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Montezuma County, CO

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

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CRP emergency haying & grazing: Montezuma 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 No droughtNone · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 4 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Nearest barn –no 5-wt steer sale

Montezuma County rain, outlook and forecast

Most of Montezuma County, CO showed no drought on the Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map, though 5% at abnormally dry (D0); four weeks earlier 100% of the county was in moderate drought (D1) or worse, now 0%. Rain has run 282% of normal over the last 90 days; the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans wetter than normal (40% chance of above-normal rain) and the NWS forecast peaks at a 96% rain chance on Tuesday (high 55°). Montezuma County is on FSA's 2026 LFP list with up to 4 monthly payments.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days not read yet
  • Last 60 days not read yet
  • Last 90 days 282% 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 (40% 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 25°, 1% rain, wind 0–5 mph
  2. Monday Patchy Fog then Mostly Sunny, high 56°, low 31°, 2% rain, wind 5–10 mph
  3. Tuesday Showers And Thunderstorms, high 55°, low 30°, 96% rain, wind 0–25 mph
  4. Wednesday Slight Chance Rain And Snow Showers then Mostly Sunny, high 48°, low 25°, 16% rain, wind 0–10 mph
  5. Thursday Mostly Sunny then Chance Rain Showers, high 54°, low 31°, 83% rain, wind 10–20 mph
  6. Friday Rain And Snow Showers, high 47°, low 22°, 83% rain, wind 0–15 mph
  7. Saturday Sunny, high 45°, low 20°, 13% rain, wind 0–5 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 Montezuma 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.

Montezuma County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Montezuma County grew about 245 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 60% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 408 pounds per acre. That was the 2nd lowest of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 1992 at 545 pounds per acre; worst: 2002 at 237.

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 Montezuma 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

Montezuma 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 Montezuma County

Forecast for the center point of Montezuma County.

  • Freeze on 7 nights
  • Windy on 1 day
  1. Today Sunny 52° 25° W 0–5 mph 1% rain
  2. Mon Patchy Fog then Mostly Sunny 56° 31° ESE 5–10 mph 2% rain
  3. Tue Showers And Thunderstorms 55° 30° SE 0–25 mph 96% rain
  4. Wed Slight Chance Rain And Snow Showers then Mostly Sunny 48° 25° S 0–10 mph 16% rain
  5. Thu Mostly Sunny then Chance Rain Showers 54° 31° SE 10–20 mph 83% rain
  6. Fri Rain And Snow Showers 47° 22° SW 0–15 mph 83% rain
  7. Sat Sunny 45° 20° SW 0–5 mph 13% 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 Colorado; 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
6.33 in 437% of normal
Last 12 months
19.57 in 123%
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 1.45 in; same month last year 2.44 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 Montezuma County. Frost = 32°F; hard freeze = 28°F.

Cortez weather station (0 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
147-day growing season
 May 12
1 year in 10 it's after May 31
 Oct 7
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 26
Hard freeze (28°F)
171-day growing season
 Apr 30
1 year in 10 it's after May 14
 Oct 17
1 year in 10 it's before Oct 4

Cortez Montezuma Co Ap weather station (3 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
125-day growing season
 May 27
1 year in 10 it's after Jun 11
 Sep 28
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 17
Hard freeze (28°F)
150-day growing season
 May 8
1 year in 10 it's after May 31
 Oct 7
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 26

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

Text me Montezuma County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Cattlemen's Livestock Belen, NM 204 mi · sells Fridays · latest USDA report Nov 13, 2026
  2. Producers Livestock Salina, UT 209 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 10, 2026
  3. ‘R' Livestock Connection Monroe, UT 211 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  4. Cedar Livestock Cedar City, UT 248 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 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 Colorado

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Montezuma County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Montezuma 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 Montezuma County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Montezuma 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 Montezuma County?

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

What sale barns are near Montezuma 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: Colorado EQIP/CSP/RCPP/ACEP application ranking cutoff (FY 2027); 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.