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Monroe County, AR

Cattle prices near Monroe County, Arkansas. The closest sale barn with a recent report is Searcy AR in Searcy, AR, about 49 miles away. On Nov 10, 5-weight steers (500–599 lb) averaged $389.79 per hundredweight on 38 head (USDA). Check a bid against your own costs with Ring Price.

Check a bid with Ring Price

Change county
CRP emergency haying & grazing: Monroe 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 ExceptionalD4 · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 5 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Searcy AR 5-wt steers $390▼ $6 since last sale

Monroe County rain, outlook and forecast

Most of Monroe County, AR was in exceptional drought (D4) on the Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map, and D2-or-worse drought has held there 44 weeks running. Rain has run 48% of normal over the last 30 days (well below normal); the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans wetter than normal (33% chance of above-normal rain) and the NWS forecast peaks at a 23% rain chance on Saturday (high 75°). Monroe County is on FSA's 2026 LFP list with up to 5 monthly payments, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Searcy AR, 49 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 48% of normal
  • Last 60 days 36% 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 (33% 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 59°, low 38°, 1% rain, wind 5–10 mph
  2. Monday Sunny, high 63°, low 36°, 0% rain, wind 5 mph
  3. Tuesday Sunny, high 65°, low 39°, 0% rain, wind 5 mph
  4. Wednesday Sunny, high 68°, low 45°, 0% rain, wind 5 mph
  5. Thursday Mostly Sunny, high 72°, low 48°, 1% rain, wind 0–5 mph
  6. Friday Sunny, high 74°, low 49°, 1% rain, wind 5 mph
  7. Saturday Sunny, high 75°, low 53°, 23% rain, wind 5–10 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 Monroe 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.

Monroe County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Monroe County grew about 2,143 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 110% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 1,946 pounds per acre. That was the 11th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2020 at 3,101 pounds per acre; worst: 1986 at 722.

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 Monroe 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

Monroe 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 Monroe County

Forecast for the center point of Monroe County.

    1. Today Mostly Sunny 59° 38° ENE 5–10 mph 1% rain
    2. Mon Sunny 63° 36° NE 5 mph 0% rain
    3. Tue Sunny 65° 39° E 5 mph 0% rain
    4. Wed Sunny 68° 45° SE 5 mph 0% rain
    5. Thu Mostly Sunny 72° 48° SSE 0–5 mph 1% rain
    6. Fri Sunny 74° 49° SE 5 mph 1% rain
    7. Sat Sunny 75° 53° S 5–10 mph 23% 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 Arkansas; 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
    0.30 in 7% of normal
    Last 12 months
    27.00 in 54%
    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 4.08 in; same month last year 5.30 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 Monroe County. Frost = 32°F; hard freeze = 28°F.

    Clarendon weather station (6 mi away)

    Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
    Frost (32°F)
    241-day growing season
    		 Mar 15
    1 year in 10 it's after Apr 1
    		 Nov 11
    1 year in 10 it's before Oct 28
    Hard freeze (28°F)
    267-day growing season
    		 Mar 2
    1 year in 10 it's after Mar 19
    		 Nov 24
    1 year in 10 it's before Nov 5

    Brinkley weather station (14 mi away)

    Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
    Frost (32°F)
    237-day growing season
    		 Mar 18
    1 year in 10 it's after Apr 6
    		 Nov 11
    1 year in 10 it's before Oct 28
    Hard freeze (28°F)
    261-day growing season
    		 Mar 6
    1 year in 10 it's after Mar 25
    		 Nov 25
    1 year in 10 it's before Nov 7

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

    Text me Monroe County changes

    Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

    1. Arkansas Cattle Auction LLC Searcy, AR 49 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 10, 2026
    2. Cleburne County Livestock Heber Springs, AR 73 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
    3. Lipscomb Brothers Livestock Como, MS 73 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
    4. Glenwild Stockyard Inc. Grenada, MS 101 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
    5. Ash Flat Livestock Ash Flat, AR 110 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

    Printable county brief (PDF) · Everything on one page · Nearest USDA hay reports (none for Arkansas): Missouri, Oklahoma

    Common questions and nearby counties

    Is Monroe County eligible for LFP in 2026?

    Yes. Monroe 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 Monroe County this week?

    On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Monroe County was in exceptional drought (D4), and the worst part was exceptional drought (D4) on 72% of the county. 44 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 Monroe County?

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

    What sale barns are near Monroe County?

    The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Searcy AR (49 mi), last report Nov 10, 2026; Heber Springs AR (73 mi), last report Nov 9, 2026; Como MS (73 mi), last report Nov 11, 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.