For Sheridan Skala, Owatonna, Minnesota (Steele County, family farm heritage) Tuesday, July 21, 2026. Filed by The MI Farm AI Desk. Weather, Owatonna, MN
What this means for today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Northwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Source: NOAA National Weather Service point forecast for Owatonna, MN, pulled this morning. Hour by Hour, the day ahead
Source: NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast and station observations, pulled this morning. Grain and Livestock, corn, soybeans, wheat, cattle
Source: Chicago Board of Trade. Cal's Market ReadOvernight, corn slipped about 2 cents; and beans steady. 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: Iowa Corn Announces Board Election Results. Honest truth, the tape does not hand us one clean reason today, so take this as our best read, not gospel. Stocks point higher into the open, S&P futures up about 0.1 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 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. "In the Weeds" Glyphosate News Roundup: July 21, 2026
The Supreme Court has ruled that federal pesticide labels override state failure to warn claims, a decision Bayer says should dismiss current Roundup cancer lawsuits and block future ones after nearly a decade of legal fights. Groups like the American Soybean Association and National Corn Growers Association backed Bayer in a 12 organization brief, arguing the EPA has repeatedly found glyphosate safe when used as directed, a big win for no tillers who rely on it to terminate cover crops. Just five days later, though, those same farm groups turned on Bayer after it petitioned for antidumping duties as high as 446.47 percent on Chinese glyphosate, warning the tariffs will spike input costs for already squeezed growers. Bayer, the last domestic glyphosate maker supplying about 60 percent of the U.S. market, says the move protects American production, but with a Texas A&M study pegging similar fertilizer duties at 6.9 billion dollars in grower costs and an ITC ruling due in about two months, this fight over your weed control bill is far from over.
Read the full article. No-Till Farmer, Mon Jul 20, 2026 11:00 PM CT 2. Opinion: The farm bill should support independent farmers, not corporations
Farmers scored a win when the Senate left the Save Our Bacon Act out of its June farm bill draft, a measure that would have gutted California's Proposition 12 and hundreds of other voter approved animal welfare laws while favoring big industrial operations. The authors, independent livestock farmers from Virginia, argue that simply keeping the status quo is not enough when more than 158,000 farms have closed since the last farm bill and small to mid size operations make up 85 percent of American farmers. They warn that decades of policy have funneled money and infrastructure to concentrated animal feeding operations, leaving crowded, unhealthy animals more prone to outbreaks like bird flu and screwworm. Showcasing their own pasture raised pigs, goats, and poultry sold straight to neighbors, they call on Congress to use the final bill to fund and support independent farmers who deliver cleaner water, healthier soil, and the food consumers actually want.
Read the full article. Agri-Pulse, Mon Jul 20, 2026 8:36 PM CT 3. Senate Farm Bill Faces Collapse After GOP Leadership Upheaval and SNAP Standoff
Republican hopes of passing "Farm Bill 2.0" before the August recess are crumbling, as Chairman John Boozman cannot even guarantee a committee markup in the two weeks left on the calendar. The math fell apart after Sen. Lindsey Graham died and Leader Mitch McConnell was hospitalized, robbing the GOP of the full attendance it needs, while Democrats led by Amy Klobuchar refuse to budge on SNAP changes that penalize high error rate states. Boozman already dropped fights over California's Proposition 12, state SNAP exemptions, and pesticide rules, choosing instead to expand crop insurance, raise loan caps, and modernize rural broadband and childcare. This gridlock matters because family farm bankruptcies jumped 46 percent in 2025, and a planned $10 billion emergency bridge payment plus year-round E15 ethanol expansion now hang in the balance.
Read the full article. Hoosier Ag Today, Mon Jul 20, 2026 6:15 PM CT 4. Lean Hogs
October lean hog futures pushed to a fresh high for the move early in the session before easing back to settle a touch lower, according to The Hightower Report. Analysts there note that last week delivered a very strong weekly close, a positive technical signal, while cash hogs firmed by roughly a dollar over the same stretch. Even with a setback the day before, the report says it still gives the bulls the edge heading forward. Traders were also weighing fresh USDA supply and demand numbers released last Friday, which could shape where pork production and prices head next.
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Mon Jul 20, 2026 5:19 PM CT 5. Trump imposes 50% tariffs on Canadian alcohol, dairy and automobiles
President Trump signed three executive actions Monday slapping 50% tariffs on Canadian alcohol, dairy, and automobiles, even on goods that comply with the USMCA trade deal, though he carved out exemptions for potash fertilizer, fish, and critical minerals. To do it, the administration reached back to a Great Depression era law called Section 338, a never before used tool that lets the president hit countries that discriminate against U.S. commerce, after earlier tariff attempts were struck down by the Supreme Court. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the move punishes Canada for retaliation, pointing to provinces yanking American alcohol off shelves and cheese rules that would otherwise force U.S. producers to pay a punishing 245% rate. The tariffs take effect in 30 days, arriving just as Trump also threatened new penalties over Canadian wildfire smoke choking the East Coast, so farmers watching fertilizer and trade markets will want to see how this fight shakes out.
Read the full article. Agri-Pulse, Mon Jul 20, 2026 4:57 PM CT 6. Iowa Corn Announces Board Election Results
Those elected as ICGA directors will continue to bring grassroots policy issues forward and be the collective voice for over 7,000 corn-farmer members lobbying on agricultural issues at the state and federal level. Comprised of the Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) and Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB), Iowa Corn works to unlock the potential of corn in a sustainable manner to meet the global need for food and energy. 15 through 16 at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa. Beukema will also facilitate building meaningful relationships with members, [...]
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Tue Jul 21, 2026 5:00 AM CT 7. Feeding High-Oleic Beans Featured at Enchanted Dairy Field Day on Aug. 14
The event will showcase the latest in on farm roasting technology, weed control and agronomic considerations, and how High-Oleic beans can improve dairy farmers' profit. 10 at z.umn.edu/EnchantedBeans . Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it is funding a new collaboration between two institutes and a research center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign that will create an integrated farm of the future in the U.S. USDA is projecting corn and soybeans margins to quickly return to the $4 and $10 area and stay [...]
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Tue Jul 21, 2026 4:45 AM CT 8. Heroes learn farm rescue
At a recent Farm Rescue Day in Barneveld, Wisconsin, volunteer firefighters and emergency medical crews trained hands on with real farm machinery, learning to free mannequins pinned in augers, hay implements, and overturned tractors using saws, airbags, and wood blocks. Chief Bud Schlimgen of the Barneveld-Brigham Fire Department showed responders how a power take off works and how to safely shut off power to equipment still hooked to a tractor. Wisconsin dairy farmer Kyle Thompson shared the story of his own recent farm accident, a sober reminder that these wrecks strike when you least expect them and that many of us forget our own near misses. The point is simple but life saving, when first responders know their way around farm equipment before the call comes, they can act faster and pull neighbors out alive.
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Tue Jul 21, 2026 1:00 AM CT 9. Video of the Week: No-Till Field Gets 9 Inches of Rain Overnight
Farmer Ross Bishop filmed his no-till wheat field the morning of August 10th after a stunning 9.1 inches of rain fell overnight, and the water running off was crystal clear instead of the chocolate milk brown you would see coming off tilled ground headed for Lake Michigan. He credits 30 years of no-till and cover crops for that clean runoff, along with better yields every year, less labor, and fuel savings. As he gets older, he says he no longer has the ambition for rock picking and working the ground, and a prairie strip stands in the background as part of his conservation setup. It is a real world look at how these practices hold soil in place during extreme downpours, keeping your dirt in your field instead of washing it downstream.
Read the full article. No-Till Farmer, Tue Jul 21, 2026 12:00 AM CT 10. 'It Always Gives Back': Lafayette 4-Her Shares Life Lessons Learned Through County Fair Projects
A young 4-Her named Spray shows more than livestock at the county fair, including a sports poster featuring Indiana's historic high school gyms like the New Castle Fieldhouse, Case Arena from the movie "Blue Chips," and the famed Hoosier Gym from "Hoosiers." She says the judging conversations build real communication skills and that 4-H welcomes everyone, even kids without a farm, thanks to projects ranging from photography and sewing to baking and electric. Her biggest takeaway is that 4-H always gives back, teaching hard work and pride in whatever you create or show, win or lose. Spray shows her pigs Wednesday night, and the story is a warm reminder to visit your county fair and support 4-H while there is still time.
Read the full article. Hoosier Ag Today, Mon Jul 20, 2026 7:51 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 SafetyStay inside the cab with the operator presence controls engaged when working a skid-steer loader. Most skid-steer deaths happen when someone climbs in or out under a raised lift arm. Lower the arm to the ground and set the parking brake before you exit. Source: NIOSH skid-steer loader safety alert. Cal Local ObituariesNo local obituaries for your area in today's papers. The Coffee ShopToday in Farm History, Bordeaux mixture discovered 1882In 1882, French botanist Pierre-Marie-Alexis Millardet noticed that grape vines along Bordeaux roads, sprayed blue to deter thieves, were free of downy mildew. The copper sulfate / lime mixture (Bordeaux mixture) became the first scientifically validated fungicide, still used in organic apple and grape production today. Source: USDA Agricultural Research Service plant pathology history. [CAL'S QUIZ]
By 1943, U.S. Victory Gardens produced about what share of all fresh vegetables consumed in the country?
(a) 10%
(b) 25%
(c) 40%
(d) 60%
Answer at the bottom of the Brief. [CAL'S JOKE]
A tornado drill went off in town. The city folks ran to basements. The farmer looked at the sky and said, "That's not a tornado sky. That's a Tuesday sky." He was right. It was Tuesday.
The MI Farm AI Desk
Cal "Corn-Bread" Halvorsen, your AI Agronomist and Editor in Chief Quiz Answer(c) About 40%, roughly 8 million tons from 20 million home and community gardens. Farmers grew the field crops; townspeople grew the salad. Source: USDA history office; National WWII Museum archives.
Your data stays yours. We sell nothing you buy. Your farm data is never sold, shared, or used to train outside models. It lives on hardware we control, not the public cloud. Loyalty in writing.
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.
LINKS TO YOUR FARM INTELLIGENCE
|
Signed by Cal "Corn-Bread" Halvorsen, Editor in Chief, The MI Farm AI Desk.