Early access, free.
Cownty

Home › Kansas › Seward County

Seward County, KS

Change county
CRP emergency haying & grazing: Seward 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 Abnormally dryD0 · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 4 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Beaver 5-wt steers $433▲ $9 since last sale

Seward County rain, outlook and forecast

As of the Oct 27 Drought Monitor, most of Seward County, KS was abnormally dry (D0), with 24% at moderate drought (D1); 24% of the county is in moderate drought (D1) or worse, down from 100% four weeks earlier. Seward County has had 109% of its normal rain in the past 30 days and 173% over 90 days, so the past month has been drier than the season so far; the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 7–11 leans toward near-normal rain and the best rain chance this week is 53% on today (high 74°). FSA's 2026 LFP list includes Seward County (county seat: Liberal) with up to 4 monthly payments, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Beaver, 31 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 109% of normal
  • Last 60 days 206% of normal
  • Last 90 days 173% 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 7–11) Leans toward near-normal rain
  • 8-14 day outlook (Nov 9–15) Leans toward near-normal rain

NOAA Climate Prediction Center precipitation outlook, issued Nov 1, 2026. Source.

Next 7 days

  1. Today Mostly Sunny, high 74°, low 43°, 53% rain, wind 14–23 mph
  2. Tuesday Mostly Sunny, high 60°, low 37°, 0% rain, wind 3–23 mph
  3. Wednesday Sunny, high 66°, low 39°, 22% rain, wind 3–8 mph
  4. Thursday Sunny, high 60°, low 34°, 12% rain, wind 5–12 mph
  5. Friday Mostly Sunny, high 63°, low 38°, 3% rain, wind 5 mph
  6. Saturday Mostly Sunny, high 65°, low 37°, 15% rain, wind 5–9 mph
  7. Sunday Sunny, high 63°, low 36°, 5% rain, wind 5–9 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 Seward 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.

Seward County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Seward County grew about 2,191 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 131% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 1,672 pounds per acre. That was the 5th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2023 at 2,476 pounds per acre; worst: 1986 at 769.

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 Seward 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

Seward 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: 2,191 lb per acre, well above normal (131% of the 1991-2020 average of 1,672).

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 (44% 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 Seward County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Beaver Livestock Auction (feeder cattle) Beaver, OK 31 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Oct 27, 2026
  2. Winter Livestock Dodge City, KS 61 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Oct 28, 2026
  3. Woodward Livestock Auction (feeder cattle) Woodward, OK 97 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Oct 29, 2026
  4. Cattlemen's Livestock Auction Dalhart, TX 124 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Oct 29, 2026
  5. Winter Livestock (Pratt Livestock) Pratt, KS 124 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Oct 29, 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 Kansas · County seat: Liberal

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Seward County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Seward 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 Seward County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Oct 27, 2026, most of Seward County was in abnormally dry (D0), and the worst part was moderate drought (D1) on 24% of the county. 0 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 Seward County?

No official statewide list to check: Kansas has no statewide official burn-ban list; county commissions set bans and announce them locally (county emergency management or sheriff).

What sale barns are near Seward County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Beaver (31 mi), last report Oct 27, 2026; Dodge City (61 mi), last report Oct 28, 2026; Woodward (97 mi), last report Oct 29, 2026.

Source: USDA AMS Market News reports

What are the upcoming FSA and farm deadlines?

Next: Nov 20, 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.