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Carter County, MT

Cattle prices near Carter County, Montana. The closest sale barn with a recent report is St. Onge SD in St. Onge, SD, about 78 miles away. On Nov 13, 5-weight steers (500–599 lb) averaged $454.80 per hundredweight on 608 head (USDA). Check a bid against your own costs with Ring Price.

Check a bid with Ring Price

Change county
CRP emergency haying & grazing: Carter 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 4 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county St. Onge SD 5-wt steers $455▲ $18 since last sale

Carter County rain, outlook and forecast

The Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map shows most of Carter County, MT in extreme drought (D3), and D2-or-worse drought has held there 26 weeks running. Rain has run 55% of normal over the last 30 days (below normal); the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans wetter than normal (40% chance of above-normal rain) and the best rain chance this week is 48% on Friday (high 42°). Carter County is on FSA's 2026 LFP list with up to 4 monthly payments, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is St. Onge SD, 78 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 55% 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 wetter than normal (40% chance of above-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 Sunny, high 56°, low 33°, 0% rain, wind 5–9 mph
  2. Monday Mostly Sunny, high 60°, low 39°, 0% rain, wind 3–8 mph
  3. Tuesday Partly Sunny, high 53°, low 33°, 22% rain, wind 1–17 mph
  4. Wednesday Slight Chance Rain And Snow Showers then Partly Sunny, high 42°, low 26°, 22% rain, wind 2–22 mph
  5. Thursday Partly Sunny, high 45°, low 30°, 19% rain, wind 2–14 mph
  6. Friday Chance Rain And Snow Showers, high 42°, low 27°, 48% rain, wind 3–10 mph
  7. Saturday Chance Snow Showers, high 38°, low 23°, 29% rain, wind 3–9 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 Carter 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.

Carter County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Carter County grew about 1,336 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 126% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 1,064 pounds per acre. That was the 5th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2023 at 1,425 pounds per acre; worst: 1988 at 548.

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 Carter 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

Carter 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 Carter County

Forecast for the center point of Carter County.

  • Freeze on 4 nights
  1. Today Sunny 56° 33° WSW 5–9 mph 0% rain
  2. Mon Mostly Sunny 60° 39° SSE 3–8 mph 0% rain
  3. Tue Partly Sunny 53° 33° WSW 1–17 mph 22% rain
  4. Wed Slight Chance Rain And Snow Showers then Partly Sunny 42° 26° WNW 2–22 mph 22% rain
  5. Thu Partly Sunny 45° 30° SE 2–14 mph 19% rain
  6. Fri Chance Rain And Snow Showers 42° 27° NE 3–10 mph 48% rain
  7. Sat Chance Snow Showers 38° 23° NW 3–9 mph 29% 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 Montana; 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
0.43 in 32% of normal
Last 12 months
11.02 in 68%
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 1.36 in; same month last year 3.25 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: Birney Road (Wildfire, MT), about 88 mi from the county center; 48 acres, containment not reported, perimeter of Oct 7, 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 Carter County. Frost = 32°F; hard freeze = 28°F.

Ridgeway 1 S weather station (3 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
127-day growing season
 May 17
1 year in 10 it's after Jun 1
 Sep 22
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 5
Hard freeze (28°F)
147-day growing season
 May 6
1 year in 10 it's after May 21
 Oct 1
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 15

Ekalaka weather station (26 mi away)

farther away No station with freeze dates is close to the county center, so local dates can differ.

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
126-day growing season
 May 20
1 year in 10 it's after Jun 1
 Sep 23
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 7
Hard freeze (28°F)
145-day growing season
 May 10
1 year in 10 it's after May 23
 Oct 2
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 17

Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Ridgeway 1 S, Ekalaka), NOAA files as of Jun 27, 2023. Fetched Nov 11, 2026.

Text me Carter County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. St. Onge Livestock Ltd St. Onge, SD 78 mi · sells Fridays · latest USDA report Nov 13, 2026
  2. Miles City Livestock Commission Miles City, MT 88 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 10, 2026
  3. Stockmen's Livestock Exchange (feeder cattle) Dickinson, ND 126 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 2026
  4. Philip Livestock Auction Philip, SD 173 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 10, 2026
  5. Kist Livestock (feeder cattle) Mandan, ND 196 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 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 Carter County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Carter 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 Carter County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Carter County was in extreme drought (D3), and the worst part was extreme drought (D3) on 73% of the county. 26 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 Carter 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 Carter County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: St. Onge SD (78 mi), last report Nov 13, 2026; Miles City MT (88 mi), last report Nov 10, 2026; Dickinson ND (126 mi), last report Nov 12, 2026.

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.