For Kent Harfmann, Mantorville Township, Dodge County, Minnesota Wednesday, July 15, 2026. Filed by The MI Farm AI Desk. Weather, Mantorville, MN
What this means for today: Sunny, with a high near 91. Heat index values as high as 96. West wind around 5 mph. Source: NOAA National Weather Service point forecast for Mantorville, MN, pulled this morning. Hour by Hour, the day ahead
Source: NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast and station observations, pulled this morning. Rain & Spray WindowWhat actually fell on you today: none. This is the rain your own ground caught, measured at your field, not the county radar total. No rain at your field in the past 24 hours. The spray window is open. Rain expected at your field: Next 24 hours: 0.00 inches expected Next 48 hours: 0.00 inches expected Next 72 hours: 0.00 inches expected Source: NOAA National Weather Service forecast and NOAA radar rainfall estimates, pulled this morning. Grain and Livestock, corn, soybeans, wheat, cattle
Source: Chicago Board of Trade. Cal's Market ReadOvernight, corn slipped about 4 cents; beans added about 5 cents; and wheat added about 4 cents. Recent trend, over the last 5 sessions, corn has eased 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: Understanding On-Farm Wind Energy Options. 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 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. Fake AI video invents University of Minnesota cover crop research
A slick 49 minute YouTube video from a page called Soil and Centuries claims the University of Minnesota ran a six year study testing 41 different cover crop mixes, but Extension crops educator Liz Stahl says the whole thing is fabricated AI garbage with no real research behind it. Stahl learned of it this spring from a conservation district worker, checked with the faculty member it named, and confirmed he had nothing to do with it and had no idea who made the video. Despite reports and comments from her and colleagues calling it fake, the video has tripled in viewership, the promised data links never arrive, and the same page hosts 67 other clearly AI generated videos. Her warning matters for anyone weighing soil health decisions, watch for perfect narrators, dead citations, and stock photos, and instead trust your local land grant Extension through real field days, webinars, and verified channels.
Read the full article. AgWeek, Tue Jul 14, 2026 5:30 PM CT 2. Earliest Senate farm bill markup would be next week, Boozman says
The Senate Agriculture Committee could begin work on the new five year farm bill as soon as next week, but Chairman John Boozman of Arkansas says it hinges on Senator Mitch McConnell returning from the hospital after a mid June fall, since the panel splits just 12 Republicans to 11 Democrats and cannot spare a single absence. Boozman is also haggling with Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar over whether to delay a new rule from last year's One Big Beautiful Bill Act that, for the first time ever, forces states to cover 5% to 15% of food stamp benefit costs based on their error rates, plus a 50% jump in administrative costs hitting this October 1. He admits a deal may not even be possible yet, noting the national SNAP error rate only dipped slightly from 10.9% to 10.6% between 2024 and 2025. This matters because the farm bill sets the rules and safety nets that shape your crop and commodity programs, and every week of delay pushes back the certainty you need for planning.
Read the full article. Agri-Pulse, Tue Jul 14, 2026 4:09 PM CT 3. Lean Hogs
Lean hog futures moved in mixed directions, with nearby contracts climbing 50 cents to $1.70 while the deferred months slipped 7 to 30 cents, according to Austin Schroeder writing for Barchart. Pork export sales for the week ending July 2 dropped sharply to 17,700 tonnes, well below the recent four week average of 25,900 tonnes. That softer export demand helps explain the pressure weighing on the later delivery contracts. For hog and grain producers alike, these numbers matter because weaker pork sales abroad can ripple back into feed demand and market prices here at home.
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Tue Jul 14, 2026 4:27 PM CT 4. The unconventional career of attorney general nominee Todd Blanche
We need 500 donors to help us close it. I very much believe that the jury should have found President Trump not guilty. Today, a grand jury sitting in the Eastern District of North Carolina returned an indictment against James Comey on two counts. Jonah Anderson is an Associate Producer at the PBS NewsHour.
Read the full article. PBS NewsHour, Tue Jul 14, 2026 5:25 PM CT 5. Kagan, Barrett push Supreme Court budget with boosted security in rare testimony
Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett made a rare joint appearance before Congress on Tuesday, asking lawmakers to boost the Supreme Court's budget to cover rising security costs. The two women, appointed by presidents from opposing parties, warned that threats aimed at justices and their families keep climbing. They argued the extra funding is needed to keep the court and its members safe as the danger grows. It matters because it shows how personal safety concerns are now driving spending decisions at the nation's highest court, a sign of just how heated the climate around it has become.
Read the full article. The Hill, Tue Jul 14, 2026 5:21 PM CT 6. Understanding On-Farm Wind Energy Options
Farr's research at NLR's National Wind Technology Center focuses on developing resources to help local governments, farmers, small rural businesses, utilities, and others to make informed decisions about distributed energy resources. This webinar should provide participants with a solid foundation on which to begin exploring this topic." Participants are encouraged to ask questions of the presenters. JOHNSTON, Iowa Iowa Corn is proud to sponsor the Pay Dirt Seminars during the 2022 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, on Aug. On Thursday, tune in for the bi-weekly dairy market news and analysis.
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Wed Jul 15, 2026 4:58 AM CT 7. Wisconsin Modifies Import Requirements from States with Active NWS
NWS is a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on living tissue, and early detection is critical to prevent severe, sometimes fatal, infections. Under current regulations, with very few exceptions, a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) must accompany animals moving into the State of Wisconsin . Animals originating from an infested zone may not enter Wisconsin unless the importer receives a DATCPapproved permit at least 48 hours prior to movement, and the CVI includes statements confirming the animals' origin, a visual inspection within five days of movement showing no evidence of NWS, and details of any treatment administered. To report animals with unexplained wounds or symptoms consistent with NWS, veterinarians should contact DATCP at (608) 2244872 (business hours) or (800) 9430003 (after hours and weekends).
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Wed Jul 15, 2026 4:41 AM CT 8. Dairy celebrates dairy
The Peterson family of Creamery Creek Farms near Bangor, Wisconsin welcomed neighbors to the La Crosse County Dairy Breakfast, an event hosted with help from the St. Joseph's Ridge Lions Club and featuring a petting zoo, cheese samples, and up close looks at cows. Louisa Peterson said the weather keeps them on their toes but their main goal stays growing high quality feed for the herd, which spans about 550 cows in a double-10 parlor plus another 1,000 milked at a robotic dairy a mile away. Local youth like Grace Giraud and Zoe Mlsna greeted visitors while retired Agri-View salesman Daryl Wermedal chatted up his podcast called Farm Tales and Cow Pies. It is a warm reminder that dairy country still gathers to celebrate the families and animals behind the milk, and the story even teases a puzzle about crop damage far stranger than the usual deer.
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Wed Jul 15, 2026 1:00 AM CT 9. Inside the Farm Bill: Indiana Farm Bureau Talks Prop 12, Broadband, and Bipartisanship
Congress is still hammering out a slimmed down Farm Bill, since roughly 80 percent of a normal bill already passed inside the One Big Beautiful Bill, leaving this version to cover the remaining 20 percent of programs farmers count on. Indiana Farm Bureau's Brantley Seifers says the leftover pieces still matter a lot, including research money for land grant schools like Purdue, rural broadband dollars, early childcare funds, and a fix to California's Proposition 12. That Prop 12 fix, which pork producers and veterinarians argue actually makes conditions less safe for sows, made it into the House version but got left out of Senate Ag Chair John Boozman's draft because he says he lacks the 60 votes to pass it. With California importing over 98 percent of its pork and pushing compliance costs onto Midwest hog farmers, Seifers calls fixing Prop 12 the top priority and hopes a House and Senate conference can add it back, so give the Indiana Ag Policy Podcast a listen for more on that plus USMCA and year round E15.
Read the full article. Hoosier Ag Today, Tue Jul 14, 2026 8:20 PM CT 10. More Than Just Trees: Why Your Woodland Property Needs a Professional Forester
Indiana consulting forester Perry Seitzinger says that woodland is far from idle ground, noting the state's hardwood industry brings in $10 billion a year, more than row crops and livestock combined. The trouble, he warns, is that most landowners take a hands off approach and cannot name the species, age, or value of the trees they own, so they often wait until a timber buyer shows up before thinking about a plan. Unlike corn or beans, timber is a 100 year crop with no annual paycheck and no chance for a do over, meaning a bad harvest or an emerald ash borer outbreak can cost your children and grandchildren for decades. The payoff for treating your back 40 like a real crop is real money, and hiring a consulting forester, who represents you and never buys your timber, can lower your taxes, draw competing bids, and turn a well managed woodlot into a financial safety net when grain margins get tight.
Read the full article. Hoosier Ag Today, Tue Jul 14, 2026 8:15 PM CT 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 SafetyWear a helmet on the ATV and side-by-side, and do not carry a passenger on a single-rider machine. ATV rollovers and ejections are a leading cause of farm head injuries. Match the machine size to the rider, and slow down on hills and turns. Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission; National Ag Safety Database. Cal Local ObituariesNo local obituaries for your area in today's papers. The Coffee ShopToday in Farm History, University of Minnesota chartered 1851On February 25, 1851, the territorial legislature chartered the University of Minnesota. It was designated the state's land-grant institution 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. [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 farmer love his Versatile? Because she pulls everything he hooks to her without complaining, and nothing else on the farm has done that since 1989.
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.