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Boulder County, CO

Cattle prices near Boulder County, Colorado. The closest sale barn with a recent report is Brush in Brush, CO, about 94 miles away. On Nov 13, 5-weight steers (500–599 lb) averaged $435.27 per hundredweight on 99 head (USDA). Check a bid against your own costs with Ring Price.

Check a bid with Ring Price

Change county
CRP emergency haying & grazing: Boulder County is on FSA's list (since Sep 1, 2026). Check with your FSA county office first. Details · FSA list as of Nov 5, 2026.
Drought ExtremeD3 · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 5 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Brush 5-wt steers $435▲ $7 since last sale

Boulder County rain, outlook and forecast

Most of Boulder County, CO was in extreme drought (D3) on the Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map, with 16% at exceptional drought (D4), and D2-or-worse drought has held there 65 weeks running. Over 90 days rain is at 102% of normal, and the last 30 days came in at 32% (well below normal); the NWS forecast peaks at a 67% rain chance on Friday (high 46°) and the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans wetter than normal (50% chance of above-normal rain). FSA's 2026 LFP list includes Boulder County with up to 5 monthly payments, and Brush is the closest USDA-reported sale barn at 94 miles.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 32% of normal
  • Last 60 days not read yet
  • Last 90 days 102% of normal

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 wetter than normal (50% chance of above-normal rain)
  • 8-14 day outlook (Nov 22–28) Leans wetter than normal (33% chance of above-normal rain)

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

Next 7 days

  1. Today Sunny, high 48°, low 34°, 0% rain, wind 0–5 mph
  2. Monday Mostly Sunny, high 54°, low 36°, 0% rain, wind 0–6 mph
  3. Tuesday Mostly Sunny, high 55°, low 37°, 9% rain, wind 0–7 mph
  4. Wednesday Mostly Sunny, high 47°, low 32°, 5% rain, wind 1–12 mph
  5. Thursday Mostly Sunny, high 47°, low 34°, 12% rain, wind 0–3 mph
  6. Friday Snow Showers Likely, high 46°, low 31°, 67% rain, wind 1–5 mph
  7. Saturday Chance Snow Showers, high 39°, low 28°, 33% rain, wind 2–3 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 Boulder 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.

Boulder County grass production

Grass production for Boulder County: not read yet.

Open loss windows 1 open

What happenedStartedTell FSA early byFSA deadline
Exceptional drought (D4) reached (U.S. Drought Monitor) Nov 3, 2026Dec 3, 2026 (18 days left)Mar 1, 2027

If this cost you livestock, extra feed or hauled water, call your county FSA office now, while it's fresh. The 30-day date is a suggestion from Cownty; FSA's deadline for the notice of loss and application is the March 1 date. Log it in your Drought Ledger · Find your FSA office and phone

Text YES CLOCK for a reminder on day 21 and day 28.

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

Drought-sale tax flag IRS list

Boulder 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)

Next 7 days · National Weather Service

Weather for Boulder County

Forecast for the center point of Boulder County.

  • Freeze on 3 nights
  1. Today Sunny 48° 34° SE 0–5 mph 0% rain
  2. Mon Mostly Sunny 54° 36° SE 0–6 mph 0% rain
  3. Tue Mostly Sunny 55° 37° S 0–7 mph 9% rain
  4. Wed Mostly Sunny 47° 32° W 1–12 mph 5% rain
  5. Thu Mostly Sunny 47° 34° SSW 0–3 mph 12% rain
  6. Fri Snow Showers Likely 46° 31° WSW 1–5 mph 67% rain
  7. Sat Chance Snow Showers 39° 28° W 2–3 mph 33% rain

Forecast from the National Weather Service, updated Nov 15, 2026 old. Wind arrows point where the wind is going; the letters say where it comes from. Windy = 25 mph or more; freeze = a low of 32°F or less. Open the full forecast.

Burn ban

Data pending. Cownty doesn't read an official statewide burn-ban list for Colorado; county commissions, sheriffs and fire districts post local fire restrictions, so check your county's own notices

No official ban list to check here, so Cownty shows the National Weather Service fire-weather alerts for the county instead: none right now.

Guide: Burn bans: where to check and what they mean

Weather warnings right now

None right now

National Weather Service active alerts for this county, as of Nov 15, 2026 (source). Fetched Nov 15, 2026.

Rainfall vs normal

Oct 2026
1.08 in 76% of normal
Last 12 months
13.85 in 67%
How to read this

Bars are the rain that fell each month; the dashed line is a normal month (1991-2020 average). Bars below the line = drier than normal.

County-average precipitation, Nov 2025 to Oct 2026. Normal = NCEI's own 1991-2020 average for each month (Oct 2026 normal 1.43 in; same month last year 0.85 in). NCEI posts each month around the 8th of the next and may revise recent months. Source: NOAA NCEI Climate at a Glance. Fetched Nov 14, 2026.

Wildfires

No current fire perimeter in the county

Nearest current perimeter: Willow (Wildfire, CO), about 79 mi from the county center; 7,259 acres, 92% contained, perimeter of Sep 16, 2026.

See the fire map

Interagency fire outlines. Small or brand-new fires are often not mapped yet; call 911 for a fire you can see. Layer updated Nov 15, 2026. Source: National Interagency Fire Center. Fetched Nov 15, 2026.

Frost dates

Frost and freeze dates

30-year averages (1991–2020) from the weather stations nearest Boulder County. Frost = 32°F; hard freeze = 28°F.

Boulder weather station (10 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
151-day growing season
 May 6
1 year in 10 it's after May 18
 Oct 5
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 21
Hard freeze (28°F)
171-day growing season
 Apr 27
1 year in 10 it's after May 10
 Oct 15
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 30

Boulder 14 W weather station (9 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
71-day growing season
 Jun 21
1 year in 10 it's after Jul 4
 Sep 2
1 year in 10 it's before Aug 17
Hard freeze (28°F)
100-day growing season
 Jun 4
1 year in 10 it's after Jun 20
 Sep 14
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 2

short record Based on only 17 years of records here (30 is normal), so treat it as rougher.

Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Boulder, Boulder 14 W), NOAA files as of Jun 27, 2023. Fetched Nov 11, 2026.

Text me Boulder County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Livestock Exchange (Friday feeder cattle) Brush, CO 94 mi · sells Fridays · latest USDA report Nov 13, 2026
  2. Sterling Livestock Commission Sterling, CO 122 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  3. Torrington Livestock Commission Co. (feeder cattle) Torrington, WY 150 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  4. La Junta Livestock Commission La Junta, CO 176 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  5. Winter Livestock (Tuesday) La Junta, CO 177 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

Other barns nearby (not USDA-reported)

These barns are not in a USDA AMS report, so Cownty shows no prices for them. Sale days and phones come from the barns' own sites or public listings; call the barn to confirm. More barns

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

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Boulder County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Boulder County is on FSA's 2026 Livestock Forage Disaster Program county list, with up to 5 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 Boulder County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Boulder County was in extreme drought (D3), and the worst part was exceptional drought (D4) on 16% of the county. 65 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 Boulder County?

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

What sale barns are near Boulder County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Brush (94 mi), last report Nov 13, 2026; Sterling (122 mi), last report Nov 11, 2026; Torrington WY (150 mi), last report Nov 11, 2026.

Source: USDA AMS Market News reports

What are the upcoming FSA and farm deadlines?

Next: Nov 20, 2026: Colorado EQIP/CSP/RCPP/ACEP application ranking cutoff (FY 2027); 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.