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Clay County, IA

Cattle prices near Clay County, Iowa. The closest sale barn with a recent report is Denison IA in Denison, IA, about 74 miles away. On Nov 12, 5-weight steers (500–599 lb) averaged $410.35 per hundredweight on 90 head (USDA). Check a bid against your own costs with Ring Price.

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Drought No droughtNone · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Not listedFSA 2026 list Burn ban Checkcall the county Denison IA 5-wt steers $410▼ $1 since last sale

Clay County rain, outlook and forecast

The Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map shows most of Clay County, IA with no drought. Rain has run 99% of normal over the last 30 days (near normal); the best rain chance this week is 89% on Friday (high 58°) and the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans wetter than normal (60% chance of above-normal rain). Clay County is not on FSA's 2026 LFP list yet, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Denison IA, 74 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 99% of normal
  • Last 60 days 146% of normal
  • 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 (60% 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 49°, low 31°, 0% rain, wind 5–10 mph
  2. Monday Sunny, high 53°, low 38°, 0% rain, wind 10–15 mph
  3. Tuesday Partly Sunny, high 54°, low 42°, 0% rain, wind 15–20 mph
  4. Wednesday Partly Sunny, high 58°, low 41°, 12% rain, wind 10–25 mph
  5. Thursday Mostly Sunny, high 52°, low 37°, 15% rain, wind 0–10 mph
  6. Friday Light Rain Likely, high 58°, low 43°, 89% rain, wind 10–15 mph
  7. Saturday Light Rain Likely, high 51°, low 31°, 73% rain, wind 10–20 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 Clay 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.

Clay County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Clay County grew about 1,721 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 147% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 1,173 pounds per acre. That was the 5th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2024 at 2,076 pounds per acre; worst: 1986 at 559.

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 Clay 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

A county next to Clay County is on IRS Notice 2026-54 (Buena Vista County, IA, Cherokee County, IA, O'Brien County, IA, Osceola County, IA). The IRS counts your county plus every county touching it.

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 Clay County

Forecast for the center point of Clay County.

  • Freeze on 2 nights
  • Windy on 1 day
  1. Today Sunny 49° 31° S 5–10 mph 0% rain
  2. Mon Sunny 53° 38° SSW 10–15 mph 0% rain
  3. Tue Partly Sunny 54° 42° S 15–20 mph 0% rain
  4. Wed Partly Sunny 58° 41° S 10–25 mph 12% rain
  5. Thu Mostly Sunny 52° 37° WNW 0–10 mph 15% rain
  6. Fri Light Rain Likely 58° 43° SE 10–15 mph 89% rain
  7. Sat Light Rain Likely 51° 31° W 10–20 mph 73% rain

Forecast from the National Weather Service, updated Nov 15, 2026. 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 Iowa; 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
2.37 in 101% of normal
Last 12 months
29.99 in 97%
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 2.35 in; same month last year 1.10 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

No current perimeter within 100 mi of the county center (48 mapped nationally).

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 Clay County. Frost = 32°F; hard freeze = 28°F.

Spencer 1 N weather station (6 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
154-day growing season
 May 1
1 year in 10 it's after May 14
 Oct 3
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 20
Hard freeze (28°F)
174-day growing season
 Apr 22
1 year in 10 it's after May 5
 Oct 14
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 28

Spencer Muni Ap weather station (6 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
154-day growing season
 May 2
1 year in 10 it's after May 15
 Oct 2
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 18
Hard freeze (28°F)
172-day growing season
 Apr 22
1 year in 10 it's after May 7
 Oct 12
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 26

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

Text me Clay County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Denison Livestock Auction (feeder cattle) Denison, IA 74 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 2026
  2. Sioux Falls Regional Livestock Inc. Worthing, SD 83 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
  3. Dunlap Livestock Auction (feeder cattle) Dunlap, IA 88 mi · sells Fridays · latest USDA report Nov 6, 2026
  4. West Point Livestock (feeder cattle) West Point, NE 117 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 2, 2026
  5. Tama Livestock Auction (feeder cattle) Tama, IA 152 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Sep 14, 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 Iowa

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Clay County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Not on FSA's 2026 LFP county list as of Nov 5, 2026. FSA updates the list as drought changes.

Source: FSA LFP county file of Nov 5, 2026

What is the drought level in Clay County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Clay County was in no drought, and the worst part was no drought on 0% 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 Clay County?

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

What sale barns are near Clay County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Denison IA (74 mi), last report Nov 12, 2026; Worthing SD (83 mi), last report Nov 9, 2026; Dunlap IA (88 mi), last report Nov 6, 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.