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Orange County, NC

Cattle prices near Orange County, North Carolina. The closest sale barn with a recent report is Siler City NC in Siler City, NC, about 30 miles away. The latest report is dated Nov 9 (USDA). Check a bid against your own costs with Ring Price.

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CRP emergency haying & grazing: Orange 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 SevereD2 · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 5 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Smithfield NC 5-wt steers $328▼ $20 since last sale

Orange County rain, outlook and forecast

On the Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map, most of Orange County, NC was in severe drought (D2), and D2-or-worse drought has held there 45 weeks running. Over 90 days rain is at 64% of normal, and the last 30 days came in at 27% (well below normal); the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans toward near-normal rain and no day in the 7-day forecast tops a 1% rain chance. FSA's 2026 LFP list includes Orange County with up to 5 monthly payments, and Siler City NC is the closest USDA-reported sale barn at 30 miles.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 27% of normal
  • Last 60 days 50% of normal
  • Last 90 days 64% 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 toward near-normal rain
  • 8-14 day outlook (Nov 22–28) Leans wetter than normal (40% chance of above-normal rain)

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

Next 7 days

  1. Today Sunny, high 57°, low 28°, 0% rain, wind 3–8 mph
  2. Monday Sunny, high 57°, low 29°, 0% rain, wind 1–6 mph
  3. Tuesday Sunny, high 61°, low 30°, 0% rain, wind 0–2 mph
  4. Wednesday Sunny, high 64°, low 31°, 0% rain, wind 0–1 mph
  5. Thursday Sunny, high 67°, low 35°, 0% rain, wind 1–2 mph
  6. Friday Sunny, high 69°, low 36°, 1% rain, wind 1–3 mph
  7. Saturday Sunny, high 68°, 1% rain, wind 3 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 Orange 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.

Orange County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Orange County grew about 2,757 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 117% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 2,359 pounds per acre. That was the 5th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 1999 at 2,888 pounds per acre; worst: 1986 at 1,221.

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 Orange 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

Orange 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 Orange County

Forecast for the center point of Orange County.

  • Freeze on 4 nights
  1. Today Sunny 57° 28° NW 3–8 mph 0% rain
  2. Mon Sunny 57° 29° N 1–6 mph 0% rain
  3. Tue Sunny 61° 30° NE 0–2 mph 0% rain
  4. Wed Sunny 64° 31° N 0–1 mph 0% rain
  5. Thu Sunny 67° 35° SW 1–2 mph 0% rain
  6. Fri Sunny 69° 36° N 1–3 mph 1% rain
  7. Sat Sunny 68° –° NE 3 mph 1% rain

Forecast from the National Weather Service, updated Nov 15, 2026 old. 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 North Carolina; 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
1.99 in 57% of normal
Last 12 months
31.15 in 66%
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 3.49 in; same month last year 2.20 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

Data pending. NCEI normals not loaded yet for this county
Text me Orange County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Carolina Stockyards Siler City, NC 30 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
  2. Powell Livestock Company Smithfield, NC 57 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 2026
  3. Stanly County Livestock Market Norwood, NC 80 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  4. Springlake Stockyard Moneta, VA 82 mi · sells Saturdays · latest USDA report Nov 7, 2026
  5. Lynchburg Livestock Rustburg, VA 84 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 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 Carolina): Tennessee

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Orange County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Orange 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 Orange County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Orange County was in severe drought (D2), and the worst part was severe drought (D2) on 100% of the county. 45 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 Orange County?

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

What sale barns are near Orange County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Siler City NC (30 mi), last report Nov 9, 2026; Smithfield NC (57 mi), last report Nov 12, 2026; Norwood NC (80 mi), last report Nov 11, 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.