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Rusk County, TX

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CRP emergency haying & grazing: Rusk County is on FSA's list (since Sep 1, 2026). Check with your FSA county office first. Details · FSA list as of Oct 29, 2026.
Drought ExtremeD3 · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 4 payments Burn ban ONno outdoor burning Hope 5-wt steers $372▼ $6 since last sale

Rusk County rain, outlook and forecast

On the Oct 27 U.S. Drought Monitor map, most of Rusk County, TX was in extreme drought (D3), and D2-or-worse drought has held there 9 weeks running. Rusk County has had 33% of its normal rain in the past 30 days and 46% over 90 days; the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 8–12 leans drier than normal (33% chance of below-normal rain) and Tuesday carries the week's highest rain chance at 96% (high 73°). FSA's 2026 LFP list includes Rusk County with up to 4 monthly payments, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Hope, 127 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 33% of normal
  • Last 60 days 49% of normal
  • Last 90 days 46% of normal

NOAA river forecast center rain (radar plus gauges) at the county center, Nov 2, 2026. Source.

Rain outlook

  • 6-10 day outlook (Nov 8–12) Leans drier than normal (33% chance of below-normal rain)
  • 8-14 day outlook (Nov 10–16) Leans toward near-normal rain

NOAA Climate Prediction Center precipitation outlook, issued Nov 2, 2026. Source.

Next 7 days

  1. Today Mostly Sunny, high 82°, low 67°, 48% rain, wind 10–15 mph
  2. Tuesday Showers And Thunderstorms, high 73°, low 49°, 96% rain, wind 5–15 mph
  3. Wednesday Sunny, high 71°, low 46°, 0% rain, wind 0–5 mph
  4. Thursday Sunny, high 75°, low 49°, 8% rain, wind 0–5 mph
  5. Friday Sunny, high 73°, low 46°, 1% rain, wind 0–10 mph
  6. Saturday Mostly Sunny, high 69°, low 43°, 9% rain, wind 0–5 mph
  7. Sunday Mostly Sunny, high 67°, low 41°, 6% rain, wind 0–10 mph

National Weather Service forecast for the county center, updated Nov 2, 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 Rusk County is Dec 1, 2026, 29 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.

Rusk County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Rusk County grew about 2,928 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 99% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 2,966 pounds per acre. That was the 18th lowest of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 1991 at 3,462 pounds per acre; worst: 1986 at 1,480.

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 Rusk 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

Rusk 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 appraisal district map

Grass grown on rangeland and pasture

Grass grown in 2025: 2,928 lb per acre, about normal (99% of the 1991-2020 average of 2,966).

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 (41% 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 1, 2026.

Text me Rusk County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Hope Livestock Auction Hope, AR 127 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Oct 29, 2026
  2. Giddings Livestock Commission Giddings, TX 185 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Oct 26, 2026
  3. McAlester Union Stockyards McAlester, OK 203 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Oct 27, 2026
  4. Southern Oklahoma Livestock (feeder cattle) Ada, OK 214 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Oct 28, 2026
  5. County Line Sale Ratcliff, AR 226 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Oct 28, 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 Texas

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Rusk County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Rusk 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 Oct 29, 2026

What is the drought level in Rusk County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Oct 27, 2026, most of Rusk County was in extreme drought (D3), and the worst part was extreme drought (D3) on 72% of the county. 9 straight weeks with some severe drought (D2) or worse.

Source: U.S. Drought Monitor, map of Oct 27, 2026

Is there a burn ban in Rusk County?

Yes, a burn ban is in effect for Rusk County (since Aug 5, 2026). Check with the county before burning.

Source: official state burn-ban map, as of Nov 2, 2026

What sale barns are near Rusk County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Hope (127 mi), last report Oct 29, 2026; Giddings (185 mi), last report Oct 26, 2026.

Source: USDA AMS Market News reports

What are the upcoming FSA and farm deadlines?

Next: Nov 13, 2026: Apply for NRCS conservation cost-share (EQIP, CSP, ACEP) to be considered for 2027 money; Nov 20, 2026: Micro Farm 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.