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Lewis and Clark County, MT

No sale barn with a published report is within 100 miles of Lewis and Clark County, Montana. This page still has drought, programs and weather for the county when those are loaded.

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Drought No droughtNone · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 1 payment Burn ban Checkcall the county Nearest barn –no 5-wt steer sale

Lewis and Clark County rain, outlook and forecast

As of the Nov 10 Drought Monitor, most of Lewis and Clark County, MT showed no drought, though 5% at abnormally dry (D0); 5% of the county is abnormally dry (D0) or worse, up from 0% four weeks earlier. Rain has run 146% of normal over the last 30 days (above normal); the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans toward near-normal rain and Tuesday carries the week's highest rain chance at 85% (high 33°). Lewis and Clark County is on FSA's 2026 LFP list with up to 1 monthly payment.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 146% of normal
  • Last 60 days not read yet
  • 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 toward near-normal rain
  • 8-14 day outlook (Nov 22–28) Leans drier than normal (33% chance of below-normal rain)

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

Next 7 days

  1. Today Partly Sunny, high 46°, low 34°, 2% rain, wind 6–12 mph
  2. Monday Mostly Cloudy then Chance Light Rain, high 45°, low 31°, 84% rain, wind 3–7 mph
  3. Tuesday Rain And Snow, high 33°, low 26°, 85% rain, wind 5 mph
  4. Wednesday Mostly Sunny, high 32°, low 23°, 20% rain, wind 2–5 mph
  5. Thursday Chance Light Snow, high 33°, low 25°, 34% rain, wind 2–3 mph
  6. Friday Chance Light Snow, high 32°, low 22°, 34% rain, wind 1–5 mph
  7. Saturday Mostly Sunny, high 33°, low 23°, 10% rain, wind 2–8 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 Lewis and Clark 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.

Lewis and Clark County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Lewis and Clark County grew about 902 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 119% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 758 pounds per acre. That was the 4th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2023 at 1,029 pounds per acre; worst: 2000 at 564.

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 Lewis and Clark 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

Lewis and Clark 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)

Prices

5-wt steers, nearest barns

Data pending. no USDA-covered sale barn within 200 miles in our barn list

Drought

Drought, past 12 months

0% of the county in severe drought or worse.

How to read this

Each band is how much of the county was in that drought level that week. Darker = worse. D2 (severe) and darker can trigger USDA drought pay.

Right now: 0% of the county is in severe drought or worse; some of it has been for 0 weeks running. Source: U.S. Drought Monitor, map of Nov 10, 2026.

Guide: What D0–D4 mean

See the drought map

Programs

Drought pasture pay (LFP)

On FSA's 2026 list for 4 pasture types. Up to 1 monthly payments.

Bring head counts, grazing leases and pasture acres to your county FSA office.

How to read this

Each bar is a pasture type; the number is how many monthly payments it qualifies for (1 to 5).

Pasture table
Pasture typeGrazing periodQualifying datePayments
Forage Sorghum2026-05-01 to 2026-12-152026-05-281
Full Season Improved2026-05-01 to 2026-12-152026-05-281
Long Season Small Grains2026-05-01 to 2026-12-152026-05-281
Native Pasture2026-05-01 to 2026-12-152026-05-281

FSA "Counties & Pasture Types Eligible for 2026 LFP", file dated Nov 5, 2026 (download). FSA decides eligibility. Fetched Nov 9, 2026.

Guide: How LFP works and who qualifies

Guide: ELAP and LIP basics

USDA disaster declarations

  • May 19, 2026 · Drought
    Neighboring county declared (counts for Lewis and Clark) · crop year 2026
  • Dec 29, 2025 · Drought
    Neighboring county declared (counts for Lewis and Clark) · crop year 2025
  • Jul 9, 2025 · Drought
    Neighboring county declared (counts for Lewis and Clark) · crop year 2025
  • Jun 17, 2025 · Drought
    Neighboring county declared (counts for Lewis and Clark) · crop year 2025
  • May 5, 2025 · Drought
    Lewis and Clark declared · crop year 2025

"Declared" means USDA named this county. "Neighboring" means it touches a declared county. Either way, FSA emergency loans can open for about 8 months. FSA designation files (dated Jan 28, 2026, Oct 19, 2026). Fetched Nov 9, 2026.

Guide: What a disaster designation means

CRP emergency haying and grazing

Not on the list Lewis and Clark County is not on FSA's emergency haying and grazing list as of Nov 5, 2026. Non-emergency haying and grazing may still be allowed outside the primary nesting season.

Before haying and grazing, contact your FSA county office to see if your county remains eligible and/or obtain a modified conservation plan. This list is cumulative for the year and current local conditions may have changed.

Source: FSA eligible-county table posted Nov 5, 2026 · map · FSA program page. FSA posts a new file every Thursday. Fetched Nov 9, 2026.

Guide: CRP emergency haying and grazing rules

Screwworm (Texas Animal Health Commission)

Data pending. animal-health alerts are read for Texas (TAHC) and Oklahoma, Kansas and New Mexico (state ag departments); Montana's state veterinarian isn't read yet

Guide: Screwworm: what to know

New FSA programs: watch list
DateScopeReleaseFlag
Nov 4, 2026MississippiUSDA Designates one Tennessee Counties as Natural Disaster Areas
Nov 4, 2026Hawaii and Pacific IslandsUSDA Extends Application Deadline for Emergency Conservation Program Assistance for Guam and CNMI Counties for Typhoon Bavi Impacts
Nov 4, 2026NebraskaUSDA Authorizes Deadline Extension for Emergency Conservation Program in Several Wildfire-Impacted Counties
Nov 4, 2026FloridaUSDA Designates 9 Alabama Counties as Natural Disaster Areas
Nov 3, 2026AlabamaUSDA Designates 9 Alabama Counties as Natural Disaster Areas

Weather & fire

Next 7 days · National Weather Service

Weather for Lewis and Clark County

Forecast for the center point of Lewis and Clark County.

  • Freeze on 6 nights
  1. Today Partly Sunny 46° 34° SW 6–12 mph 2% rain
  2. Mon Mostly Cloudy then Chance Light Rain 45° 31° SW 3–7 mph 84% rain
  3. Tue Rain And Snow 33° 26° N 5 mph 85% rain
  4. Wed Mostly Sunny 32° 23° WSW 2–5 mph 20% rain
  5. Thu Chance Light Snow 33° 25° WSW 2–3 mph 34% rain
  6. Fri Chance Light Snow 32° 22° WNW 1–5 mph 34% rain
  7. Sat Mostly Sunny 33° 23° SW 2–8 mph 10% 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 Montana; 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
2.91 in 165% of normal
Last 12 months
26.38 in 118%
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 1.76 in; same month last year 2.14 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 Lewis and Clark County. Frost = 32°F; hard freeze = 28°F.

Rogers Pass 9 Nne weather station (6 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
115-day growing season
 May 21
1 year in 10 it's after Jun 8
 Sep 15
1 year in 10 it's before Aug 30
Hard freeze (28°F)
143-day growing season
 May 7
1 year in 10 it's after May 23
 Sep 28
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 13

Holter Dam weather station (20 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
124-day growing season
 May 19
1 year in 10 it's after Jun 8
 Sep 24
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 6
Hard freeze (28°F)
149-day growing season
 May 6
1 year in 10 it's after May 19
 Oct 4
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 20

Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Rogers Pass 9 Nne, Holter Dam), NOAA files as of Jun 27, 2023. Fetched Nov 11, 2026.

Money

FSA grain loan rates (2026)

What FSA will lend on stored grain, per bushel. Lets you hold grain instead of selling at harvest.

CropLewis and Clark CountyNational average
Corn$2.69 /bu $2.42 /bu
Grain sorghum$4.27 /cwt
($2.39 /bu)
 $2.42 /bu
Soybeans$6.58 /bu $6.82 /bu
Hard red winter wheat$3.56 /bu $3.72 /bu
Hard red spring wheat$4.04 /bu $3.72 /bu
Soft white wheat$3.90 /bu $3.72 /bu
Durum wheat$5.79 /bu $3.72 /bu

County marketing-loan rates. Sorghum's county rate is set per 100 lb; the per-bushel figure uses 56 lb a bushel. Source: FSA 2026 corn/sorghum/soybean schedule, wheat schedule, national rates. Fetched Nov 9, 2026.

FSA farm loan interest rates

FSA direct loanRate
Farm Operating - Direct5.625%
Farm Operating - Microloan5.625%
Farm Ownership - Direct6.250%
Farm Ownership - Microloan6.250%
Farm Ownership - Direct, Joint Financing4.250%
Farm Ownership - Down Payment2.250%
Emergency Loan - Amount of Actual Loss3.750%

Set nationally by FSA; the same in every county. Effective Nov 1, 2026. Source: FSA current loan interest rates. Fetched Nov 9, 2026.

Farm program payments by crop (ARC and PLC)

ARC pays when county crop revenue falls below its guarantee. PLC pays when the national price falls below the reference price. You picked one per crop when you enrolled.

Data pending. last fetch failed: HTTPError: 403 Client Error: Forbidden for url: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/resources/programs/arc-plc/program-data

PLC, 2026 FSA table of Oct 30, 2026

CropReference priceSeason avg pricePLC payment
Wheat /bushel$6.35$6.30 projected$0.05 projected
Barley /bushel$5.58$5.70 projected$0.00 projected
Oats /bushel$3.05$3.35 projected$0.00 projected
Corn /bushel$4.42$4.70 projected$0.00 projected
Grain Sorghum /bushel$4.67$4.50 projected$0.17 projected
Soybeans /bushel$10.71$12.00 projected$0.00 projected

PLC rates are national (paid on the farm's PLC yield). Source: FSA 2026 PLC table. FSA decides who is paid.

FSA payments in Lewis and Clark County

Data pending. last fetch failed: HTTPError: 403 Client Error: Forbidden for url: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/tools/informational/freedom-information-act-foia/electronic-reading-room/frequently-requested/payment-files

Guide: ARC and PLC basics

Crop conditions (statewide)

Montana crop and pasture condition

Montana statewide, not just your county. Wheat planting is on pace with normal (97% vs 97%). From USDA's weekly Crop Progress report, week ending Nov 8, 2026.

ConditionPoor or
very poor		FairGood or
excellent
Winter Wheat1%36% 63%

Progress

MontanaThis weekLast weekNormal (5-yr avg)
Winter Wheat Planted97%95%97%
Winter Wheat Emerged84%75%83%

Source: USDA NASS Crop Progress released Nov 9, 2026 (ESMIS), Montana rows. Week ending Nov 8, 2026. Fetched Nov 9, 2026.

Deadlines

  • Dec 1, 2026in 16 days
    Last day to buy 2027 pasture rain insurance (PRF)
    Crop insurance (RMA)
    Details and source
    Plans: Rainfall Index
    Date posted: USDA crop insurance (RMA)
    Source: USDA RMA · more · checked Aug 28, 2026
  • Mar 1, 2027in 106 days
    Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP): application and papers for 2026 losses are due by this date.
    FSA disaster programs · 7 CFR 1416.206(a)
    Details and source
    Rule: 7 CFR 1416.206(a) (FSA rule, Jan 17, 2025)
    Source: USDA FSA · checked Oct 18, 2026
  • Mar 1, 2027in 106 days
    Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP): notice of loss, application and papers for 2026 losses are due by this date.
    FSA disaster programs · 7 CFR 1416.107
    Details and source
    Rule: 7 CFR 1416.107 (FSA rule, Jan 17, 2025)
    Source: USDA FSA · checked Oct 18, 2026
  • Mar 1, 2027in 106 days
    Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP): notice of loss, application and papers for 2026 losses are due by this date.
    FSA disaster programs · 7 CFR 1416.305(b)
    Details and source
    Rule: 7 CFR 1416.305(b) (FSA rule, Jan 17, 2025)
    Source: USDA FSA · checked Oct 18, 2026

All deadlines and report dates · FSA disaster-program deadlines are pending (no official feed).

Guide: PRF insurance and the Dec 1 deadline

Guide: How to apply for EQIP or CSP

Guide: Ag land property tax in OK, KS and NM

Land

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: 902 lb per acre, well above normal (119% of the 1991-2020 average of 758).

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 (50% 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 Lewis and Clark County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Billings Livestock Commission Billings, MT 204 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
  2. Public Auction Yards Billings, MT 204 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  3. Miles City Livestock Commission Miles City, MT 314 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 10, 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 Montana

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Lewis and Clark County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Lewis and Clark County is on FSA's 2026 Livestock Forage Disaster Program county list, with up to 1 monthly payment 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 Lewis and Clark County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Lewis and Clark County was in no drought, and the worst part was abnormally dry (D0) on 5% 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 Lewis and Clark County?

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

What sale barns are near Lewis and Clark County?

No USDA-reported sale barn within 200 miles.

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.