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Red Willow County, NE

Cattle prices near Red Willow County, Nebraska. The closest sale barn with a recent report is Lexington in Lexington, NE, about 57 miles away. On Nov 13, 5-weight steers (500–599 lb) averaged $443.29 per hundredweight on 265 head (USDA). Check a bid against your own costs with Ring Price.

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CRP emergency haying & grazing: Red Willow 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 No droughtNone · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 5 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Lexington 5-wt steers $443▼ $3 since last sale

Red Willow County rain, outlook and forecast

The Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map shows most of Red Willow County, NE with no drought; 0% of the county is abnormally dry (D0) or worse, down from 9% four weeks earlier. Rain has run 70% of normal over the last 30 days (below 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 34% rain chance on Friday (high 67°). FSA's 2026 LFP list includes Red Willow County with up to 5 monthly payments, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Lexington, 57 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 70% 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 Mostly Sunny, high 51°, low 34°, 1% rain, wind 10–15 mph
  2. Monday Patchy Fog then Mostly Sunny, high 53°, low 39°, 0% rain, wind 15–20 mph
  3. Tuesday Partly Sunny, high 59°, low 46°, 0% rain, wind 20–30 mph
  4. Wednesday Mostly Sunny, high 66°, low 33°, 6% rain, wind 5–25 mph
  5. Thursday Sunny, high 57°, low 45°, 8% rain, wind 0–25 mph
  6. Friday Partly Sunny then Chance Rain Showers, high 67°, low 39°, 34% rain, wind 20–30 mph
  7. Saturday Sunny, high 52°, low 28°, 6% rain, wind 5–25 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 Red Willow 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.

Red Willow County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Red Willow County grew about 2,066 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 116% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 1,784 pounds per acre. That was the 3rd best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2016 at 2,212 pounds per acre; worst: 2002 at 982.

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 Red Willow 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

Red Willow 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: 2,066 lb per acre, well above normal (116% of the 1991-2020 average of 1,784).

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 (42% 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.

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Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Lexington Livestock Market Lexington, NE 57 mi · sells Fridays · latest USDA report Nov 13, 2026
  2. Imperial Auction Market Imperial, NE 66 mi · sells Fridays · latest USDA report Nov 6, 2026
  3. North Platte Stockyards North Platte, NE 68 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 3, 2026
  4. Huss Livestock Market Kearney, NE 82 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  5. Ogallala Livestock Auction Ogallala, NE 93 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

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 Nebraska

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Red Willow County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Red Willow 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 Red Willow County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Red Willow County was in no drought, and the worst part was no drought on 0% 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 Red Willow County?

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

What sale barns are near Red Willow County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Lexington (57 mi), last report Nov 13, 2026; Imperial (66 mi), last report Nov 6, 2026; North Platte (68 mi), last report Nov 3, 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.