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Beaverhead County, MT

No sale barn with a published report is within 100 miles of Beaverhead County, Montana. This page still has drought, programs and weather for the county when those are loaded.

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Wildfire: a current fire outline is in Beaverhead County (Bobcat Lakes). Details · fire map updated Nov 15, 2026.
Drought No droughtNone · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 4 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Nearest barn –no 5-wt steer sale

Beaverhead County rain, outlook and forecast

Most of Beaverhead County, MT showed no drought on the Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map, though 14% at abnormally dry (D0); 14% of the county is abnormally dry (D0) or worse, the same as four weeks earlier. Rain has run 138% of normal over the last 30 days (above normal); Tuesday carries the week's highest rain chance at 90% (high 36°) and the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans toward near-normal rain. FSA's 2026 LFP list includes Beaverhead County with up to 4 monthly payments.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 138% of normal
  • Last 60 days not read yet
  • Last 90 days not read yet

NOAA river forecast center rain (radar plus gauges) at the county center, Nov 15, 2026. Source.

Rain outlook

  • 6-10 day outlook (Nov 20–24) Leans toward near-normal rain
  • 8-14 day outlook (Nov 22–28) Leans toward near-normal rain

NOAA Climate Prediction Center precipitation outlook, issued Nov 14, 2026. Source.

Next 7 days

  1. Today Partly Sunny, high 44°, low 28°, 1% rain, wind 7–15 mph
  2. Monday Mostly Cloudy, high 45°, low 30°, 77% rain, wind 6–7 mph
  3. Tuesday Light Snow, high 36°, low 19°, 90% rain, wind 5–6 mph
  4. Wednesday Mostly Sunny, high 33°, low 22°, 28% rain, wind 3–10 mph
  5. Thursday Chance Light Snow, high 34°, low 23°, 42% rain, wind 3–5 mph
  6. Friday Chance Light Snow, high 33°, low 20°, 35% rain, wind 5 mph
  7. Saturday Partly Sunny, high 32°, low 19°, 7% rain, wind 3–7 mph

National Weather Service forecast for the county center, updated Nov 15, 2026. Wind, warnings and burn bans.

PRF pasture insurance: sign up by Dec 1, 2026

The 2027 Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF) insurance sales closing date for Beaverhead County is Dec 1, 2026, 16 days from today. PRF (Rainfall Index) pays on a rainfall index for your grid, not on your own rain gauge. You buy it through a crop insurance agent.

How PRF works · PRF 2027 sign-up · Find your grid on RMA's PRF tool

Date from USDA RMA's actuarial data, read Aug 28, 2026 · RMA dates map. Your agent confirms the date for your policy.

Beaverhead County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Beaverhead County grew about 756 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 116% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 651 pounds per acre. That was the 4th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2015 at 822 pounds per acre; worst: 1986 at 529.

Pounds per acre of new grass and forbs each year on rangeland and pasture, from the Rangeland Analysis Platform (satellite-based estimates). See every year on the Land tab.

Open loss windows

No open loss windows in Beaverhead County right now. A 30-day window opens when the county first hits severe drought (D2), jumps to D3 or D4, or after a blizzard, extreme heat or cold, flood or ice warning, a wildfire, or a USDA disaster designation. Keep a Drought Ledger.

Information only; not financial, tax or legal advice. FSA decides eligibility. Cownty sends nothing to FSA.

Drought-sale tax flag IRS list

Beaverhead County is on IRS Notice 2026-54 (severe or worse drought, Sep 1, 2025 to Aug 31, 2026).

Why it matters: if you sold breeding, dairy or draft livestock because of drought, the tax code may let you put off the gain (more time to buy replacement animals, or report the extra-sale income a year later). Your tax preparer decides whether either applies.

Work out your numbers and print a page for your preparer

Information only; not financial, tax or legal advice. Ask your tax preparer. FSA decides program eligibility. IRS Notice 2026-54 (PDF)

Where it is, with barns within 200 mi

Dots are sale barns USDA reports on. Tap one for its latest prices.

Who owns this land? Open the county property map

Grass grown on rangeland and pasture

Grass grown in 2025: 756 lb per acre, well above normal (116% of the 1991-2020 average of 651).

How to read this

Each bar is one year's grass (darker = perennial grasses, lighter = annuals). The dashed line is the 1991-2020 average. A county average with cropland excluded, not your pasture.

How we got this

Satellite estimate of new above-ground growth of grasses and forbs for the year (annual + perennial, lb/acre), averaged over the county's grassland, pasture and shrubland (63% of the county in USDA's 2025 cropland map; farm fields are left out because the estimate isn't valid there, and the same 2025 map is used for every year). About about 120 m (RAP overview). Source: Rangeland Analysis Platform biomass v3 (data, Jones et al. 2021, CC0) and USDA NASS Cropland Data Layer.

Source: Rangeland Analysis Platform, 2025 season. Fetched Nov 13, 2026.

Text me Beaverhead County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Billings Livestock Commission Billings, MT 215 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
  2. Public Auction Yards Billings, MT 215 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  3. Winter Livestock Auction Riverton, WY 267 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 10, 2026

Miles are straight-line from the county center. Sale days come from the barns' recent USDA AMS reports; call the barn to confirm. All barns

Printable county brief (PDF) · Everything on one page · Hay prices in Montana

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Beaverhead County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Beaverhead County is on FSA's 2026 Livestock Forage Disaster Program county list, with up to 4 monthly payments for some pasture types. FSA decides each operation's eligibility; apply at your county FSA office by March 1 after the loss year.

Source: FSA LFP county file of Nov 5, 2026

What is the drought level in Beaverhead County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Beaverhead County was in no drought, and the worst part was abnormally dry (D0) on 14% of the county. 0 straight weeks with some severe drought (D2) or worse.

Source: U.S. Drought Monitor, map of Nov 10, 2026

Is there a burn ban in Beaverhead County?

No official statewide list to check: Cownty doesn't read an official statewide burn-ban list for Montana; county commissions, sheriffs and fire districts post local fire restrictions, so check your county's own notices.

What sale barns are near Beaverhead County?

No USDA-reported sale barn within 200 miles.

Source: USDA AMS Market News reports

What are the upcoming FSA and farm deadlines?

Next: Nov 20, 2026: Micro Farm 2027: last day to buy crop insurance; Nov 20, 2026: Whole Farm Revenue Protection 2027: last day to buy crop insurance. FSA program dates not posted officially are marked "confirm at source" on the calendar.

Source: official agency pages (see Calendar)

Information only; not financial or legal advice. FSA decides eligibility. Always check the linked official source.