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Keith County, NE

Cattle prices near Keith County, Nebraska. The closest sale barn with a recent report is Ogallala in Ogallala, NE, about 6 miles away. On Nov 12, 5-weight steers (500–599 lb) averaged $450.25 per hundredweight on 903 head (USDA). Check a bid against your own costs with Ring Price.

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CRP emergency haying & grazing: Keith 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 ModerateD1 · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 5 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Ogallala 5-wt steers $450▼ $6 since last sale

Keith County rain, outlook and forecast

As of the Nov 10 Drought Monitor, most of Keith County, NE was in moderate drought (D1); 100% of the county is in moderate drought (D1) or worse, the same as four weeks earlier. Rain has run 103% of normal over the last 30 days (near normal) and 173% over 90 days, so the past month has been drier than the season so far; Friday carries the week's highest rain chance at 60% (high 57°) and the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans wetter than normal (60% chance of above-normal rain). FSA's 2026 LFP list includes Keith County with up to 5 monthly payments, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Ogallala, 6 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 103% of normal
  • Last 60 days not read yet
  • Last 90 days 173% 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 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 52°, low 31°, 0% rain, wind 10–15 mph
  2. Monday Patchy Fog then Mostly Sunny, high 55°, low 34°, 0% rain, wind 10–15 mph
  3. Tuesday Partly Sunny, high 55°, low 37°, 1% rain, wind 10–15 mph
  4. Wednesday Mostly Sunny, high 57°, low 29°, 3% rain, wind 5–20 mph
  5. Thursday Mostly Sunny, high 53°, low 36°, 10% rain, wind 5–15 mph
  6. Friday Rain Showers Likely, high 57°, low 32°, 60% rain, wind 5–20 mph
  7. Saturday Chance Rain And Snow Showers, high 47°, low 24°, 31% 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 Keith 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.

Keith County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Keith County grew about 1,882 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 120% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 1,563 pounds per acre. That was the 7th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2024 at 1,939 pounds per acre; worst: 2002 at 1,108.

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 Keith 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

Keith 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 Keith County

Forecast for the center point of Keith County.

  • Freeze on 4 nights
  1. Today Sunny 52° 31° S 10–15 mph 0% rain
  2. Mon Patchy Fog then Mostly Sunny 55° 34° S 10–15 mph 0% rain
  3. Tue Partly Sunny 55° 37° SSE 10–15 mph 1% rain
  4. Wed Mostly Sunny 57° 29° WNW 5–20 mph 3% rain
  5. Thu Mostly Sunny 53° 36° SSE 5–15 mph 10% rain
  6. Fri Rain Showers Likely 57° 32° SSW 5–20 mph 60% rain
  7. Sat Chance Rain And Snow Showers 47° 24° NNW 10–20 mph 31% 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 Nebraska; 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
1.04 in 71% of normal
Last 12 months
15.94 in 81%
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 1.46 in; same month last year 0.67 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 Keith County. Frost = 32°F; hard freeze = 28°F.

Kingsley Dam weather station (2 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
176-day growing season
 Apr 22
1 year in 10 it's after May 6
 Oct 18
1 year in 10 it's before Oct 2
Hard freeze (28°F)
196-day growing season
 Apr 10
1 year in 10 it's after Apr 25
 Oct 26
1 year in 10 it's before Oct 14

Ogallala weather station (6 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
163-day growing season
 May 1
1 year in 10 it's after May 12
 Oct 12
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 29
Hard freeze (28°F)
183-day growing season
 Apr 19
1 year in 10 it's after May 2
 Oct 21
1 year in 10 it's before Oct 9

Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Kingsley Dam, Ogallala), NOAA files as of Jun 27, 2023. Fetched Nov 11, 2026.

Text me Keith County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Ogallala Livestock Auction Ogallala, NE 6 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 2026
  2. Imperial Auction Market Imperial, NE 47 mi · sells Fridays · latest USDA report Nov 6, 2026
  3. North Platte Stockyards North Platte, NE 47 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 3, 2026
  4. Sterling Livestock Commission Sterling, CO 90 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  5. Lexington Livestock Market Lexington, NE 103 mi · sells Fridays · latest USDA report Nov 13, 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 Nebraska

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Keith County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Keith County is on FSA's 2026 Livestock Forage Disaster Program county list, with up to 5 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 Keith County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Keith County was in moderate drought (D1), and the worst part was moderate drought (D1) on 100% 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 Keith County?

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

What sale barns are near Keith County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Ogallala (6 mi), last report Nov 12, 2026; Imperial (47 mi), last report Nov 6, 2026; North Platte (47 mi), last report Nov 3, 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.