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Ellis County, KS

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Drought No droughtNone · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 2 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Dodge City 5-wt steers $391▼ $35 since last sale

Ellis County rain, outlook and forecast

As of the Oct 27 Drought Monitor, most of Ellis County, KS showed no drought, though 4% at abnormally dry (D0); four weeks earlier 3% of the county was in moderate drought (D1) or worse, now 0%. Over 90 days rain is at 145% of normal, and the last 30 days came in at 88% (near normal); the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 7–11 leans toward near-normal rain and the NWS forecast peaks at a 70% rain chance on Monday (high 74°). FSA's 2026 LFP list includes Ellis County with up to 2 monthly payments, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Dodge City, 89 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 88% of normal
  • Last 60 days 193% of normal
  • Last 90 days 145% of normal

NOAA river forecast center rain (radar plus gauges) at the county center, Nov 1, 2026. Source.

Rain outlook

  • 6-10 day outlook (Nov 7–11) Leans toward near-normal rain
  • 8-14 day outlook (Nov 9–15) Leans toward near-normal rain

NOAA Climate Prediction Center precipitation outlook, issued Nov 1, 2026. Source.

Next 7 days

  1. Today Cloudy, high 64°, low 61°, 69% rain, wind 18–31 mph
  2. Monday Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, high 74°, low 46°, 70% rain, wind 15–29 mph
  3. Tuesday Chance Rain Showers then Partly Sunny, high 53°, low 38°, 38% rain, wind 8–28 mph
  4. Wednesday Sunny, high 57°, low 38°, 18% rain, wind 5–9 mph
  5. Thursday Mostly Sunny, high 53°, low 35°, 12% rain, wind 6–12 mph
  6. Friday Mostly Sunny, high 58°, low 39°, 3% rain, wind 5–6 mph
  7. Saturday Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Rain Showers, high 60°, low 41°, 18% rain, wind 6–9 mph

National Weather Service forecast for the county center, updated Nov 1, 2026. Wind, warnings and burn bans.

Open loss windows

No open loss windows in Ellis 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

Ellis 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)

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: 2,147 lb per acre, a little above normal (104% of the 1991-2020 average of 2,062).

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 (52% 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 1, 2026.

Text me Ellis County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Winter Livestock Dodge City, KS 89 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Oct 28, 2026
  2. Farmers and Ranchers Livestock (feeder cattle) Salina, KS 92 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Oct 29, 2026
  3. Winter Livestock (Pratt Livestock) Pratt, KS 94 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Oct 29, 2026
  4. Beaver Livestock Auction (feeder cattle) Beaver, OK 159 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Oct 27, 2026
  5. Woodward Livestock Auction (feeder cattle) Woodward, OK 171 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Oct 29, 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 Kansas

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Ellis County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Ellis County is on FSA's 2026 Livestock Forage Disaster Program county list, with up to 2 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 Oct 29, 2026

What is the drought level in Ellis County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Oct 27, 2026, most of Ellis County was in no drought, and the worst part was abnormally dry (D0) on 4% of the county. 0 straight weeks with some severe drought (D2) or worse.

Source: U.S. Drought Monitor, map of Oct 27, 2026

Is there a burn ban in Ellis County?

No official statewide list to check: Kansas has no statewide official burn-ban list; county commissions set bans and announce them locally (county emergency management or sheriff).

What sale barns are near Ellis County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Dodge City (89 mi), last report Oct 28, 2026; Salina (92 mi), last report Oct 29, 2026; Pratt (94 mi), last report Oct 29, 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.