For Mark Matuska, Milford, Iowa (Dickinson County) Tuesday, September 22, 2026. Filed by The MI Farm AI Desk.
Weather, Dickinson County, IA
What this means for today: Patchy drizzle before 7am, then patchy drizzle and patchy fog between 7am and 9am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 59. Wind 5 to 10 mph through the day (see the hour by hour table below). Chance of precipitation is 20%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible. Source: NOAA National Weather Service via the MI Farm AI weather layer for Dickinson County, IA, 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 12 mph. Rain WindowWe could not get a reading right on your field this morning. The nearest weather station (Estherville IA, about 16 miles northwest) recorded 0.63 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: 0.09 inches expected Next 72 hours: 0.15 inches expected Source: NOAA National Weather Service forecast and NOAA radar rainfall estimates, pulled this morning. Futures board reference (not your cash)
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 2026-09-22.
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 2026-09-22.
Grain and Livestock, corn, soybeans, wheat, cattleCal's Grain Call: Price a portion of 69,700 bu corn at $5.25/bu via NEW Cooperative, Milford (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 4 cents; and beans slipped about 7 cents. Recent trend, over the last 5 sessions, corn has firmed 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 Morning Ag Clips: Interactive Tool to Track Agricultural Injuries, Strengthen Prevention Efforts. 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 9 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. Appeals court ruling tees up Supreme Court battle for GOP-friendly Missouri map
In an important ruling, a federal appeals court in Missouri has ordered that the new Republican-favorable congressional map must be used in the upcoming November elections. This decision marks the latest development in a months-long battle over the new map, which was passed by the state legislature in 2025 and favors Republicans. The issue is now set to be heard before the Supreme Court, where critics of the new map will continue to fight for it to be passed by voters in a statewide referendum and for the old 2022 maps to be used instead in November. This ruling is significant for Iowa farmers, as Missouri is a key market for agricultural products and any changes to the political landscape could have implications for trade and policy decisions affecting the farming industry.
Read the full article. Washington Examiner, Mon Sep 21, 2026 8:38 PM CT 2. Lean Hogs
"The hog market ended slightly higher after a day of technical gains, wiping out Friday's losses. Despite a negative trend last week, this was the first daily high on December hogs in seven sessions. However, the rally is being pressured by a strengthening US dollar and the lean hog index continues to slide lower."
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Mon Sep 21, 2026 4:59 PM CT 3. "In the Weeds" Glyphosate News Roundup: September 22, 2026
The European Chemicals Agency's (ECHA's) Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) has concluded that glyphosate does not warrant a classification for carcinogenicity, despite new data and a review of the herbicide's hazard assessment. Glyphosate is still approved for use in European agriculture until the end of 2033, after the EU voted to renew approval in December 2023. A labor court in Brazil ordered a 90-day suspension of new registrations and authorizations for glyphosate-based herbicides while regulators complete a pending safety reassessment of the chemical. The suspension applies specifically to new activity, not to products already on the market. Glyphosate remains central to Brazilian row crop agriculture.
Read the full article. No-Till Farmer, Mon Sep 21, 2026 11:00 PM CT 4. No criminal charges in death of Nolan Wells, grand jury finds
No criminal charges in death of Nolan Wells, grand jury finds: District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath made the announcement in a video message, saying the grand jury returned a "no true bill," meaning it did not find sufficient evidence to indict anyone with a crime. The family's lawyer, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, previously called into question whether race was a factor in Wells' death, as it appeared Wells was one of a few Black people there that day. Crump's team also informed the DA's office that they found no evidence of a crime against Wells. The grand jury report released by McIlrath's office found that it was common for people on Horn Island to "socialize on boats and in the water" and that there was no evidence that Wells had any sort of physical altercation or argument with anyone the day he was last seen. An independent autopsy commissioned by the family's legal team found that the teenager's cause and manner of death were "undetermined."
Read the full article. NBC News, Tue Sep 22, 2026 2:08 AM CT 5. Lindsay Clancy's attorney asks judge to investigate the lone juror who wanted to convict her
Lindsay Clancy's attorney, Kevin Reddington, is asking a judge to investigate the conduct of juror Michael Desronvil who wanted to convict Clancy of murder in the deaths of her three young children. In a motion filed Friday but made public Monday, Clancy's lawyer asked the court to question juror Desronvil about his alleged use of a cellphone during deliberations, his truthfulness on a questionnaire that prospective jurors filled out before the trial began, and his truthfulness when jurors were questioned by the judge a day before the trial ended. The judge declared a mistrial Sept. 4 after the jury insisted it couldn't reach a unanimous verdict, despite days of trying. Eleven of 12 jurors were ready to clear Clancy of criminal responsibility, with the majority feeling that she was in the grip of a rare condition called postpartum psychosis when she strangled her kids. But Desronvil sided with the prosecutors, who had argued that Clancy knew what she was doing. The jury's foreperson had claimed in an earlier media interview that Desronvil had admitted having "reasonable doubt" about Clancy's guilt but wanted to convict her anyway. However, Desronvil denied this and said he thought it was enough proof that Clancy knew exactly what she was doing based on all the physical evidence, key witnesses, and what the prosecution presented. The judge hasn't made a decision yet about whether to dismiss the criminal case or put Clancy on trial again. In another motion filed Monday, another lawyer for Clancy, Martin Weinberg, asked the judge to take the unusual step of dismissing the criminal case, rather than putting on a new trial, on the grounds that a mistrial shouldn't have been declared in the first place.
Read the full article. PBS NewsHour, Mon Sep 21, 2026 5:31 PM CT 6. Interactive Tool to Track Agricultural Injuries, Strengthen Prevention Efforts
Interactive tool to track agricultural injuries is now available. Researchers at the University of Illinois developed an interactive dashboard that covers ag injuries in five Midwestern states. The Agricultural Injury Dashboard allows users to search on a variety of parameters and provides information as interactive graphs and charts. The researchers used data from the AgInjuryNews database, which categorizes ag injuries from news reports across the U.S. and Canada, to populate the dashboard. The paper "Design of an Interactive Agricultural Injury Dashboard: Enhancing Data Visualization and Stakeholder Engagement Using AgInjuryNews Data" is published in the Journal of Agromedicine. This tool will help educate farmers and address safety issues before they grow bigger.
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Tue Sep 22, 2026 2:46 AM CT 7. Indiana Pork Donates Ground Pork to Vanderburgh County Food Pantry
Indiana Pork is donating $5,000 worth of ground pork to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Evansville, Indiana, providing thousands of protein-rich meals for local families facing food insecurity. Casey Schillinger of Vanderburgh County was chosen as the lucky winner in a drawing and chose to donate the ground pork. The donation is part of Indiana Pork's ongoing effort to address food insecurity across the state by working with various hunger relief organizations. Keystone Cooperative, the largest swine management company in Indiana, has also donated 1,500 pounds of frozen pork to three food banks. These donations are examples of how cooperatives are strengthening communities and local economies through meaningful Day of Service events.
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Tue Sep 22, 2026 2:34 AM CT 8. From the Backroads of Wisconsin's Past
In the backroads of Wisconsin, two researchers, Harry Russell and Stephen Babcock, developed a method for cold-curing cheese that revitalized the cheese industry. Their research also led to a tuberculosis test for cattle and safer dairy products with added vitamins. Patents from these discoveries are used to fund scientific research conducted in academic freedom at the University of Wisconsin. Many wealthy people become philanthropists as they approach old age, including Jason Maloney, an elderly farmer from Marinette County, Wisconsin. Kathryn Polkoff, a scientist and entrepreneur from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is working to solve the problem of methane emissions in agriculture.
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Tue Sep 22, 2026 1:00 AM CT 9. South Dakota sees uptick in HPAI cases as fall migration begins
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) cases are on the rise in South Dakota as fall migration begins. State veterinarian Dr. Mendel Miller has confirmed six cases since August, mostly among commercial breeders and turkey farms. While HPAI response hasn't changed significantly in recent years, early detection is crucial, especially when health issues arise. Neighboring states like Minnesota have also reported an increase in HPAI confirmations, with the latest findings in turkey flocks last week.
Read the full article. Brownfield Ag News, Mon Sep 21, 2026 4:05 PM CT Around the WorldThe world news moving your markets this morning, the same read from Cal's desk that runs on your dashboard. Gulf Coast Grain Export Bids: Corn, Soybeans, SRW Wheat Basis Steady, Prices Up, News and StatisticsGulf Coast Grain Export Bids: Corn, Soybeans, SRW Wheat Basis Steady, Prices Up, News and Statistics IndexBox IndexBox (via world wire). Read the full story.Local ObituariesWe note the passing of neighbors across your area, gathered from the local papers this morning. Our thoughts are with their families. William 'Bill' SchugDickinson County News obituaries. Read the full obituary.Janice ClarkDickinson County News obituaries. Read the full obituary.Dorothy 'Diane' BrumleyDickinson County News obituaries. Read the full obituary.David Edward RowlandDickinson County News obituaries. Read the full obituary.Doug PringnitzDickinson County News obituaries. Read the full obituary.Marcia SchumacherDickinson County News obituaries. Read the full obituary.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 SafetyKeep a stocked first-aid kit and a charged phone within reach of where you are working, and tell someone your field plan for the day. When you farm alone, minutes matter after an injury, a simple check-in time and a known location can save your life. Source: National Ag Safety Database; AgriSafe Network. Cal The Coffee ShopToday in Farm History, Rural Free Delivery 1896On October 1, 1896, the U.S. Post Office began Rural Free Delivery (RFD) on five experimental West Virginia routes. By 1902 it served the whole country. RFD meant a farmer could read yesterday's grain prices at his own mailbox instead of riding to town. Source: U.S. Postal Service historical archive; Smithsonian Postal Museum. [CAL'S QUIZ]
How many county-level Extension agents were placed in the country by 1920 under the Smith-Lever Act?
(a) About 300
(b) About 1,500
(c) About 3,000
(d) About 7,500
Answer at the bottom of the Brief. [CAL'S JOKE]
The elevator clerk pulled a sample. He ran the test. He said, "15.3." The farmer said, "Run it again." The clerk did. "15.3." The farmer said, "Worth a try. I had 15.0 in my head and I wanted to believe it."
The MI Farm AI Desk
Cal "Corn-Bread" Halvorsen, your AI Agronomist and Editor in Chief Quiz Answer(c) About 3,000, nearly one in every U.S. agricultural county within six years of the 1914 signing. The Extension Service is still the single largest applied-research network in American farming. Source: USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture historical record.
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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.