For Mark Matuska, Milford, Iowa (Dickinson County) Thursday, September 24, 2026. Filed by The MI Farm AI Desk.
Weather, Dickinson County, IA
What this means for today: Rain showers after 7am. Cloudy, with a high near 60. Wind 5 to 15 mph through the day (see the hour by hour table below). Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter 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 8 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 no rain 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 2026-09-24.
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 2026-09-24.
Grain and Livestock, corn, soybeans, wheat, cattleCal's Grain Call: Price a portion of 69,700 bu corn at $5.16/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 added about 1 cents; and beans added about 8 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 the market crept higher overnight, and honestly the news does not hand us one clean cause. The only real corn demand story on our desk is ethanol output falling 6.5 percent to a four month low, per Hoosier Ag Today, which usually weighs on corn, so today's small penny gain looks more like quiet positioning than fresh buying. With no USDA report on the calendar, we read the 8 cent bean bump as the likeliest lead, with light short covering the runner up. Stocks point lower into the open, S&P futures off about 0.5 percent. A softer tape can tighten the credit and input-cost mood your lender watches, worth a glance, but it does not set your cash bid. 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. No-Till Highlights: September 24, 2026
This week's No-Till Farmer roundup gathers the best conservation content from around the web, including a Big Tractor Power field video showing a 215 horsepower Case IH 215 Magnum pulling a 30 foot Great Plains grain drill to seed cereal rye after a Wisconsin sweet corn harvest. One standout is Bill Kellogg, who battled worsening gullies on his rolling ground and turned his fight against erosion into a decades long effort that grew a 700 acre operation into an 8,000 acre showcase of sustainable farming. On the Soil Talk podcast, Indiana farmer Jeff Leu tells Keith Berns how a health scare and a failing field taught him that gut health and soil health share the same root problem, a lack of biological diversity. The lineup also features author David Montgomery breaking down the science of regenerative agriculture from his book ReGen, plus flood smart farming demos in Iowa and a farmer near West Bend, Wisconsin, who swears by adding drywall to his compost mix.
Read the full article. No-Till Farmer, Wed Sep 23, 2026 11:00 PM CT 2. World Dairy Expo 2025 photos
Photographer Ryan Ebert captured a 10 image gallery from the World Dairy Expo 2025, showcasing scenes from one of the dairy industry's biggest annual gatherings. Alongside the photos, the page notes that this year's Midwest crops are looking promising thanks to timely rains, though harvest will tell the final story. It also highlights the Greeneye smart dual system, one of the newer weed spraying technologies now catching on with farmers and applicators across the Upper Midwest. For anyone weighing equipment decisions, the coverage even points to trailer advice from Trail King on whether to replace or refurbish your hauling rig, making it worth a full read.
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Thu Sep 24, 2026 1:00 AM CT 3. Ethanol Production Falls To Four-Month Low
Ethanol output tumbled 6.5 percent last week to about 43.2 million gallons a day, the slowest pace since early May, even though production still runs above both last year and the five year average. Ethanol stocks slipped 2.1 percent to 24.7 million barrels, a seven week low, while exports dropped a steep 24.2 percent to 122,000 barrels per day. The numbers, drawn from Energy Information Administration data and reviewed by the Renewable Fuels Association, also show refiner and blender ethanol use falling to a ten week low. For corn growers, softer ethanol demand can pressure the price you get at the elevator, so this slowdown is worth watching heading into harvest.
Read the full article. Hoosier Ag Today, Wed Sep 23, 2026 9:05 PM CT 4. Dakota Gardener: A Hardy Plant Even Better Than Mums
If you struggle to keep your porch mums alive through winter, NDSU horticulture experts suggest sedum, also called stonecrop, a hardy succulent that survives zone 3 winters and thrives even in poor soil. Creeping types stay 4 to 6 inches tall for groundcover, with varieties like Angelina, Voodoo and Boogie Woogie offering colors from lime gold to deep burgundy. Upright kinds grow 1 to 2 feet tall on stiff stems that resist flopping, including favorites like Autumn Joy, Thunderhead, Double Martini and Mojave Jewels Sapphire. Best of all, these fall bloomers feed pollinators late in the season, making them a low fuss, longer lasting choice than the mums flooding the stores right now.
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Wed Sep 23, 2026 8:08 PM CT 5. Judge orders White House to immediately restore access to CNN, MS NOW, Politico
A federal judge, Trump appointee Timothy Kelly, ruled in the middle of the night Thursday that the White House must immediately give back press credentials to CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, saying Trump's ban likely trampled the reporters' constitutional due process rights. The three outlets were turned away from the White House grounds last Saturday, and the administration only sent letters citing national security concerns afterward, which Kelly noted meant the reporters got no notice or chance to respond first. Leaning on a 1977 appeals court precedent, the same reasoning he used in the 2018 Jim Acosta case, Kelly said he was bound by that law and was skeptical that security was the real reason, pointing out Trump himself had focused on the outlets' negative and, in his words, dishonest coverage. The order lasts two weeks, Trump has already vowed to appeal and called Kelly unfair, and the outcome matters because it tests how far a president can go in punishing news organizations he dislikes.
Read the full article. The Hill, Thu Sep 24, 2026 12:38 AM CT 6. Ohio Farm Bureau releases new agritourism guide
Ohio Farm Bureau just rolled out a new members only guide to help farm families safely open their gates to the public, whether that means a corn maze, a U-pick orchard, a farm market, or an overnight farm stay. The guide pulls together the tricky legal and money questions in one spot, covering liability protection, zoning, building and fire codes, food and beverage sales, vendor licenses, ADA and service dog rules, and amusement attraction concerns. Leah Hetrick, the Bureau's director of legal education and member engagement, says the resource gives farmers practical answers about the responsibilities that come with welcoming visitors and helps them decide which venture fits their operation. With agritourism booming as a way to diversify income and connect folks directly with agriculture, members can grab the guide at ofb.ag/agritourismguide before betting the farm on a new side business.
Read the full article. Ohio Country Journal, Thu Sep 24, 2026 2:25 AM CT 7. Virtual Farm Tours
World Dairy Expo brings its popular Virtual Farm Tours back, giving folks a front row seat to some of the most forward thinking dairy operations in the country and across the world. From the comfort of the Exhibition Hall in Madison, Wisconsin, attendees can study cutting edge barns, herd management ideas, and new technologies without ever stepping on a plane. The program has grown into a real crowd favorite because it packs a lot of practical, real world know how into one spot. Trail King Industries also chips in expert tips on a question many of us face, whether it makes more sense to fix up an old hauling trailer or spring for a new one.
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Thu Sep 24, 2026 1:00 AM CT 8. Applications Open for Class III of the Cattlemen's Leadership Academy
The South Dakota Cattlemen's Association, teaming up with Farm Credit Services of America and the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council, has opened applications for Class III of its Cattlemen's Leadership Academy, a program that builds industry knowledge, leadership, and communication skills through seminars, ranch tours, and hands on learning. Applicants must be SDCA members, at least 21 years old, and active in the state's cattle industry, with the window running through November 1, 2026, at sdcattlemen.org. Class I graduate Maria Buus, co-owner of Horizon View Farms and a SDCA Southeast Region Director, praised the mix of classroom talks and tours, calling the Demkota plant visit her favorite and urging others to apply. It matters because programs like this shape the next generation of cattle industry leaders and give producers real tools to advocate with policymakers and consumers, something every livestock and grain family has a stake in.
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Wed Sep 23, 2026 8:02 PM CT 9. Economist: expanding E15 could help ease pressure on diesel prices
University of Illinois ag economist Scott Irwin argues that pushing more E15 fuel into the market could quietly take some strain off diesel prices, a welcome idea for anyone watching fuel costs at planting and harvest. The trick is closing a gap of roughly 1 billion to 1.5 billion gallons between the Renewable Fuel Standard mandate and the E10 blend wall, and Irwin says nudging the ethanol blending rate from about 10.5 percent up to 11 or 11.2 percent would do it. That small change would ease pressure on biodiesel and renewable diesel, push down ethanol RIN prices, and cut the overall cost of the Renewable Fuel Standard by about two thirds. The Senate Agriculture Committee's farm bill already includes a provision to allow E15 sales year round nationwide, though it still awaits a vote by the full Senate, so this could mean real money for corn growers.
Read the full article. Brownfield Ag News, Wed Sep 23, 2026 4:05 PM CT 10. Farm Journal Foundation drops emerging ag markets report
A fresh Farm Journal Foundation report argues American farmers must chase new buyers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, regions expected to drive 78 percent of the world's food demand growth over the next decade. Author Shawn Arita, of North Dakota State University, warns that leaning on old customers like Canada, Mexico, China, Japan and South Korea is risky since those markets buy a narrow slate of goods and are barely growing. The China lesson is stark, exports there peaked at 38 billion dollars in 2022 but crashed to about 8.4 billion in 2025 as Brazil grabbed market share amid U.S. tensions. The report calls for using federal trade and development programs to open these emerging markets, though many of those programs face funding uncertainty, making this a story worth watching as Trump meets with Xi Jinping this week.
Read the full article. Agri-Pulse, Wed Sep 23, 2026 3:46 PM CT 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 SafetyMatch the pesticide label's personal protective equipment (PPE) to the job, every time. Chemical-resistant gloves go on before mixing, and you wash them off before taking them off. The label is the law, if it lists a respirator, do not spray without one. Source: EPA Worker Protection Standard; National Pesticide Information Center. Cal The Coffee ShopToday in Farm History, Iowa Corn Yield Test 1907In 1907, Iowa State University began the Iowa Corn Yield Test, the longest-running public hybrid corn comparison in America. By 1933 it had tested 47 hybrids; by 2024, over 25,000. Every modern seed-genetics decision in Iowa traces back to this 1907 trial. Source: Iowa State University Extension archives. [CAL'S QUIZ]
Joseph Glidden received the barbed-wire patent in 1874 in which Illinois town?
(a) Peoria
(b) Rockford
(c) DeKalb
(d) Galesburg
Answer at the bottom of the Brief. [CAL'S JOKE]
Ag Day at the courthouse brought twelve kindergartners. One asked, "Where does milk come from?" The farmer said, "The cow." Another asked, "Where does the cow come from?" The farmer said, "The farm." The third asked, "Where does the farm come from?" The farmer said, "That's a longer answer. Come back in twenty years."
The MI Farm AI Desk
Cal "Corn-Bread" Halvorsen, your AI Agronomist and Editor in Chief Quiz Answer(c) DeKalb. Glidden received U.S. Patent No. 157,124 on November 24, 1874. Within ten years the open range was fenced from Iowa to Texas, crop farmers loved it; cattle drovers did not. Source: U.S. Patent Office; Smithsonian National Museum of American 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.