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Bell County, TX

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CRP emergency haying & grazing: Bell County is on FSA's list (since Sep 8, 2026). Check with your FSA county office first. Details · FSA list as of Oct 29, 2026.

Bell County rain, outlook and forecast

As of the Oct 27 Drought Monitor, most of Bell County, TX was in severe drought (D2), and D2-or-worse drought has held there 8 weeks running. Over 90 days rain is at 40% of normal, and the last 30 days came in at 30% (well below normal); the NWS forecast peaks at a 83% rain chance on Monday (high 86°) and the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 7–11 leans toward near-normal rain. Bell County is on FSA's 2026 LFP list with up to 3 monthly payments, and Giddings is the closest USDA-reported sale barn at 68 miles.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 30% of normal
  • Last 60 days 52% of normal
  • Last 90 days 40% of normal

NOAA river forecast center rain (radar plus gauges) at the county center, Nov 1, 2026. Source.

Rain outlook

  • 6-10 day outlook (Nov 7–11) Leans toward near-normal rain
  • 8-14 day outlook (Nov 9–15) Leans toward near-normal rain

NOAA Climate Prediction Center precipitation outlook, issued Nov 1, 2026. Source.

Next 7 days

  1. Today Mostly Sunny, high 86°, low 65°, 4% rain, wind 0–5 mph
  2. Monday Partly Sunny, high 86°, low 65°, 83% rain, wind 5–15 mph
  3. Tuesday Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Mostly Sunny, high 78°, low 53°, 51% rain, wind 5–15 mph
  4. Wednesday Sunny, high 76°, low 50°, 1% rain, wind 0–5 mph
  5. Thursday Slight Chance Rain Showers then Sunny, high 79°, low 51°, 15% rain, wind 0–5 mph
  6. Friday Mostly Sunny, high 75°, low 50°, 5% rain, wind 0–10 mph
  7. Saturday Slight Chance Rain Showers, high 76°, low 52°, 17% rain, wind 5–10 mph

National Weather Service forecast for the county center, updated Nov 1, 2026. Wind, warnings and burn bans.

Open loss windows

No open loss windows in Bell 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

Bell 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 appraisal district map

Grass grown on rangeland and pasture

Grass grown in 2025: 2,818 lb per acre, a little above normal (108% of the 1991-2020 average of 2,605).

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 (44% 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 1, 2026.

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Giddings Livestock Commission Giddings, TX 68 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Oct 26, 2026
  2. Producers Livestock Auction Co. San Angelo, TX 178 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Oct 29, 2026
  3. Southern Oklahoma Livestock (feeder cattle) Ada, OK 262 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Oct 28, 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

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Bell County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Bell County is on FSA's 2026 Livestock Forage Disaster Program county list, with up to 3 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 Oct 29, 2026

What is the drought level in Bell County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Oct 27, 2026, most of Bell County was in severe drought (D2), and the worst part was severe drought (D2) on 73% of the county. 8 straight weeks with some severe drought (D2) or worse.

Source: U.S. Drought Monitor, map of Oct 27, 2026

Is there a burn ban in Bell County?

No burn ban is listed for Bell County. Check with the county before burning.

Source: official state burn-ban map, as of Nov 1, 2026

What sale barns are near Bell County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Giddings (68 mi), last report Oct 26, 2026; San Angelo (178 mi), last report Oct 29, 2026.

Source: USDA AMS Market News reports

What are the upcoming FSA and farm deadlines?

Next: Nov 13, 2026: Apply for NRCS conservation cost-share (EQIP, CSP, ACEP) to be considered for 2027 money; Nov 20, 2026: Micro Farm 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.