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Delaware County, IA

Cattle prices near Delaware County, Iowa. The closest sale barn with a recent report is Sigourney IA in Sigourney, IA, about 90 miles away. On Nov 2, 5-weight steers (500–599 lb) averaged $421.17 per hundredweight on 243 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 Tama IA 5-wt steers $418per cwt

Delaware County rain, outlook and forecast

The Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map shows most of Delaware County, IA with no drought. Rain has run 86% of normal over the last 30 days (near normal); the NWS forecast peaks at a 78% rain chance on Saturday (high 60°) and the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans wetter than normal (60% chance of above-normal rain). FSA has not added Delaware County to its 2026 LFP list, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Tama IA, 71 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 86% of normal
  • Last 60 days 159% 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 toward near-normal rain

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

Next 7 days

  1. Today Mostly Sunny, high 49°, low 28°, 0% rain, wind 0–5 mph
  2. Monday Mostly Sunny, high 51°, low 33°, 0% rain, wind 5–10 mph
  3. Tuesday Sunny, high 55°, low 38°, 0% rain, wind 5–15 mph
  4. Wednesday Mostly Sunny, high 57°, low 46°, 19% rain, wind 15 mph
  5. Thursday Mostly Sunny, high 58°, low 39°, 12% rain, wind 0–15 mph
  6. Friday Chance Rain Showers, high 60°, low 49°, 58% rain, wind 5–20 mph
  7. Saturday Rain Showers, high 60°, low 38°, 78% rain, wind 15–20 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 Delaware 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.

Delaware County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Delaware County grew about 2,038 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 147% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 1,386 pounds per acre. That was the 1st best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2025 at 2,038 pounds per acre; worst: 1986 at 424.

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 Delaware 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

Neither Delaware County nor any county touching it is on IRS Notice 2026-54 (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 county property map

Grass grown on rangeland and pasture

Grass grown in 2025: 2,038 lb per acre, well above normal (147% of the 1991-2020 average of 1,386).

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 (11% 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 13, 2026.

Text me Delaware County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Tama Livestock Auction (feeder cattle) Tama, IA 71 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Sep 14, 2026
  2. Keoco Auction Company LLC (feeder cattle) Sigourney, IA 90 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 2, 2026
  3. Bloomfield Livestock Market (feeder cattle) Bloomfield, IA 131 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 4, 2026
  4. Russell Livestock Market (feeder cattle) Russell, IA 140 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
  5. Unionville Livestock Market Unionville, MO 162 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Oct 27, 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 Delaware 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 Delaware County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Delaware County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Tama IA (71 mi), last report Sep 14, 2026; Sigourney IA (90 mi), last report Nov 2, 2026; Bloomfield IA (131 mi), last report Nov 4, 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.