For Kent Harfmann, Mantorville Township, Dodge County, Minnesota Wednesday, October 7, 2026. Filed by The MI Farm AI Desk.
Weather, Dodge County, MN
What this means for today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Wind 5 to 18 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 8 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 2026-10-07.
Grain and Livestock, corn, soybeans, wheat, cattleCal's Grain Call: Price a portion of 40,500 bu corn at $4.81/bu via Crystal Valley, Mantorville Branch (a recommendation, see the factors).Corn: Your 2025 bin corn has rolled to the December board, now its nearby contract, in October. 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 6 cents; and beans slipped 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 corn and beans both leaked lower overnight. The cleanest driver we see is soybean basis falling from recent highs, since Brownfield Ag News reports crush plants that were paying 50 cents to a dollar over the November contract pulled back once dry weather let supplies start flowing again. Barchart's Darin Newson, by way of Tri State Neighbor, also notes markets flipped from mostly higher to almost all red in a single day, so broad selling pressure carried corn along for the ride. Stocks point lower into the open, S&P futures off about 0.4 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 7 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. Registration Is Open for the Lynden Ag Show
Registration just opened for the Lynden Ag Show in Washington, the Northwest's top gathering for berry and potato growers, which bundles the WA Small Fruit Conference and the NW Potato Conference with early bird pricing running through Oct 30, 2026. The same roundup flags the 2026 GEAPS Leadership Conference set for July 15 to 16 in Bloomington, Minnesota, where up and coming grain industry leaders will sharpen strategy and operations at the Donaldson Company. On the outreach side, the Real Christmas Tree Board hosts its second annual Arbor Day Virtual Field Trip on April 24 for elementary students, while the American Biogas Council expects nearly 2,000 attendees and more than 50 experts at BIOGAS AMERICAS 2026 in Detroit, May 18 to 21. Finally, Washington State University entomologist Priya Chakrabarti Basu is drawing researchers from around the globe to Pullman June 6 to 12 to tackle the costly puzzle of honey bee colony collapse.
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Wed Oct 7, 2026 5:20 PM CT 2. Soybean basis falls from recent highs as supplies reach crush plants
Those sky high soybean bids you may have seen lately are already fading, as crush plants that were paying 50 cents to a full dollar over the November contract pulled back once dry weather let supplies start flowing again. Ed Usset of the University of Minnesota points out that two southern Minnesota plants went from bidding 50 to 55 cents above the November contract to 20 cents under, so the brief harvest delay squeeze has passed. Arlan Suderman with Stone X Group says surprisingly strong yields in the Dakotas and Minnesota, running eight to ten bushels above expectations, are refilling the pipeline, though growers who could not get into the field missed the premium window. The silver lining, according to Usset, is that growing U.S. soybean crush demand should keep prices well supported long after this short term dip.
Read the full article. Brownfield Ag News, Wed Oct 7, 2026 3:53 PM CT 3. From Land Ownership to Land in Use
Down in Montgomery County, Texas, Prairie View A&M Extension turned land ownership talk into dirt under the fingernails, hosting 17 people at S&C Family Farmstead on September 23 for a hands-on workshop on garden planning, water conservation, seasonal planting, and pest management. The idea grew out of the Great Land Purchase Forum, shifting the focus from simply buying and keeping land to actually making it produce food, cut grocery bills, and build family self-sufficiency, whether you farm 1 acre or 100. Folks who showed up admitting they had no gardening knowledge left fired up, with one planning to live off the land and another rating it 10 stars, while 11 of the 17 filled out surveys showing real intent to change how they use their ground. It matters because this is part of a bigger push, with the next forum set for March 2027, to help families treat land not just as an investment but as a working tool for food security and a legacy for the next generation.
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Wed Oct 7, 2026 5:25 PM CT 4. Grain markets swing drastically downward
Grain markets took a sharp turn in just one day, flipping from nearly every sector trading higher to almost all of them sliding into the red, according to Darin Newson of Barchart. Soybeans slipped lower after backing off early morning highs, largely because the latest China and U.S. trade talks produced nothing concrete for buyers to cheer. Soybean meal bucked the downward trend as a standout gainer, lifted by strong commercial buying even as the rest of the grains sector weakened. The timing lined up with the close of the old noncommercial positioning week and the start of a new one, a shift worth watching as it can hint at where the big money moves your corn and beans next.
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Wed Oct 7, 2026 4:15 PM CT 5. FTC warns farmers about ag equipment scammers
Scammers are now posing as legitimate farm equipment dealers, pushing fake tractors and machinery through slick social media ads and even search results, and the Federal Trade Commission just put out a consumer alert to stop farmers from getting burned. Once you reach out, the crooks send a professional looking purchase agreement and invoice, then press you to pay by wire transfer, either a deposit or the full amount, and they even set a delivery date to make it feel real. The catch is that the equipment never shows up and wired money is nearly impossible to recover, which is why the FTC is urging producers to slow down and verify sellers before sending a dime. With planting and equipment buying season pressures, this warning could save you thousands, so it is worth hearing the full details on how to spot these fakes.
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Wed Oct 7, 2026 4:08 PM CT 6. Midwest farmers report sprouting corn, purple soybeans during harvest
Wet conditions across South Dakota, Iowa and Missouri are leaving strange marks on this year's crop, from corn sprouting right on the ear to soybeans turning purple, black, gold and brown. South Dakota crop consultant Jeff Kloucek, a 20 year industry veteran, blames late cercospora leaf blight and skipped fungicide passes, saying he has never seen purple seed stain this bad. Missouri farmer Ryan Meyerkorth reports sprouted corn in every field, running 10 to 20 percent in spots and spitting out the back of the combine, while southwest Iowa's Shane Schaaf saw beans popping open yet still pulling strong yields. The good news is that elevators have not hit these farmers with major dockage or rejections, so they are racing to get the crop in as fast as they can.
Read the full article. Brownfield Ag News, Wed Oct 7, 2026 4:03 PM CT 7. Botjer Farms of Henry Co., Feeding Farmers Fall 2026
Ohio Ag Net's Ty Higgins stopped by Henry County for Week 10 of Feeding Farmers, sharing lunch with Darrell and Tina Botjer at Botjer Farms. Beyond their row crops, the couple has built a one of a kind diversification venture right off the freeway in North Baltimore. During the visit, Darrell talked through this season's harvest numbers and what is weighing on his mind as he gets the crop in. It is a down to earth look at how one farm family is making both the fields and a roadside opportunity pay off, with thanks to Ag Revolution, Paradise Energy Solutions, and Timpte Trailers in Sidney for backing the series.
Read the full article. Ohio Country Journal, Wed Oct 7, 2026 2:45 PM CT Around the WorldThe world news moving your markets this morning, the same read from Cal's desk that runs on your dashboard. India seeks safe Black Sea shipping, grain exports & non-attack understandings in Ukraine-Russia warIndia is stepping into the Ukraine Russia conflict as a peacemaker, with spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirming New Delhi has floated proposals covering safe Black Sea shipping, grain and energy exports, and non attack understandings between the two warring nations. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called India's ceasefire plan the broadest of four that Kyiv received last week, a plan likely raised during External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's visit to Kyiv and followed up at the United Nations gathering in New York. The timing is urgent, since the war is now in its fifth year and has grown fiercer, with four ships attacked in the Black Sea in just the last few days and at least two Indian seafarers injured and treated in Romania and Bulgaria. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pressed the point with President Putin that the time has come for endless war to give way to end of war, and both Moscow and Kyiv have welcomed India's effort. A separate worry is that roughly 259 Indian nationals were recruited into the Russian military, with 139 now discharged but 69 still serving, prompting India to again warn its citizens that such offers carry grave danger to life. For a grain exporter watching world markets, this matters because safe shipping and restored navigation through the Black Sea directly affect global grain and energy flows that help set the prices farmers live by. ThePrint (via world wire). Read the full story.European Commission wants Ukraine to keep grain exports focused on traditional North African marketsBrussels is floating a plan to keep most of Ukraine's grain flowing to its old buyers in North Africa, especially Egypt, instead of flooding the EU market. The idea would become part of the EU's official stance once the farm chapter of Ukraine's membership talks opens. The European Commission admits Ukraine's huge, highly productive farm sector will need special rules after it joins the bloc. Those rules would cap financial support and limit market access for certain sensitive crops, while also helping Ukraine rebuild its traditional overseas sales. Officials warn that cutting Ukrainian grain shipments to these countries could trigger food security risks for importers who depend on them. The final terms are still up for negotiation, but the goal is to protect EU farmers without choking off Ukraine's export lifeline, a balancing act worth watching if you grow corn and beans. 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 SafetyOut-of-condition grain forms crusts and bridges that collapse without warning. Never walk on top of stored grain to break a crust, you can drop through into a void. Break crusts from outside the bin with a pole, and run aeration to keep grain in condition. Source: Purdue Agricultural Safety and Health; OSHA grain handling standard. Cal The Coffee ShopToday in Farm History, Federal Farm Loan Act 1916On July 17, 1916, the Federal Farm Loan Act created the Federal Land Bank system, the original federal-credit pipeline to farmers. The 12 land banks lent against farmland at lower rates than the local town bank could match. The modern Farm Credit System (Compeer Financial, Farm Credit Mid-America) is its direct descendant. Source: USDA Economic Research Service farm credit history. [CAL'S QUIZ]
Iowa's average corn yield in 1933 was about ___ bushels per acre. What's the closest number?
(a) 18
(b) 36
(c) 72
(d) 144
Answer at the bottom of the Brief. [CAL'S JOKE]
Why does the farm dog walk every row at planting? Because he's the quality inspector, and he hasn't taken a day off since 2017.
The MI Farm AI Desk
Cal "Corn-Bread" Halvorsen, your AI Agronomist and Editor in Chief Quiz Answer(b) 36 bushels per acre. The 2024 Iowa average was 205 to 5.7 times more on the same dirt. Hybrid corn (rolled out 1933 through 1955) is the single biggest reason. Source: USDA NASS Iowa corn yield historical series.
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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.