close to flat. A calm Wall Street is what your banker likes to see, it keeps the rate and input-cost backdrop behind your operating note quiet for another day. Cal Wall Street, yesterday's close
WHY IT MATTERS FOR YOUR FIELDS Decision DeliveredYour decisions for today and the week ahead:
What to Watch Today
From Cal's News DeskThe 10 stories that moved across the wires since yesterday's Brief, sourced, dated, and verifiable. Each one carries Cal's review, the same one the news page shows, with a link to read it straight from the source. 1. MDARD, MISP Take Next Step Against Invasive Pests
Starting January 1, 2027, Michigan will ban bringing in untreated firewood under a new quarantine from MDARD and the Michigan Invasive Species Program, allowing only wood that has been heat treated and certified by a state or the USDA. MDARD Director Tim Boring said moving firewood is one of the most common ways invasive pests and diseases spread, often without anyone noticing, and stopping them early beats fighting an established infestation. The rule pairs with a voluntary Certified Invasive-Free seal program, puts Michigan alongside Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin, and will focus on education throughout 2027 with a public webinar set for November 12. For a corn and soybean operation, this matters because protecting forests and farm resources from destructive bugs safeguards the woodlots, windbreaks, and rural communities you depend on, so check FirewoodScout.org before hauling any wood across state lines.
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Fri Sep 18, 2026 2:43 AM CT 2. Hormuz shocks crop inputs
The article text you provided does not actually contain the Hormuz story. What came through is a mix of website boilerplate and unrelated snippets, an economist bio and link, a note about an Englishwoman milking more than 10,000 cows in 10 days for a farmers charity, and a mention of Marks and Spencer using AI to monitor produce. There is no information here about the Strait of Hormuz or how it is shocking crop input prices, so I cannot honestly summarize that story. If you paste the full article body, I will write the four sentence briefing for you.
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Fri Sep 18, 2026 1:00 AM CT 3. Rollins tells dairy, other checkoffs to halt ESG initiatives
Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins has ordered the National Dairy Board to immediately stop spending checkoff money on environmental, social and governance work, net zero, and climate neutrality efforts, calling them out of step with Trump administration policy. In a letter to board chair Lolly Lesher, she named specific targets including Scope 3 emissions accounting, the U.S. Dairy Net Zero Initiative, the Greener Cattle Initiative, and 2050 stewardship goals, while warning that other programs may also be axed. Checkoffs are funded by mandatory fees paid by producers to promote their commodities and fund research, and USDA staff have long reviewed and approved this activity. This matters because it signals Washington wants your checkoff dollars aimed at profitability and market growth rather than climate programs, though the letter oddly called one stewardship option mandatory when the program itself says it is voluntary.
Read the full article. Agri-Pulse, Thu Sep 17, 2026 7:28 PM CT 4. USDA encourages farmers to enroll in crop safety net programs, access new base acres
For the first time in more than 20 years, USDA has opened the door to add base acres, and Undersecretary Richard Fordyce says over 30 million new base acres have already been folded into this year's crop safety net programs. Fordyce points out that farmers are working the land differently now, growing more crops in some states than ever before, which is why the update matters. Watch your mailbox, because ARC and PLC payments for the 2025 season, boosted by higher reference prices Congress approved, are expected to go out in October, while the new base acre adjustments will show up in next year's payments. There is a catch, a prorated reduction on ARC and PLC because eligible acres came in above what Congress set aside under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, and the covered commodities include corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, grain sorghum, and many more.
Read the full article. Brownfield Ag News, Thu Sep 17, 2026 3:59 PM CT 5. Driver charged with 2nd-degree murder in L.A. bus crash that news helicopter was covering
Prosecutors have charged Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, with two counts of second degree murder after they say she drove her Ford Expedition the wrong way down a Chatsworth street, ran a red light and slammed into a city bus Tuesday, killing passengers Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31. District Attorney Nathan Hochman says drugs were found in her car and she now faces up to life in prison, with additional charges of driving under the influence and reckless driving. In a grim twist, a news helicopter covering the wreck for NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 lost altitude and crashed nearby, killing reporter Eliana Moreno, pilot George Marciniw and a pedestrian on the ground. Rios, who friends say had battled addiction and had a prior record, is set to be arraigned Friday, and Hochman would not yet say whether the three helicopter deaths will be folded into her case.
Read the full article. NBC News, Thu Sep 17, 2026 6:05 PM CT 6. Select right variety based on survival, dormancy
When picking an alfalfa variety, matching it to your local climate and planned use should come first, since the wrong choice can hurt your stand, its longevity, and your forage yields. Two traits stand out above the rest, winter survival and fall dormancy, and understanding both can mean the difference between a field that lasts and one that thins out early. The piece also flags a new pest worry, the soybean tentiform leafminer, which was just confirmed for the first time in several northwestern Wisconsin counties. Read the full article to learn how to score these alfalfa traits before you buy seed, and to keep an eye on a leafminer that could be heading toward your soybeans.
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Fri Sep 18, 2026 1:00 AM CT 7. Roadblocks Remain: Senate Farm Bill Faces Challenges as September 30 Deadline Nears
The Senate Agriculture Committee advanced the Agriculture Act of 2026 on a narrow 12 to 11 party line vote after Senator Mitch McConnell returned to Washington to cast the deciding vote, but the bill still faces steep odds before it reaches President Trump. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst pushed to address California's Proposition 12 and its patchwork of state livestock rules, a top worry for pork producers, but Chairman John Boozman ruled her amendment out of order. For corn growers, the standout provision is permanent nationwide year round E15 sales, which the National Corn Growers Association calls critical since more than a third of the U.S. corn crop becomes fuel. With the current extension expiring in under two weeks, the House already recessed for the midterms and a 60 vote Senate hurdle ahead, the safety net, crop insurance and ethanol markets all hang on whether leaders can round up the votes in a very tight window.
Read the full article. Hoosier Ag Today, Thu Sep 17, 2026 7:15 PM CT 8. Soybean Harvest Equipment Field Day Postponed
Wet fields and rain in the Charlotte area forced Michigan State University Extension to bump its Soybean Harvest Equipment Field Day from September 15 to a tentative September 22 at Gary Parr's farm, though shaky weather could still push it back a day or two. The free event runs from 9:30 a.m. check in until 3 p.m., featuring combine maintenance clinics tailored to your brand, a talk on adding or upgrading yield monitors, a free lunch, and afternoon harvest demonstrations across many equipment makers. The real payoff is money in your pocket, since trimming soybean harvest losses can add one to two bushels per acre and $11.40 to $22.80 an acre in 2026. Backed by the Michigan Soybean Committee and a long list of equipment dealers, walk ins are welcome, but call Eric Anderson at 269 to 359 to 0565 if you have questions.
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Fri Sep 18, 2026 2:54 AM CT 9. Ryan Martin's Harvest Forecast: Rain North, Drier South Ahead of Midweek Field Work
Meteorologist Ryan Martin, in his first harvest forecast of the season for Beacon Credit Union, says Indiana splits along Interstate 70 through Tuesday, with northern counties soaking up one to two inches of rain while the south stays drier at just a quarter to three quarters of an inch. That southern break comes from a heat dome parked over the Deep South, and Martin expects things to dry out Wednesday through Sunday, Sept. 27, depending on whether a passing low pressure system blasts east for a fast dry down or stalls and leaves clouds behind. Looking ahead, dry harvest weather should hold into the following week, though a minor trough over the Great Lakes could sprinkle scattered showers as October arrives. The real concern is a large low pressure area building over southern Montana around Oct. 1 or 2 that could pull in big rains just as the first full week of October begins, so farmers will want to move fast while the field work window stays open.
Read the full article. Hoosier Ag Today, Thu Sep 17, 2026 7:20 PM CT 10. Cattle futures lower ahead USDA's On Feed report
Cattle traders backed off Thursday ahead of Friday's USDA Cattle on Feed report, with October live cattle down $2.80 to $215.65 and October feeders sliding $5.27 to $324.37, while boxed beef fell sharply as Choice dropped to $372.15 and slaughter thinned to 102,000 head, nearly 17,000 below a year ago. Out in the country, cash trade was light with Nebraska dressed deals steady at $350 and bids sitting at $220 live in Kansas and $224 in Texas, no Southern trade done yet. Country auctions told a stronger story, as heavy steers at South Dakota's Hub City market jumped $10 to $24 higher on good demand for yearlings, with 905 to 934 pound feeder steers fetching up to $352. On the hog side, lean futures were mostly lower on technical weakness even as pork cutout gained $1.19 to $87.54 and the USDA reported a strong week of export sales, though processors still hold the leverage and Midwest butcher hogs slipped $2 to $60.
Read the full article. Brownfield Ag News, Thu Sep 17, 2026 4:02 PM CT Around the WorldThe world news moving your markets this morning, the same read from Cal's desk that runs on your dashboard. Beef, pork export sales rise, while corn, soybeans fallFor the week ending September 10th, American meat sales climbed as net beef sales jumped 65 percent to 14,200 tons, led by South Korea, Mexico, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan, while net pork sales rose 10 percent to 30,100 tons with Mexico and Japan buying the most. On the grain side the news was softer, since high U.S. prices compared to other exporters pushed most crop sales below the prior week. Corn sales came in at 40.4 million bushels with Mexico taking the bulk, but unknown buyers canceled on 316,200 tons, leaving marketing year corn exports at 685 million bushels versus 938.3 million a year ago. Soybeans were the bright spot at 62.5 million bushels, with China grabbing 875,300 tons, and year to date bean exports of 758.1 million bushels are running well ahead of last year's 375.1 million. Wheat sales bounced 68 percent to 12 million bushels on buying from the Philippines and Mexico, though soybean meal hit a marketing year low and soybean oil actually saw a small net reduction. The next USDA supply and demand update lands October 9th, so these numbers give a good read on where your corn and bean markets are heading into fall. Brownfield Ag News (United States). Read the full story.Corn prices in Ukraine continue to fall amid weak export demandUkrainian farmers are watching corn prices slide, with purchase prices dropping by UAH 800 to 1,000 per ton since early September, now sitting at UAH 6,000 to 7,000 per ton at elevators and processing plants. The main culprit is weak export demand paired with sky high logistics costs, as delivery through the Danube ports or overland to Constanta has climbed to $100 to 140 per ton. Because of this, exporters are chasing more profitable crops like rapeseed, soybeans and sunflower seed, leaving corn and wheat behind. Despite the gloom, Ukraine shipped out 189 thousand tons of corn in the first half of September, a huge jump from just 20 thousand tons a year earlier, with Turkey, Italy, Germany, Cyprus and the Netherlands leading the buyers. Looking ahead, export prices for European bound corn have dropped to 170 to 175 euros per ton for the October to December window, though they firm up to 192 to 195 euros for early next year. The bigger picture matters to any grower, since faster US and EU harvests plus heavy shipments from Brazil and Argentina are flooding the world market and could keep prices pinned down for months to come. UkrAgroConsult (via world wire). Read the full story.Local ObituariesNo local obituaries for your area in today's papers. Cal's ReceiptCal's Receipt is the running ledger of every call this desk made for your farm, what was at stake, whether you followed it, and what it actually saved (or cost). Append-only, and every dollar cites its source. You will find it on your farm Dashboard, on the Farm Services desk. Open the Dashboard from the button at the bottom of this Brief. Today in Farm SafetyCarry a charged fire extinguisher in the combine and the tractor during harvest. Dry crop residue and a hot bearing or exhaust start most field fires. Blow chaff off the engine and exhaust daily, and keep a phone and water on board. Source: National Ag Safety Database; Iowa State University Extension. Cal The Coffee ShopToday in Farm History, Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act 1937On July 22, 1937, the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act authorized federal loans to tenant farmers and sharecroppers to buy their own land. It also funded the purchase of submarginal land for conservation, 11.3 million acres ultimately, much of it now National Grasslands. Source: USDA Farm Service Agency history; USDA Forest Service National Grasslands archive. [CAL'S QUIZ]
The Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm (today Iowa State University) was chartered in what year?
(a) 1846
(b) 1858
(c) 1869
(d) 1887
Answer at the bottom of the Brief. [CAL'S JOKE]
Every fall the pumpkin patch opened on a Saturday in October. The farmer said, "This is the 22nd year." His wife said, "Don't say that out loud or it'll sound long." He said, "It is long. It's also a privilege."
The MI Farm AI Desk
Cal "Corn-Bread" Halvorsen, your AI Agronomist and Editor in Chief Quiz Answer(b) 1858, March 22. It opened to students in 1869 and was designated Iowa's land-grant institution under the Morrill Act. Source: Iowa State University archives; Iowa State Historical Society.
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The MI Farm Brief is the independent daily farm intelligence brief that earns zero when you buy inputs. Cal "Corn-Bread" Halvorsen is the editorial persona of the MI Farm AI desk, the AI-orchestrated production team that produces this Brief every working morning. The Monthly Receipt is signed by the Founder, MI Farm AI. Honest. Independent. Loyal. Transparent. The HILT Covenant.
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Signed by Cal "Corn-Bread" Halvorsen, Editor in Chief, The MI Farm AI Desk.