For Matthew Harfmann, Granger, Indiana (St. Joseph County) Friday, September 25, 2026. Filed by The MI Farm AI Desk.
Weather, Dodge County, MN
What this means for today: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 69. Wind 0 to 6 mph through the day (see the hour by hour table below). 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 5 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 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: 0.23 inches expected Next 72 hours: 0.30 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 2026-09-25.
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 2026-09-25.
Grain and Livestock, corn, soybeans, wheat, cattleCal's Grain Call: Price a portion of 40,500 bu corn at $4.94/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 added about 1 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 the board barely budged overnight, with corn off about a penny and beans up about a penny on quiet, mixed trade. There is no clean single driver, so we point to the two likeliest: the partisan back and forth over the US to China summit and talk of extending the Busan Agreement truce two months, per Agri Pulse, and spillover from the friendly USDA hogs and pigs report noted by Tri State Neighbor. Call it position squaring, not a trend. Stocks point higher into the open, S&P futures up about 0.4 percent. A firmer tape eases the borrowing and input-cost mood your lender watches, though it does not move your cash bid by itself. 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 8 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. NAEDA, AED Announce Merger to Create a Stronger, Unified Voice for Equipment Dealers
Two of the biggest equipment dealer groups in North America, NAEDA and AED, are joining forces in a merger that takes effect in January 2027, and the combined outfit will carry the name Associated Equipment Dealers. Leaders like Steve Hunt of H&R Agri-Power and Marshall Anderson of RDO Equipment Co. say the goal is a stronger, unified voice that puts dealers first with policymakers, manufacturers, and other industry players across the United States and Canada. For farmers, this matters because the folks who sell and service your tractors and combines are pooling their advocacy, education, workforce training, and dealer to manufacturer relations to serve members better for the next 5, 10, and 20 years. The article also touches on other industry moves, including Mahindra North America naming Padam Pandit as its new CFO and electric tractor maker Monarch bringing on a new revenue chief, so there is plenty happening across the equipment world worth a closer read.
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Fri Sep 25, 2026 8:54 AM CT 2. Comply Before You Apply
UNH Extension and New Hampshire's Division of Pesticide Control have launched a webinar series called Comply Before You Apply, which pairs Extension educators with regulators to walk both commercial and private applicators through the rules on drift, recordkeeping, worker protection, and spraying near water, with recertification credit available. The roundup also reports that Tufts University landed a $20.7 million NIH grant to run the largest study yet tracking chronic Lyme disease patients from their first diagnosis. In pest news, Virginia Tech scientists warn that the tiny red-headed flea beetle, smaller than a grain of rice, is costing nursery growers millions in damage, while the University of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine are teaming up for a two session online workshop on January 23 to fight crop insects and disease. Perhaps the most surprising item comes from Cornell, where a trained Labrador and Belgian Malinois beat humans at sniffing out overwintering spotted lanternfly egg masses, giving growers a new tool to stop that invasive pest before it spreads.
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Fri Sep 25, 2026 8:54 AM CT 3. Lean hogs
The USDA hogs and pigs report landed friendly, with the total herd at 98.5 percent of last year against trade guesses of 99.2 percent, and both the breeding herd and market hogs also came in tighter than expected. The Hightower Report noted the weight breakdowns look constructive for the deferred contracts, though near-term supplies are a touch looser since the 180 pound and heavier category ran higher than a year ago. On the trading side, October open interest dropped more than 7,400 contracts while December gained close to 13,500, a sign money is shifting toward later months. For anyone marketing hogs or watching the meat complex, this points to a firmer opening and stronger prices down the road, so it is worth catching the full story.
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Fri Sep 25, 2026 8:28 AM CT 4. Pittsburgh pediatric doctor fatally stabbed and wife wounded in attack as they slept
A Pittsburgh pediatric doctor and his wife were brutally stabbed to death in their home while they slept. Police responded to a home in Edgewood on Thursday shortly after midnight and found Idris Evans, 46, and his wife with "multiple stab wounds." Evans was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, and his wife remains in critical condition. Elijah Hemingway, 32, who is awaiting a preliminary hearing on charges of criminal homicide, aggravated assault, burglary, criminal trespass, and possessing instruments of crime, was detained and taken to an area hospital for treatment. Evans' wife described the man as "psychotic" and said that he repeatedly made utterances about 'God' and being 'God.' The investigation continues. The medical community is shaken by the tragic loss of Dr. Idris Evans.
Read the full article. NBC News, Thu Sep 24, 2026 10:27 PM CT 5. Daybreak Sept. 25: Mostly partisan divide over US-China summit; Hoeven sees farm bill vote after midterms
Lawmakers are split down party lines as the Trump administration works to extend the Busan Agreement trade truce with China for two months, pushing the ceasefire deadline from Nov. 10 to Jan. 10, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Republicans like Iowa's Rep. Ashley Hinson and Rep. Dusty Johnson call it needed stability for producers, while Democrats such as Sen. Ron Wyden blast the deal, saying China keeps shortchanging farmers by refusing to buy the ag goods it promised. On another front, Sen. John Hoeven predicts the long stalled farm bill finally crosses the finish line during the lame duck session, with the fight still centered on SNAP funding and a proposed one-year delay before some states pick up costs. Meanwhile, the American Petroleum Institute, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and 34 other groups are pressing Trump to reject calls to curb U.S. diesel exports, a move that could hit fuel supplies farmers depend on.
Read the full article. Agri-Pulse, Fri Sep 25, 2026 8:12 AM CT 6. Biggest U.S.-Mexico cattle border crossing reopens today
Good news for anyone watching the market, the largest cattle crossing along the Mexico and U.S. border is reopening today, which could shift supply in the weeks ahead. Cattle finished with moderate losses in the last session even after touching a fresh high for the week early on, according to the Hightower Report. Analysts still see reasons for optimism, pointing to Monday's gap higher on the charts and giving the bulls the edge going forward. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship along with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service are also part of this developing story, so it is worth catching the full report.
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Fri Sep 25, 2026 8:28 AM CT 7. Nebraska farmers, ranchers get temporary tax and transportation relief
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen signed two executive orders Thursday to ease costs for farmers and ranchers right as harvest picks up. The first suspends the state diesel tax on any ag transportation, meaning you keep your receipts and get a refund on the tax for the next 90 days without needing red diesel. The second lifts trailer weight limits, letting all livestock and grain haulers fill up to 20,000 pounds per axle without worrying about being over. Southeast Nebraska farmer Doug Bartek called it helpful even if it is no silver bullet, and Pillen has also asked the President to suspend diesel fuel exports for further relief.
Read the full article. Brownfield Ag News, Fri Sep 25, 2026 8:14 AM CT 8. WATCH LIVE: Trump greets Xi as Chinese leader's state visit wraps up
President Trump wrapped up Xi Jinping's three day state visit by taking the Chinese leader to tour the National Archives, home of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The two leaders put on a friendly display to keep peace between the world's two biggest economies, but they came away with no real breakthroughs on trade or on the safety of artificial intelligence. Along the way Trump treated Xi to a black tie state dinner with tech titans, showed off a new 100 foot granite helicopter pad, and held a private 90 minute meeting that touched on Ukraine, the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula. The lavish welcome matters because it clashes with Trump's own campaign message branding Democrats as communists ahead of the November midterms, and because the outcome of U.S. and China relations shapes the trade deals that hit Iowa grain prices.
Read the full article. PBS NewsHour, Fri Sep 25, 2026 8:52 AM CT Around the WorldThe world news moving your markets this morning, the same read from Cal's desk that runs on your dashboard. Ukraine Corn Prices Fall Despite Rising EU Imports and Export GrowthHere is something worth watching if you keep an eye on world corn markets. Even though Europe is buying more Ukrainian corn than ever, prices inside Ukraine are actually dropping, with eastern and central bids falling to about UAH 5,500 to 6,000 per tonne. The European Union has already imported 4.47 million tonnes this marketing year, up almost 27 percent, and Ukraine's slice of that jumped from 20 percent to 31.4 percent as its shipments doubled to 1.4 million tonnes. Here is the part that matters for you, American corn is winning big too, with United States shipments to the EU rising more than fourfold to 1.86 million tonnes while Brazil's sales got cut in half. Even with ports closed, the Electronic Grain Exchange figures Ukraine can still move up to 1 million tonnes a month, so competition is not going away soon. Their new harvest is just 1 percent in but yields are running at 5 tonnes per hectare, better than last year's 4.31, which hints at plenty more grain heading to market. . . (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 SafetyTreat a manure pit like a gas chamber. Agitation releases hydrogen sulfide, which can knock a person out in one breath at high levels. Never enter a pit without ventilation, a gas monitor, and a harnessed rescue plan, and never go in after a downed worker without protection, or you become victim number two. Source: NIOSH confined-space-in-agriculture alert. Cal The Coffee ShopToday in Farm History, Hatch Act 1887On March 2, 1887, President Cleveland signed the Hatch Act, which funded agricultural experiment stations at every land-grant university. Iowa State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, every one of today's Midwest ag-research engines runs on funding that started with this 1887 law. Source: USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture history. [CAL'S QUIZ]
The University of Minnesota was chartered before Minnesota was even a state. What year?
(a) 1851
(b) 1858
(c) 1862
(d) 1868
Answer at the bottom of the Brief. [CAL'S JOKE]
The CRP contract expired in October. The farmer said, "Renew it." His son said, "You could farm it." The farmer said, "I could. The creek and I have a deal. I'm not breaking it for one bad October."
The MI Farm AI Desk
Cal "Corn-Bread" Halvorsen, your AI Agronomist and Editor in Chief Quiz Answer(a) 1851. The territorial legislature chartered it seven years before statehood. It was designated the state's land-grant under the Morrill Act in 1868 and built one of the nation's first farm campuses at St. Paul. Source: University of Minnesota archives; Minnesota 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.