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Mountrail County, ND

Cattle prices near Mountrail County, North Dakota. The closest sale barn with a recent report is Dickinson ND in Dickinson, ND, about 93 miles away. On Nov 12, 5-weight steers (500–599 lb) averaged $447.56 per hundredweight on 935 head (USDA). Check a bid against your own costs with Ring Price.

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Change county
CRP emergency haying & grazing: Mountrail 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 Abnormally dryD0 · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 2 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Dickinson ND 5-wt steers $448▲ $19 since last sale

Mountrail County rain, outlook and forecast

The Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map shows most of Mountrail County, ND abnormally dry (D0), with 9% at moderate drought (D1); 9% of the county is in moderate drought (D1) or worse, the same as four weeks earlier. Rain has run 77% of normal over the last 30 days (below normal); the best rain chance this week is 49% on Wednesday (high 38°) and the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans wetter than normal (33% chance of above-normal rain). FSA's 2026 LFP list includes Mountrail County with up to 2 monthly payments, and Dickinson ND is the closest USDA-reported sale barn at 93 miles.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 77% 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 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 Sunny, high 52°, low 33°, 0% rain, wind 6–13 mph
  2. Monday Mostly Cloudy, high 55°, low 35°, 0% rain, wind 1–8 mph
  3. Tuesday Mostly Cloudy, high 49°, low 32°, 1% rain, wind 3–13 mph
  4. Wednesday Cloudy then Chance Light Rain, high 38°, low 27°, 49% rain, wind 8–15 mph
  5. Thursday Mostly Cloudy, high 35°, low 24°, 10% rain, wind 3–12 mph
  6. Friday Chance Light Snow, high 34°, low 21°, 37% rain, wind 6–14 mph
  7. Saturday Chance Light Snow, high 30°, low 17°, 27% rain, wind 5–16 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 Mountrail 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.

Mountrail County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Mountrail County grew about 1,661 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 124% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 1,340 pounds per acre. That was the 2nd best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2016 at 1,767 pounds per acre; worst: 1988 at 1,010.

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 Mountrail 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

Mountrail 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: 1,661 lb per acre, well above normal (124% of the 1991-2020 average of 1,340).

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 (36% 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 Mountrail County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Stockmen's Livestock Exchange (feeder cattle) Dickinson, ND 93 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 2026
  2. Kist Livestock (feeder cattle) Mandan, ND 118 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  3. Napoleon Livestock (feeder cattle) Napoleon, ND 169 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 2026
  4. Herried Livestock Market Herreid, SD 196 mi · sells Fridays · latest USDA report Nov 13, 2026
  5. Miles City Livestock Commission Miles City, MT 205 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 · Nearest USDA hay reports (none for North Dakota): South Dakota, Montana

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Mountrail County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Mountrail County is on FSA's 2026 Livestock Forage Disaster Program county list, with up to 2 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 Mountrail County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Mountrail County was in abnormally dry (D0), and the worst part was moderate drought (D1) on 9% 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 Mountrail County?

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

What sale barns are near Mountrail County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Dickinson ND (93 mi), last report Nov 12, 2026; Mandan ND (118 mi), last report Nov 11, 2026; Napoleon ND (169 mi), last report Nov 12, 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.