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Graham County, NC

Cattle prices near Graham County, North Carolina. The closest sale barn with a recent report is Sweetwater TN in Sweetwater, TN, about 40 miles away. On Nov 13, 5-weight steers (500–599 lb) averaged $396.58 per hundredweight on 63 head (USDA). Check a bid against your own costs with Ring Price.

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Change county
CRP emergency haying & grazing: Graham 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 Abnormally dryD0 · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 4 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Sweetwater TN 5-wt steers $397▲ $11 since last sale

Graham County rain, outlook and forecast

On the Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map, most of Graham County, NC was abnormally dry (D0), with 38% at moderate drought (D1); four weeks earlier 1% of the county was in moderate drought (D1) or worse, now 38%. Graham County has had 43% of its normal rain in the past 30 days and 71% over 90 days, so the past month has been drier than the season so far; the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans toward near-normal rain and no day in the 7-day forecast tops a 1% rain chance. Graham County is on FSA's 2026 LFP list with up to 4 monthly payments, and Sweetwater TN is the closest USDA-reported sale barn at 40 miles.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 43% of normal
  • Last 60 days 72% of normal
  • Last 90 days 71% of normal

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 toward near-normal rain
  • 8-14 day outlook (Nov 22–28) Leans wetter than normal (40% chance of above-normal rain)

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

Next 7 days

  1. Today Clear, low 25°, 0% rain, wind 2 mph
  2. Sunday Sunny, high 55°, low 27°, 0% rain, wind 2–3 mph
  3. Monday Sunny, high 60°, low 26°, 0% rain, wind 0–2 mph
  4. Tuesday Sunny, high 64°, low 27°, 0% rain, wind 1 mph
  5. Wednesday Sunny, high 68°, low 29°, 0% rain, wind 1 mph
  6. Thursday Mostly Sunny, high 69°, low 35°, 0% rain, wind 0–1 mph
  7. Friday Sunny, high 71°, low 35°, 1% rain, wind 1 mph

National Weather Service forecast for the county center, updated Nov 14, 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 Graham 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.

Graham County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Graham County grew about 2,531 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 111% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 2,287 pounds per acre. That was the 3rd best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 1998 at 2,713 pounds per acre; worst: 1986 at 959.

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 Graham 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

Graham 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)

5-wt steers, nearest barns

Steers 500–599 lb, $/cwt, weekly average.

BarnLast sale5-wt steers
Sweetwater TN 40 miNov 13$397
Athens TN 44 miNov 10$385
Knoxville TN 44 miNov 10$376
How to read this

Each line is one barn's head-weighted average for 5-weight steers (500–599 lb) in that week; gaps are weeks with no sale or no lots that size. Past sales, not a bid.

Dollars per hundredweight ($/cwt, per 100 lb), calculated from USDA AMS Market News sale reports (Medium & Large 1 and 1-2). Not a USDA-published average. ≈ $/head = $/cwt × the middle of the weight class ÷ 100.

Guide: How to read a USDA sale barn report

Price history · Barn map · Fed vs feeder cattle

All weights at the 3 nearest barns

Sweetwater TN 40 mi

Sweetwater, TN
Sale of Nov 13, 2026
CattleHead$/cwt≈ $/head
Heifers 400-499 lb13361.00$1,620
Heifers 500-599 lb86336.03$1,850
Heifers 600-699 lb44316.03$2,050
Heifers 700-799 lb33286.64$2,150
Steers 400-499 lb17435.87$1,960
Steers 500-599 lb63396.58$2,180
Steers 600-699 lb77361.72$2,350
Steers 700-799 lb47320.66$2,400

USDA report (PDF) · Price history

Athens TN 44 mi

Athens, TN
Sale of Nov 10, 2026
CattleHead$/cwt≈ $/head
Heifers 400-499 lb42374.57$1,690
Heifers 500-599 lb25327.15$1,800
Heifers 600-699 lb120326.62$2,120
Heifers 700-799 lb13296.97$2,230
Steers 400-499 lb12410.83$1,850
Steers 500-599 lb30385.13$2,120
Steers 600-699 lb25328.67$2,140
Steers 700-799 lb12323.16$2,420

USDA report (PDF) · Price history

Knoxville TN 44 mi

Knoxville, TN
Sale of Nov 10, 2026
CattleHead$/cwt≈ $/head
Heifers 400-499 lb57361.35$1,630
Heifers 500-599 lb114335.40$1,840
Heifers 600-699 lb51320.42$2,080
Heifers 700-799 lb13298.76$2,240
Steers 400-499 lb30426.98$1,920
Steers 500-599 lb65376.00$2,070
Steers 600-699 lb66353.23$2,300
Steers 700-799 lb49327.75$2,460

USDA report (PDF) · Price history

46 more within 200 mi: Canton NC (58 mi), Eastanollee GA (66 mi), Carnesville GA (75 mi), Crossville TN (79 mi), Greeneville TN (80 mi), Calhoun GA (86 mi), Williamston SC (92 mi), Athens GA (99 mi), McMinnville TN (112 mi), Albany KY (118 mi), Laurens SC (118 mi), Washington GA (128 mi), Somerset KY (128 mi), Greensboro GA (129 mi), Shelby NC (129 mi), Carthage TN (134 mi), Russell Springs KY (137 mi), Carrollton GA (141 mi), Jackson GA (142 mi), Lafayette TN (147 mi), Kilpatrick AL (148 mi), Saluda SC (Stockyards) (150 mi), Saluda SC (Exchange) (150 mi), Fayetteville TN (155 mi), Unionville TN (155 mi), Stanford KY (158 mi), North Wilkesboro NC (161 mi), Campbellsville KY (162 mi), Glasgow KY (164 mi), Arab AL (167 mi), Richmond KY (167 mi), Thomaston GA (172 mi), Ashville AL (174 mi), Turnersburg NC (174 mi), Roanoke AL (176 mi), Lineville AL (178 mi), Springfield KY (180 mi), Pulaski TN (181 mi), Columbia TN (182 mi), Bowling Green KY (United) (184 mi), Bowling Green KY (Cattleman) (184 mi), Upton KY (186 mi), Mt. Sterling KY (188 mi), Cullman AL (189 mi), Lexington KY (190 mi), Paris KY (199 mi).

Text me Graham County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. East Tennessee Livestock Center, Inc. Sweetwater, TN 40 mi · sells Fridays · latest USDA report Nov 13, 2026
  2. Athens Livestock Market Athens, TN 44 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 10, 2026
  3. Knoxville Livestock Auction Center Inc. Knoxville, TN 44 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 10, 2026
  4. WNC Regional Livestock Center Canton, NC 58 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 14, 2026
  5. Eastanollee Livestock Eastanollee, GA 66 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 North Carolina): Tennessee

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Graham County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Graham 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 Graham County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Graham County was in abnormally dry (D0), and the worst part was moderate drought (D1) on 38% 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 Graham County?

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

What sale barns are near Graham County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Sweetwater TN (40 mi), last report Nov 13, 2026; Athens TN (44 mi), last report Nov 10, 2026; Knoxville TN (44 mi), last report Nov 10, 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.