👋 Happy Thursday! Grab your coffee, kick the mud off your boots, and let's talk weather — because the groundhog's fancier cousin just filed a report.
The Old Farmer's Almanac dropped its fall outlook, calling a "warm interior wrapped in cooler weather" for harvest.
Meanwhile, combine sales are staging a quiet comeback (Canada's up a jaw-dropping 42.7%).
And with big iron about to roll onto gravel roads, we've got a rural-safety number that'll make you check your mirrors twice.
🌾 The Big Bin: The Almanac Calls Fall
What happened: The Old Farmer's Almanac released its U.S. fall 2026 outlook, and the headline is a mouthful — "a warm interior wrapped in cooler weather." Translation: the middle of the country stays toasty while the edges cool off.
The regional rundown (all south of the 49th, but stick with us):
Upper Midwest: a cooler-than-average September gives way to a slightly warmer October, with rain running above normal both months.
Northern Heartland: a touch warmer than average and drier in September, then October opens the taps.
High Plains: warmer and drier than normal through both months.
Lower Lakes & Appalachians: cooler and a bit drier, with September temps running up to 2°F below average out east.
Why you should care (even up here): The Almanac's accuracy is famously... let's call it "vibes-forward." But U.S. fall weather steers the whole corn-soy-wheat complex that drags canola around by the collar.
A warm, dry finish across the Corn Belt and High Plains means a fast, clean U.S. harvest — more grain hitting the pipeline right when you're hauling, which leans on prices.
A wetter October could gum up combines down south and firm things back up.
The catch: this outlook stops at the border. Your bottom line rides on Prairie harvest weather — the one wildcard the Almanac didn't touch.