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Columbia County, AR

Cattle prices near Columbia County, Arkansas. The closest sale barn with a recent report is Hope in Hope, AR, about 37 miles away. On Nov 12, 5-weight steers (500–599 lb) averaged $385.32 per hundredweight on 24 head (USDA). Check a bid against your own costs with Ring Price.

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Change county
CRP emergency haying & grazing: Columbia 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 ExceptionalD4 · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 4 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Hope 5-wt steers $385▲ $21 since last sale

Columbia County rain, outlook and forecast

On the Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map, most of Columbia County, AR was in exceptional drought (D4); some part has been in severe drought (D2) or worse for 12 straight weeks. Rain has run 36% of normal over the last 30 days (well below normal); the best rain chance this week is 34% on Saturday (high 77°) and the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans wetter than normal (40% chance of above-normal rain). Columbia County is on FSA's 2026 LFP list with up to 4 monthly payments, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Hope, 37 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 36% of normal
  • Last 60 days 21% 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 (40% 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 Areas Of Frost then Chance Rain Showers, high 55°, low 39°, 27% rain, wind 0–5 mph
  2. Monday Sunny, high 64°, low 35°, 0% rain, wind 0–5 mph
  3. Tuesday Sunny, high 68°, low 38°, 0% rain, wind 0–5 mph
  4. Wednesday Sunny, high 73°, low 46°, 1% rain, wind 0–5 mph
  5. Thursday Mostly Sunny, high 76°, low 48°, 3% rain, wind 0–5 mph
  6. Friday Sunny, high 77°, low 50°, 2% rain, wind 0–5 mph
  7. Saturday Slight Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Sunny, high 77°, low 53°, 34% rain, wind 0–5 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 Columbia 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.

Columbia County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Columbia County grew about 2,500 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 145% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 1,719 pounds per acre. That was the 2nd best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2024 at 2,648 pounds per acre; worst: 1986 at 1,177.

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 1 open

What happenedStartedTell FSA early byFSA deadline
Exceptional drought (D4) reached (U.S. Drought Monitor) Oct 20, 2026Nov 19, 2026 (4 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

Columbia 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 Columbia County

Forecast for the center point of Columbia County.

    1. Today Areas Of Frost then Chance Rain Showers 55° 39° E 0–5 mph 27% rain
    2. Mon Sunny 64° 35° NE 0–5 mph 0% rain
    3. Tue Sunny 68° 38° E 0–5 mph 0% rain
    4. Wed Sunny 73° 46° SE 0–5 mph 1% rain
    5. Thu Mostly Sunny 76° 48° SE 0–5 mph 3% rain
    6. Fri Sunny 77° 50° SE 0–5 mph 2% rain
    7. Sat Slight Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Sunny 77° 53° S 0–5 mph 34% 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 Arkansas; 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
    0.33 in 7% of normal
    Last 12 months
    31.89 in 59%
    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 4.66 in; same month last year 1.90 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 Columbia County. Frost = 32°F; hard freeze = 28°F.

    Magnolia weather station (4 mi away)

    Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
    Frost (32°F)
    218-day growing season
    		 Mar 31
    1 year in 10 it's after Apr 17
    		 Nov 2
    1 year in 10 it's before Oct 21
    Hard freeze (28°F)
    244-day growing season
    		 Mar 14
    1 year in 10 it's after Apr 4
    		 Nov 13
    1 year in 10 it's before Oct 29

    El Dorado S Ar Rgnl Ap weather station (24 mi away)

    Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
    Frost (32°F)
    230-day growing season
    		 Mar 24
    1 year in 10 it's after Apr 9
    		 Nov 7
    1 year in 10 it's before Oct 24
    Hard freeze (28°F)
    257-day growing season
    		 Mar 9
    1 year in 10 it's after Mar 27
    		 Nov 20
    1 year in 10 it's before Nov 2

    Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Magnolia, El Dorado S Ar Rgnl Ap), NOAA files as of Jun 27, 2023. Fetched Nov 11, 2026.

    Text me Columbia County changes

    Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

    1. Hope Livestock Auction Hope, AR 37 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 2026
    2. County Line Sale Ratcliff, AR 149 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
    3. I-40 Livestock Ozark, AR 161 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 2026
    4. Arkansas Cattle Auction LLC Searcy, AR 164 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 10, 2026
    5. Cleburne County Livestock Heber Springs, AR 172 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 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 · Nearest USDA hay reports (none for Arkansas): Missouri, Oklahoma

    Common questions and nearby counties

    Is Columbia County eligible for LFP in 2026?

    Yes. Columbia 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 Columbia County this week?

    On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Columbia County was in exceptional drought (D4), and the worst part was exceptional drought (D4) on 72% of the county. 12 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 Columbia County?

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

    What sale barns are near Columbia County?

    The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Hope (37 mi), last report Nov 12, 2026; Ratcliff (149 mi), last report Nov 11, 2026; Ozark AR (161 mi), last report Nov 12, 2026.

    Source: USDA AMS Market News reports

    What are the upcoming FSA and farm deadlines?

    Next: Nov 20, 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.