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Potter County, SD

Cattle prices near Potter County, South Dakota. The closest sale barn with a recent report is Mobridge SD in Mobridge, SD, about 41 miles away. On Nov 12, 5-weight steers (500–599 lb) averaged $457.50 per hundredweight on 2,160 head (USDA). Check a bid against your own costs with Ring Price.

Check a bid with Ring Price

Change county
CRP emergency haying & grazing: Potter 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 ModerateD1 · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 4 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Mobridge SD 5-wt steers $458▲ $18 since last sale

Potter County rain, outlook and forecast

The Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map shows most of Potter County, SD in moderate drought (D1); 100% of the county is in moderate drought (D1) or worse, the same as four weeks earlier. Rain has run 219% of normal over the last 30 days (well above normal); the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans wetter than normal (50% chance of above-normal rain) and the NWS forecast peaks at a 42% rain chance on Friday (high 45°). Potter County is on FSA's 2026 LFP list with up to 4 monthly payments, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Mobridge SD, 41 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 219% 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 (50% 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 55°, low 38°, 1% rain, wind 10–28 mph
  2. Monday Patchy Fog then Sunny, high 57°, low 41°, 1% rain, wind 12–16 mph
  3. Tuesday Partly Sunny, high 54°, low 39°, 0% rain, wind 13–23 mph
  4. Wednesday Partly Sunny, high 50°, low 33°, 14% rain, wind 13–22 mph
  5. Thursday Partly Sunny, high 42°, low 34°, 8% rain, wind 8–17 mph
  6. Friday Chance Light Rain, high 45°, low 30°, 42% rain, wind 15–21 mph
  7. Saturday Chance Rain And Snow, high 37°, low 23°, 38% rain, wind 13–23 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 Potter 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.

Potter County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Potter County grew about 2,169 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 133% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 1,635 pounds per acre. That was the 2nd best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2024 at 2,260 pounds per acre; worst: 1988 at 860.

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 Potter 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

Potter 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 Potter County

Forecast for the center point of Potter County.

  • Freeze on 2 nights
  • Windy on 1 day
  1. Today Sunny 55° 38° S 10–28 mph 1% rain
  2. Mon Patchy Fog then Sunny 57° 41° SSE 12–16 mph 1% rain
  3. Tue Partly Sunny 54° 39° SSE 13–23 mph 0% rain
  4. Wed Partly Sunny 50° 33° WSW 13–22 mph 14% rain
  5. Thu Partly Sunny 42° 34° S 8–17 mph 8% rain
  6. Fri Chance Light Rain 45° 30° E 15–21 mph 42% rain
  7. Sat Chance Rain And Snow 37° 23° NNW 13–23 mph 38% 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 South Dakota; 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
0.81 in 44% of normal
Last 12 months
15.73 in 80%
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 1.83 in; same month last year 0.79 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 Potter County. Frost = 32°F; hard freeze = 28°F.

Gettysburg weather station (2 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
147-day growing season
 May 7
1 year in 10 it's after May 21
 Oct 2
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 21
Hard freeze (28°F)
165-day growing season
 Apr 29
1 year in 10 it's after May 11
 Oct 10
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 28

Onida 4 Nw weather station (24 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
147-day growing season
 May 8
1 year in 10 it's after May 22
 Oct 2
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 19
Hard freeze (28°F)
165-day growing season
 Apr 29
1 year in 10 it's after May 13
 Oct 11
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 27

Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Gettysburg, Onida 4 Nw), NOAA files as of Jun 27, 2023. Fetched Nov 11, 2026.

Text me Potter County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Mobridge Livestock Exchange Mobridge, SD 41 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 2026
  2. Ft. Pierre Livestock Auction Fort Pierre, SD 52 mi · sells Fridays · latest USDA report Nov 13, 2026
  3. Herried Livestock Market Herreid, SD 55 mi · sells Fridays · latest USDA report Nov 13, 2026
  4. Hub City Livestock Auction Aberdeen, SD 78 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  5. Napoleon Livestock (feeder cattle) Napoleon, ND 101 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

Printable county brief (PDF) · Everything on one page · Hay prices in South Dakota

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Potter County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Potter 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 Potter County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Potter County was in moderate drought (D1), and the worst part was moderate drought (D1) on 100% 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 Potter County?

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

What sale barns are near Potter County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Mobridge SD (41 mi), last report Nov 12, 2026; Fort Pierre SD (52 mi), last report Nov 13, 2026; Herreid SD (55 mi), last report Nov 13, 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.