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Morton County, KS

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CRP emergency haying & grazing: Morton County is on FSA's list (since Sep 1, 2026). Check with your FSA county office first. Details · FSA list as of Oct 29, 2026.
Drought Abnormally dryD0 · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 4 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Beaver 5-wt steers $433▲ $9 since last sale

Morton County rain, outlook and forecast

Most of Morton County, KS was abnormally dry (D0) on the Oct 27 U.S. Drought Monitor map; four weeks earlier 87% of the county was in moderate drought (D1) or worse, now 0%. Rain has run 116% of normal over the last 30 days (above normal) and 174% over 90 days, so the past month has been drier than the season so far; today carries the week's highest rain chance at 58% (high 72°) and the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 7–11 leans toward near-normal rain. Morton County (county seat: Elkhart) is on FSA's 2026 LFP list with up to 4 monthly payments, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Beaver, 75 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 116% of normal
  • Last 60 days 225% of normal
  • Last 90 days 174% of normal

NOAA river forecast center rain (radar plus gauges) at the county center, Nov 2, 2026. Source.

Rain outlook

  • 6-10 day outlook (Nov 7–11) Leans toward near-normal rain
  • 8-14 day outlook (Nov 9–15) Leans toward near-normal rain

NOAA Climate Prediction Center precipitation outlook, issued Nov 1, 2026. Source.

Next 7 days

  1. Today Mostly Sunny then Chance Rain Showers, high 72°, low 42°, 58% rain, wind 15–26 mph
  2. Tuesday Sunny, high 58°, low 37°, 0% rain, wind 8–28 mph
  3. Wednesday Sunny, high 64°, low 39°, 19% rain, wind 6–13 mph
  4. Thursday Sunny, high 57°, low 34°, 7% rain, wind 6–16 mph
  5. Friday Mostly Sunny, high 62°, low 39°, 5% rain, wind 7–8 mph
  6. Saturday Mostly Sunny, high 62°, low 37°, 10% rain, wind 8–15 mph
  7. Sunday Sunny, high 61°, low 37°, 5% rain, wind 7–10 mph

National Weather Service forecast for the county center, updated Nov 2, 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 Morton County is Dec 1, 2026, 29 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.

Morton County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Morton County grew about 1,761 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 122% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 1,440 pounds per acre. That was the 5th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2023 at 2,190 pounds per acre; worst: 2011 at 712.

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 Morton 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

Morton 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)

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: 1,761 lb per acre, well above normal (122% of the 1991-2020 average of 1,440).

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 1, 2026.

Text me Morton County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Beaver Livestock Auction (feeder cattle) Beaver, OK 75 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Oct 27, 2026
  2. Cattlemen's Livestock Auction Dalhart, TX 90 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Oct 29, 2026
  3. Winter Livestock Dodge City, KS 107 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Oct 28, 2026
  4. Winter Livestock (Tuesday) La Junta, CO 109 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Oct 27, 2026
  5. La Junta Livestock Commission La Junta, CO 113 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Oct 28, 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 Kansas · County seat: Elkhart

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Morton County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Morton 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 Oct 29, 2026

What is the drought level in Morton County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Oct 27, 2026, most of Morton County was in abnormally dry (D0), and the worst part was abnormally dry (D0) on 100% of the county. 0 straight weeks with some severe drought (D2) or worse.

Source: U.S. Drought Monitor, map of Oct 27, 2026

Is there a burn ban in Morton County?

No official statewide list to check: Kansas has no statewide official burn-ban list; county commissions set bans and announce them locally (county emergency management or sheriff).

What sale barns are near Morton County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Beaver (75 mi), last report Oct 27, 2026; Dalhart (90 mi), last report Oct 29, 2026; Dodge City (107 mi), last report Oct 28, 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.