For Sheridan Skala, Owatonna, Minnesota (Steele County, family farm heritage) Sunday, September 20, 2026. Filed by The MI Farm AI Desk.
Weather, Steele County, MN
What this means for today: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. Wind 10 to 15 mph through the day (see the hour by hour table below). Source: NOAA National Weather Service via the MI Farm AI weather layer for Steele 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 10 mph. Rain WindowWe could not get a reading right on your field this morning. The nearest weather station (Owatonna MN, about 4 miles northeast) recorded no rain in the past 24 hours. Your own ground may differ, so check your gauge. Futures board reference (not your cash)
Friday close, board reopens Sunday 7pm CT. The board is a labeled futures reference, not your cash bid. Your cash and net after haul are below. Corn Today (Dec 2026 board)
Cash bid, your nearby buyers, ranked by net after haul, best first
Cash bid is each buyer's own posted local price (the local cash plus basis). Ranked by net after haul, best first (ties break to the shorter haul, then higher cash). 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.
Soybeans Today (Nov 2026 board)
Cash bid, your nearby buyers, ranked by net after haul, best first
Cash bid is each buyer's own posted local price (the local cash plus basis). Ranked by net after haul, best first (ties break to the shorter haul, then higher cash). 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, cattleFriday's close. Markets closed for the weekend. These are the most recent settled prices; the boards reopen the next trading day. Cal's Grain Call: Price a portion of 208,000 bu corn at $5.09/bu via Crystal Valley, Owatonna (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 ReadAt Friday's close, corn slipped about 3 cents; and beans slipped about 16 cents. Recent trend, over the last 5 sessions, corn has eased and beans have eased. 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 AgWeek: A look at when to expect a first frost. 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, Friday'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. Data center growth brings 'fear' to rural communities
Big tech firms are racing to build enormous computing sites across the Midwest, and rural neighbors are growing uneasy about what that means for their land and way of life. Amazon is pouring 11 billion dollars into Project Rainier, an artificial intelligence data center rising near New Carlisle, Indiana, while Meta has planted the largest such facility Minnesota has ever seen in the town of Rosemount. The reason for the building spree is simple, as AI programs get smarter and draw ever more investment, they demand far more electricity, water, and land to run. For farm country this matters because these giant projects compete for the same power, water, and acres that rural communities depend on, which is why some residents feel real fear about the boom next door.
Read the full article. Iowa Farmer Today, Sat Sep 19, 2026 6:55 AM CT 2. A look at when to expect a first frost
Weather A look at how the weather changes in September and the coming cool down StormTRACKER meteorologist Lydia Blume looks at normal changes throughout September and what the upper Midwest can expect as the weather cools down in the coming weeks. She also looks at chances for rain and continued warm temperatures as September begins. She also looks at the short-term weather outlook. Aug 15 By AgweekTV Weather Drought concerns mount as rainfall deficit grows StormTRACKER meteorologist Lydia Blume looks at just how little rainfall has fallen across the region this summer, and she looks at potential weather changes coming in the first half of August.
Read the full article. AgWeek, Sat Sep 19, 2026 5:30 AM CT 3. 2026 Poultry Protein & Fat Seminar is Oct. 8 to 9
Poultry & Egg Association's (USPOULTRY) upcoming Poultry Protein & Fat Seminar, sponsored by USPOULTRY and the Poultry Protein & Fat Council (PPFC). "From equipment reliability and workforce challenges to safety, regulatory requirements and new technologies, the program focuses on practical information attendees can take back to their operations and put to use." The program planning committee includes Colin Acedo, Pilgrim's; Hal Davis, Darling Ingredients Inc.; Anthony Seidel, Simmons Foods; Dr. In addition to the demands of daily reporting, cybersecurity and talent development, these professionals play a critical role in guiding strategic growth and [...] ARLINGTON, Va. 23 to 24 in Nashville, Tenn., the seminar will focus on strategies to strengthen operational efficiency, protect flock health and prepare poultry [...]
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Sun Sep 20, 2026 2:27 AM CT 4. Applications Open for Holstein Foundation's Inaugural Dairy Data Academy
Selected participants will receive a largely all-expenses-paid experience, with travel, lodging, meals, and program activities covered by the Holstein Foundation. Along the way, participants will gain practical experience with data analysis, visualization, and problem-solving while working alongside peers who share their curiosity and interest in innovation." Applications are open to U.S. For twenty-five years, World Dairy Expo's Virtual Farm Tours have connected attendees with innovative dairy operations from across the globe. The Holstein Foundation Youth Programs [...]
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Sun Sep 20, 2026 2:03 AM CT 5. Barn Boards and Baling Wire
'Just before 7 in the morning my daughter was standing in front of me; I wasn't dreaming,' she says. Leilah Ramzah is only 31 years old when she passes. and traveling and dancing. Standing under an eastern hemlock tree near a thicket of lizard's tail in her backyard a tick's dream Casey Hamaker had flashbacks to the ...
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Sun Sep 20, 2026 1:00 AM CT 6. Grateful for this life and the people in it
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. At this point my birthday is just another day. He can be reached at editorial@midwestmessenger.com . Powered by BLOX Content Management System from bloxdigital.com .
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Sat Sep 19, 2026 1:27 PM CT 7. Midwest crops 'pretty happy' as harvest arrives
Corn and soybean fields across much of the Midwest are heading into harvest in solid shape, with well timed rains giving crops a promising look this season. The real verdict will come as combines roll and yields get tallied in the weeks ahead. For now, agronomists say the crops appear "pretty happy," a good sign after a growing season that leaned on those key rains at the right moments. Read the full article to see how your region stacks up and what the early harvest is revealing about this year's numbers.
Read the full article. Iowa Farmer Today, Sat Sep 19, 2026 6:50 AM CT 8. AgweekTV Full Show: Big Iron, ag labor shortage, cattle health, mentors in ag
A big topic of discussion at the show is the ag labor shortage and what can be done to ease it. 53m ago By AgweekTV Weather A look at how the weather changes in September and the coming cool down StormTRACKER meteorologist Lydia Blume looks at normal changes throughout September and what the upper Midwest can expect as the weather cools down in the coming weeks. Sep 5 By AgweekTV TV AgweekTV Full Show: Importing ground beef, Farmers Union Processing and Meats, Ceres wheat, Pro Farmer tour What cattle producers think of importing ground beef. She also looks at chances for rain and continued warm temperatures as September begins.
Read the full article. AgWeek, Sat Sep 19, 2026 5:30 AM CT 9. [Video] Environmental Tillage Systems Launches Narrow-Fold, 60-Foot, 24-Row SoilWarrior
Environmental Tillage Systems has rolled out a brand new SoilWarrior that stretches a full 60 feet across 24 rows, giving farmers more ground covered in every pass. What makes it clever is the narrow fold design, so it folds down for transport to roughly the same width as the older 12 row and 16 row models, meaning you can still get down the road without a headache. Dave Sender, a sales engineer with the company, walked through the machine up close during a 2026 Farm Progress Show first look video. For anyone tilling a lot of acres, this could mean fewer trips across the field while keeping road transport just as manageable as the smaller units you may already know.
Read the full article. No-Till Farmer, Sat Sep 19, 2026 7:00 AM CT 10. No-Tiller Incorporates Drywall in Compost Mix
Wisconsin no-tiller Allen Dornacker boosts his compost by mixing in clean, unpainted drywall scraps from local companies, tapping the gypsum for extra sulfur and calcium ahead of his soybeans. He spreads roughly 400 pounds per acre in the fall, focusing on beans because the calcium and sulfur pay off there while his dairy manure covers other needs. The real payoff is white mold, once the worst in his neighborhood, has vanished for five straight years since he started composting in 2017, all with no fungicides at all. Dornacker no-tills about 80 percent of his acres and plants cover crops on roughly 95 percent, showing how a scrap material most folks throw away can quietly clean up a stubborn field problem.
Read the full article. No-Till Farmer, Sat Sep 19, 2026 7:00 AM CT 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 SafetyOn a hot field day, drink water before you are thirsty, about one cup every fifteen to twenty minutes. Watch a working partner for confusion, no sweating, or a stumble; those are heat stroke, a medical emergency. Take shade breaks during the worst afternoon heat. Source: OSHA-NIOSH Heat Safety guidance. Cal The Coffee ShopToday in Farm History, Hybrid corn adoption complete 1939By 1939, 76% of Iowa corn acres were planted to hybrid seed, up from less than 1% in 1933. The state average yield rose from 36 bu/ac in 1933 to 50 bu/ac in 1939, the fastest six-year yield gain in U.S. corn history to that point. Henry Wallace's Pioneer hybrids led the adoption curve. Source: USDA NASS Iowa corn historical series; Iowa State University Extension archives. [CAL'S QUIZ]
The boll weevil crossed into Texas around 1892. By 1922 it was destroying about what share of the Southern cotton crop annually?
(a) One-tenth
(b) One-fifth
(c) One-third
(d) Two-thirds
Answer at the bottom of the Brief. [CAL'S JOKE]
The seed rep promised a 12 bushel yield bump. The farmer said, "I'll believe it when I see the check." The rep said, "What check?" The farmer said, "Exactly."
The MI Farm AI Desk
Cal "Corn-Bread" Halvorsen, your AI Agronomist and Editor in Chief Quiz Answer(c) About one-third. The weevil drove the Great Migration of Black farm families north and pushed Southern agriculture toward peanuts (George Washington Carver's work) and soybeans. Source: USDA Agricultural Research Service entomology history.
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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.