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Pickens County, AL

Cattle prices near Pickens County, Alabama. The closest sale barn with a recent report is Macon MS in Macon, MS, about 29 miles away. On Nov 9, 5-weight steers (500–599 lb) averaged $348.84 per hundredweight on 5 head (USDA). Check a bid against your own costs with Ring Price.

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CRP emergency haying & grazing: Pickens County is on FSA's list (since Oct 27, 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 3 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Macon MS 5-wt steers $349per cwt

Pickens County rain, outlook and forecast

The Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map shows most of Pickens County, AL in severe drought (D2), and D2-or-worse drought has held there 3 weeks running. Pickens County has had 22% of its normal rain in the past 30 days and 38% over 90 days; the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans toward near-normal rain and no day in the 7-day forecast tops a 4% rain chance. FSA's 2026 LFP list includes Pickens County with up to 3 monthly payments, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Macon MS, 29 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 22% of normal
  • Last 60 days 40% of normal
  • Last 90 days 38% 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 (33% chance of above-normal rain)

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

Next 7 days

  1. Today Mostly Sunny, high 62°, low 36°, 0% rain, wind 5 mph
  2. Monday Patchy Frost then Sunny, high 65°, low 34°, 0% rain, wind 5 mph
  3. Tuesday Areas Of Frost then Sunny, high 67°, low 36°, 0% rain, wind 5 mph
  4. Wednesday Areas Of Frost then Sunny, high 71°, low 39°, 1% rain, wind 5 mph
  5. Thursday Mostly Sunny, high 73°, low 42°, 1% rain, wind 5 mph
  6. Friday Sunny, high 74°, low 42°, 1% rain, wind 0–5 mph
  7. Saturday Sunny, high 75°, low 47°, 4% 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 Pickens 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.

Pickens County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Pickens County grew about 1,985 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 105% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 1,882 pounds per acre. That was the 11th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 1992 at 2,422 pounds per acre; worst: 1986 at 606.

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 1 open

What happenedStartedTell FSA early byFSA deadline
Severe drought (D2) began (U.S. Drought Monitor) Oct 27, 2026Nov 26, 2026 (11 days left)Mar 1, 2027

If this cost you livestock, extra feed or hauled water, call your county FSA office now, while it's fresh. The 30-day date is a suggestion from Cownty; FSA's deadline for the notice of loss and application is the March 1 date. Log it in your Drought Ledger · Find your FSA office and phone

Text YES CLOCK for a reminder on day 21 and day 28.

Information only; not financial, tax or legal advice. FSA decides eligibility. Cownty sends nothing to FSA.

Drought-sale tax flag IRS list

Pickens 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: 1,985 lb per acre, a little above normal (105% of the 1991-2020 average of 1,882).

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 (22% 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 Pickens County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Macon Stockyard Macon, MS 29 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
  2. Cattlemens Stockyard LLC West Point, MS 39 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
  3. Peoples Livestock Auction Houston, MS 67 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
  4. Alabama Livestock Auction Uniontown, AL 69 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 3, 2026
  5. East Mississippi Livestock Company Philadelphia, MS 69 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 · Hay prices in Alabama

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Pickens County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Pickens County is on FSA's 2026 Livestock Forage Disaster Program county list, with up to 3 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 Pickens County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Pickens County was in severe drought (D2), and the worst part was severe drought (D2) on 80% of the county. 3 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 Pickens County?

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

What sale barns are near Pickens County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Macon MS (29 mi), last report Nov 9, 2026; West Point MS (39 mi), last report Nov 9, 2026; Houston MS (67 mi), last report Nov 9, 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.