For Matthew Harfmann, Granger, Indiana (St. Joseph County) Monday, August 3, 2026. Filed by The MI Farm AI Desk. Weather, Dodge County, MN
What this means for today: Patchy fog before 8am. Sunny, with a high near 81. North wind 0 to 5 mph. 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. Spray WindowSpray window is MARGINAL today. Wind at your nearest weather station is about 5 mph right now, gusting 5 (the hour-by-hour table above is the NWS forecast, which can read lower). If you go, check your product label first, keep the boom low and the speed down, and watch your gusts and any ground-level inversion. Rain WindowNo rain at your field in the past 24 hours. 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. Grain and Livestock, corn, soybeans, wheat, cattleFutures board (front month): corn Dec 2026 $4.6250/bu (+0.2175, +4.93%); soybeans Nov 2026 $11.8275/bu (+0.1075, +0.92%). Chicago board, as of 2026-08-03.
Source: Chicago Board of Trade. Cal's Market ReadOvernight, corn slipped about 2 cents; and beans slipped about 5 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. Cutting the other way, demand still reads firm per Hoosier Ag Today: Senate Farm Bill Draft Expected to Add Year-Round E15 Provision. 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, Friday'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. Counting Down the Days Until the 35th Annual National No-Tillage Conference
The 35th annual National No-Tillage Conference is set for January in Indianapolis, marking a big milestone for the yearly gathering focused on no-till, cover crops, and conservation farming. Wisconsin no-tiller Ross Bishop shares why he returns year after year, praising the practical presentations and the memories he has made. Organizers say the speaker lineup is already packed, and folks can sign up now at NoTillConference.com before seats fill up. For anyone looking to boost soil health and cut costs, this event promises ideas worth far more than the price of admission.
Read the full article. No-Till Farmer, Mon Aug 3, 2026 12:00 AM CT 2. Washington Week Ahead: E15, SNAP in spotlight with farm bill markup
Senator John Thune and corn groups are cheering a revised farm bill that would finally let higher ethanol blend E15 be sold year round, a demand boost that could mean more buyers for your corn. Ag Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., released the draft Friday and set a Thursday markup, but the E15 win still has to survive expected pushback from petroleum interests. The bill also softens the coming SNAP hit on states, delaying by one year the new costs for states with payment error rates between 6 and 10 percent, while those over 10 percent would pay 20 percent starting in 2031. On top of all that, Senate leaders are racing to pass a stopgap funding bill before the September 30 deadline to avoid a government shutdown, all just before lawmakers head home for a five week recess.
Read the full article. Agri-Pulse, Sun Aug 2, 2026 4:03 PM CT 3. Cattle finishing faces challenges
Purdue University economist Michael Langemeier, who directs the Center for Commercial Agriculture, warns that finishing cattle for market is getting tougher for producers. His outlook shows that feeder to fed cattle price ratios will stay relatively high through the rest of 2026 and into the first six months of 2027. That high ratio means the cost of buying feeder animals is eating deep into the margin folks can earn once the cattle reach slaughter weight. For anyone weighing whether to run cattle alongside the corn and beans, this signals thinner profits ahead and a good reason to pencil the numbers carefully before filling the lot.
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Mon Aug 3, 2026 1:00 AM CT 4. Mexican Cattle Imports to Resume Amid Screwworm Concerns
Starting August 24, USDA will reopen the door to Mexican cattle after halting those imports earlier this year when the flesh eating New World screwworm turned up in southern Mexico. Before restarting, the agency ramped up surveillance, released more sterile flies, and tightened inspections, and it says only approved facilities meeting stronger health rules will be allowed to ship. Feedlots and packers are eager for the extra animals because the U.S. herd sits at its smallest in decades, driving cattle and beef prices to record highs, though some ranchers warn reopening too soon could let screwworm slip across the border. That worry is not just talk, since outbreaks have already been confirmed in Texas and New Mexico, so this decision could hit both your neighbors' herds and the prices you watch.
Read the full article. Hoosier Ag Today, Sun Aug 2, 2026 8:49 PM CT 5. Senate Farm Bill Draft Expected to Add Year-Round E15 Provision
Senate negotiators are moving to include a provision in the updated farm bill draft that would allow year-round nationwide sales of E15 gasoline, reversing an earlier version that left the measure out. This is welcome news for corn growers, who have pushed hard for the change and see E15 as a way to expand demand for their crop. The addition matters because it opens up a bigger, year-round market for ethanol blended fuel, something that has been limited by seasonal restrictions in the past. For Iowa corn farmers, this could mean stronger prices and steadier sales, making it well worth following how the final bill shakes out.
Read the full article. Hoosier Ag Today, Sun Aug 2, 2026 8:51 PM CT 6. Juniors Earn Stockman Award at National Junior Angus Show
On July 17, four National Junior Angus Association members were recognized for earning the highest all-around score in their respective age division: Drew McCurry, Hutchinson, Kan., Novice Division; Charlotte Johnson, Shawano, Wis., Junior Division; Lane Toledo, Visalia, Calif., Intermediate Division; and Jackson Corner, Caledonia, ON, Canada, Senior Division. She used both the Angus University online BEEF Academy platform and created flashcards to flip through on the drive down from Wisconsin . Each Minix Stockman Award winner was gifted a belt buckle and monetary award. The program's internships are the legacy of the late Camron "Cam" Cooper of Talon Ranch, Twin Bridges, Montana.
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Mon Aug 3, 2026 4:39 AM CT 7. Illinois Department of Agriculture Awards Local Food Infrastructure Grants
"Illinois continues to make critical investments that support the local farmers and food businesses that feed our state," said Governor JB Pritzker. When we invest in local food infrastructure, we are creating economic opportunity for businesses while ensuring Illinois residents have greater access to fresh, locally grown foods." "These investments are a win for Illinois farmers, food producers and families who help keep our state nourished," said Dave Koehler (D-Peoria), Chief Senate Sponsor. The new Illinois Local Food Infrastructure grant program application process recently ended, but not before many Illinoisans put in their bids for a taste. Through this agreement, USDA and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) are working together to offer $27 million in competitive grant funding [...]
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Mon Aug 3, 2026 4:13 AM CT 8. Ohio State Fair runs deep for Copeland Family
The Copeland family of Logan County has been showing sheep at the Ohio State Fair for over 40 years, turning it into a treasured multigenerational tradition. Mike, Marc, and Cortney Copeland share how their State Fair story got started and how it has stayed alive across the decades. They also explain how the Open Show gives exhibitors a place to keep competing after they age out of 4-H, so the family stays involved long past their youth years. Part of an Ohio Ag Net series backed by Farm Credit Mid-America, this story shows why the fair means so much to the families who keep coming back year after year.
Read the full article. Ohio Country Journal, Sun Aug 2, 2026 2:30 PM CT 9. Farmfest celebrates 45th year with new features, familiar favorites
Marking its 45th year, Farmfest rolls back into the Gilfillan Estate near Redwood Falls, Minnesota, from August 4 to 6 with fresh educational programming, more family activities, and a chance to size up the newest ag technology. Producers can walk the grounds, talk shop with exhibitors from across the industry, and stop by booths like the University of Minnesota Extension to get answers from the experts. With margins tightening, input costs climbing, and markets still full of question marks, a new seminar this year promises practical advice aimed squarely at those headaches. If you want a read on where farming is headed and some ideas to protect your bottom line, this three day gathering is worth the trip.
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Sun Aug 2, 2026 11:35 AM CT 10. Ohio Ag Net Podcast, Ep. 455, Discovering new uses for Ohio soybeans
Airable Labs is expanding to Shawnee State University, opening the door for the Ohio Soybean Council to develop even more new, value added products from Ohio grown soybeans. Barry McGraw and his research team break down the work they are doing to boost the bottom line for soybean farmers. The episode also digs into the Ohio farmland auction market, where Kevin Miller of Oak Ridge Realty and Auction Company explains how conditions are shifting and changing exactly who turns up to bid on land these days. It all comes together on Episode 455 of the Ohio Ag Net Podcast, powered by Ohio Corn and Wheat, so give it a listen for the full story.
Read the full article. Ohio Country Journal, Sun Aug 2, 2026 2:45 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 SafetyKeep a stocked first-aid kit and a charged phone within reach of where you are working, and tell someone your field plan for the day. When you farm alone, minutes matter after an injury, a simple check-in time and a known location can save your life. Source: National Ag Safety Database; AgriSafe Network. Cal Local ObituariesNo local obituaries for your area in today's papers. The Coffee ShopToday in Farm History, Farm depression 1921In 1921, U.S. farm prices collapsed (corn fell 64%, wheat 53%) as European farms came back online after WWI. The farm depression lasted through the 1920s, hiding inside the urban Roaring Twenties. Midwest farm foreclosures in 1932 hit levels not seen again until the 1980s farm crisis. Source: USDA Economic Research Service; Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis historical bulletin. [CAL'S QUIZ]
John Deere bought the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company on what date in 1918?
(a) January 1
(b) March 14
(c) July 4
(d) December 25
Answer at the bottom of the Brief. [CAL'S JOKE]
Why does the old pickup sit in the yard with weeds growing through it? Because moving it would admit it's not coming back. And the farmer hasn't admitted anything since 1978.
The MI Farm AI Desk
Cal "Corn-Bread" Halvorsen, your AI Agronomist and Editor in Chief Quiz Answer(b) March 14, 1918. Deere paid $2.35 million for the maker of the Waterloo Boy tractor, built on John Froelich's 1892 design. The purchase put Deere in the tractor business. Source: Deere & Company corporate archive; 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.