For Sheridan Skala, Owatonna, Minnesota (Steele County, family farm heritage) Sunday, August 9, 2026. Filed by The MI Farm AI Desk. Weather, Steele County, MN
What this means for today: Partly sunny, with a high near 80. Wind 0 to 16 mph through the day (see the hour by hour table below). Source: NOAA National Weather Service via the MI Farm AI weather layer for Steele 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 WindowBased on this morning's wind forecast, the spray window looks open 4 AM to 7 AM, then 11 AM to midnight (wind at or under 10 mph, the common label ceiling for glyphosate and fungicides; dicamba and 2,4-D allow up to 15). This is the day's plan locked in this morning, not a live reading. Always check your gusts, any ground level inversion, and your product's own wind limit before you start. 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 (Owatonna MN, about 4 miles northeast) recorded 0.71 inches in the past 24 hours. Your own ground may differ, so check your gauge. Grain and Livestock, corn, soybeans, wheat, cattleFriday's close. Markets closed for the weekend. These are the most recent settled prices; the boards reopen the next trading day. Futures board (front month): corn Dec 2026 $4.6325/bu (+0.2425, +5.52%); soybeans Nov 2026 $11.7925/bu (+0.2275, +1.97%). Chicago board, as of 2026-08-10.
Source: Chicago Board of Trade. Cal's Market ReadAt Friday's close, corn added about 24 cents; and beans added about 23 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 closed higher Friday. Honestly, the headlines on our desk do not point to one clean cause, since no USDA report is on the calendar and nothing here names an export sale or weather scare. Our best read is that two things helped, the Senate voting 90 to 6 to avert a government shutdown per Agri Pulse, and farmers turning attention to those looming FSA deadlines flagged on the Ohio Ag Net Podcast. Treat this as our assessment, not certainty. 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. AgweekTV Full Show: Farmfest, Rollins in Minnesota, wheat and soybeans, soybean oil for roofing
This week's AgweekTV takes you to Redwood County for Minnesota Farmfest, where U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins made her first ever visit to the state. The show checks on how wheat and soybean crops are shaping up around the region and highlights a clever new use for soybeans, extending the life of roofing shingles. StormTRACKER meteorologist Lydia Blume warns that the rainfall deficit keeps growing, with drought concerns mounting and mostly dry, warm conditions expected to hold through the first half of August. If you farm corn or soybeans, this one is worth a watch for the crop updates, the weather outlook, and a fresh market for your beans.
Read the full article. AgWeek, Sat Aug 8, 2026 11:58 AM CT 2. VFB's County Leaders Share Input on Governor's New Farm & Forest Prosperity Plan
About 80 county Farm Bureau leaders gathered July 31 in Goochland, Virginia, to give feedback on the state's first ever Farm and Forest Prosperity Plan, a four year road map created by bipartisan legislation that Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed in June. Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Katie Frazier is leading the effort and told the crowd to "bring me a problem" but also "two solutions," stressing that farmer input will shape the plan headed to the governor and General Assembly. A big theme was turning wood waste and biomass into power, with Halifax County logger Bruce Slagle and Lee County Farm Bureau's Roger Elkins arguing that leftover material could generate electricity for the data centers now "cropping up like weeds" and straining the grid. Charlotte County forester Miller Adams warned that shifting regulations every election cycle scare off big investment in new mill technology, prompting talk of tax relief and programs like Use Value Assessment and the Forest Sustainability Fund to keep Virginia forestry competitive.
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Sun Aug 9, 2026 4:13 PM CT 3. Ag Commissioner Shell's Farm to Fork Dinner Returns Aug. 19
Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell is bringing back his Farm to Fork Benefit Dinner for a third year, set for 5 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, the night before the state fair opens. The meal, built around Kentucky Proud products, raises money so foster children and families can enjoy the state fair, 4-H camp, fall festivals, and other farm tourism outings through Kentucky CASA and the Kentucky Exposition Foundation. Since it started in 2024, the program has already reached nearly 1,000 foster children and families, and this year's featured speaker is Renee Shaw, a well known journalist who recently retired after almost 30 years at Kentucky Educational Television. It matters because it shows agriculture stepping up for vulnerable kids, with tickets at $100 each or $800 for a table of eight, and CASA volunteers standing as advocates for abused and neglected children in the court system.
Read the full article. Morning Ag Clips, Sun Aug 9, 2026 3:57 PM CT 4. Canning, freezing and coping
Colleen Stegenga, a licensed social worker who runs Embracing Change Counseling Services and focuses on mental health for farmers and ag families, uses memories of her mother's kitchen to talk about how routine and hard work help people cope. She recalls the seasonal rhythm of preserving food, peaches peeled and frozen before the juice browned, corn blanched and cut in golden piles, pickles cooling in brine, beets turning the kitchen sunset red, and the dreaded chore of butchering chickens. She ties that in with the old farm habit of three square meals and a big snack each day, dinner served at noon, painting a picture of a way of life built on structure and shared labor. The piece runs alongside Farmfest notes, including a step back in time at the nearby Gilfillan Estate and word that the 2026 Farmfest Woman Farmer of the Year has been narrowed from five finalists to one winner, and Stegenga can be reached at 605 306 6383 or colleen@embracingchangecs.com.
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Sun Aug 9, 2026 12:28 PM CT 5. East Bench Grain provides market opportunities for local growers
Southwestern Montana has long been prized for its cow/calf and alfalfa production. In fact, the area is the state's leading producer in both commodities. Small grains are not an agriculture product that may be front of mind for the mountainous corner of the state known for its blue-ribbon trout fishing, but a small grain company based in Dillon proves that if you plant it, businesses will come. East Bench Grain in Dillon, Mont., provides market opportunities for local growers.
Read the full article. Tri-State Neighbor, Sun Aug 9, 2026 6:00 AM CT 6. Senate passes bill to avert shutdown, delay hemp ban as midterms loom
The Senate voted 90 to 6 in the pre dawn hours of Saturday to fund the government through Dec. 11, dodging a shutdown just before the Nov. 3 midterms. Tucked into that stopgap bill is a temporary delay of a federal ban on intoxicating hemp products like gummies and beverages, a ban that was set to hit Nov. 12. For farmers, the bigger news is what did not happen, because a crowded election year calendar is stalling a wide ranging farm bill and a fresh round of aid for growers squeezed by high production costs. Senate Ag Chairman John Boozman plans to try again the week of Sept. 14 with his Farm Bill 2.0, which would open the door to year round E15 ethanol sales and restore mandatory country of origin labeling for beef.
Read the full article. Agri-Pulse, Sat Aug 8, 2026 2:50 PM CT 7. Ohio Ag Net Podcast, Ep. 456, Important FSA Deadlines ApproachingImportant FSA Deadlines Approaching
Ohio FSA Director Don Jones lays out a stack of looming Farm Service Agency deadlines on this Ohio Ag Net Podcast, powered by Ohio Corn and Wheat, including the chance to update your base acres along with disaster aid, conservation programs, and loans. Field Leader Dusty Sonnenberg then heads out to Ralph Farms in Marion County to sit down with Mike Ralph, a fourth generation farmer working the same ground his family has for four generations. The two dig into a drawn out planting season, crops crying out for rain, and the daily battle of managing the area's heavy soils. Ralph explains why drainage improvements have become a make or break investment for the family's corn and soybean operation, a lesson that hits home for anyone farming tough dirt.
Read the full article. Ohio Country Journal, Sun Aug 9, 2026 2:45 PM CT 8. Sale of Champions raises $396,500 to close out 2026 Ohio State Fair
The Sale of Champions capped the fair by raising $396,500 for Ohio's top junior livestock exhibitors, with $270,500 going to the Virgil L. Strickler Youth Reserve Program, which has now given more than $5.2 million to over 46,473 youth since 1995. Steve R. Rauch, Inc. paid $55,000 apiece for both the Grand Champion Market Beef, shown by Rees Toler of Gallia County, and the Reserve Grand Champion, shown by Addie Wilson of Harrison County. A brand new Reserve Grand Champion Market Turkey category debuted, with Alivia Kinney of Logan County selling her bird for $15,000, and siblings swept the poultry barn as the Kinney and Genter families claimed both turkey and meat chicken top honors. Two goat champions, Briley Ashcraft of Athens County and three time winner Jada Shroyer of Logan County, closed out their final junior show careers, a reminder of the months of work and youth investment that keep the next generation of Ohio agriculture growing.
Read the full article. Ohio Country Journal, Sun Aug 9, 2026 3:24 PM CT 9. Alice in Dairyland says the Wisconsin State Fair is bridging the gap between consumers and farmers
Anastasia Poull says the fair food opens the door to education. "So when people come to the Wisconsin State Fair, I hope they get to see a little bit more of that behind the scenes." She tells Brownfield the Wisconsin State Fair has several exhibits that showcase the state's agriculture industry. "You can do some interactive educational exhibits. "There are some amazing agriculture exhibits and events going on in the Coliseum and youth exhibitors as well who are just starting off their journey in agriculture," she says.
Read the full article. Brownfield Ag News, Sat Aug 8, 2026 5:57 PM CT 10. Wisconsin teen gains valuable lessons through exhibiting livestock
Cassidy Crooks says she's watched her siblings show for years, but now it's her turn. And then Wednesday, I will be showing two steers, one shorthorn and one crossbred." She tells Brownfield showing at the state fair is fun, but there are lessons learned, too. "The State Fair put a grant out and a lot of people won it, and I was one of those people," she says. The Governor's Blue Ribbon Livestock Auction is Wednesday, August 12th.
Read the full article. Brownfield Ag News, Sat Aug 8, 2026 5:26 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 SafetyMost tractor rollover deaths happen on slopes and near ditches. Keep the rollover protective structure (ROPS) up and the seat belt buckled, together they prevent about 99 percent of rollover fatalities. Slow down on hillsides and keep loaded buckets low. Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Cal Local ObituariesNo local obituaries for your area in today's papers. The Coffee ShopToday in Farm History, Federal Crop Insurance 1938On February 16, 1938, the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation was created. The program covered just wheat at first; today Revenue Protection covers over 130 crops and protects 90% of U.S. row-crop acreage. The 2026 corn projected price you trade against in RP traces straight back to this 1938 statute. Source: USDA Risk Management Agency program history. [CAL'S QUIZ]
Before the Massey-Harris No. 5 combine arrived in the Midwest in 1924, a typical threshing crew was how many men?
(a) 2 to 5 men
(b) 10 to 25 men
(c) 50 to 75 men
(d) 100 or more men
Answer at the bottom of the Brief. [CAL'S JOKE]
The weatherman said, "There's a 30% chance of rain." The farmer said, "And a 100% chance you'll be wrong about which 30% it's going to be."
The MI Farm AI Desk
Cal "Corn-Bread" Halvorsen, your AI Agronomist and Editor in Chief Quiz Answer(b) 10 to 25 men, sharing meals at every farm for a week. The combine ended the harvest crew and changed rural social life forever. Source: Smithsonian National Museum of American History agricultural collection.
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.