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Shelby County, KY

Cattle prices near Shelby County, Kentucky. The closest sale barn with a recent report is Owenton KY in Owenton, KY, about 30 miles away. On Nov 11, 5-weight steers (500–599 lb) averaged $360.75 per hundredweight on 11 head (USDA). Check a bid against your own costs with Ring Price.

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Drought No droughtNone · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Not listedFSA 2026 list Burn ban Checkcall the county Owenton KY 5-wt steers $361▼ $49 since last sale

Shelby County rain, outlook and forecast

The Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map shows most of Shelby County, KY with no drought, though a sliver (<1%) at abnormally dry (D0); four weeks earlier 54% of the county was abnormally dry (D0) or worse, now 0%. Rain has run 56% of normal over the last 30 days (below normal) and 57% over 90 days; no day in the 7-day forecast tops a 10% rain chance and the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans toward near-normal rain. FSA has not added Shelby County to its 2026 LFP list, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Owenton KY, 30 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 56% of normal
  • Last 60 days 58% of normal
  • Last 90 days 57% 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 toward near-normal rain

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

Next 7 days

  1. Today Partly Sunny, high 50°, low 28°, 0% rain, wind 2–6 mph
  2. Monday Sunny, high 54°, low 28°, 0% rain, wind 2–3 mph
  3. Tuesday Sunny, high 58°, low 29°, 0% rain, wind 2 mph
  4. Wednesday Sunny, high 62°, low 34°, 0% rain, wind 3 mph
  5. Thursday Mostly Sunny, high 63°, low 40°, 0% rain, wind 3–7 mph
  6. Friday Sunny, high 66°, low 40°, 1% rain, wind 3 mph
  7. Saturday Sunny, high 68°, low 44°, 10% rain, wind 3–8 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 Shelby 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.

Shelby County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Shelby County grew about 2,974 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 107% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 2,790 pounds per acre. That was the 13th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2012 at 3,384 pounds per acre; worst: 1986 at 1,515.

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 Shelby 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

A county next to Shelby County is on IRS Notice 2026-54 (Anderson County, KY, Franklin County, KY, Spencer County, KY). The IRS counts your county plus every county touching it.

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 Shelby County

Forecast for the center point of Shelby County.

  • Freeze on 3 nights
  1. Today Partly Sunny 50° 28° N 2–6 mph 0% rain
  2. Mon Sunny 54° 28° NE 2–3 mph 0% rain
  3. Tue Sunny 58° 29° E 2 mph 0% rain
  4. Wed Sunny 62° 34° S 3 mph 0% rain
  5. Thu Mostly Sunny 63° 40° SW 3–7 mph 0% rain
  6. Fri Sunny 66° 40° S 3 mph 1% rain
  7. Sat Sunny 68° 44° S 3–8 mph 10% 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 Kentucky; 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
1.74 in 46% of normal
Last 12 months
45.14 in 89%
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 3.79 in; same month last year 6.94 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 Shelby County. Frost = 32°F; hard freeze = 28°F.

Frankfort Capital City Ap weather station (18 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
192-day growing season
 Apr 15
1 year in 10 it's after May 5
 Oct 24
1 year in 10 it's before Oct 13
Hard freeze (28°F)
215-day growing season
 Apr 3
1 year in 10 it's after Apr 22
 Nov 4
1 year in 10 it's before Oct 23

Shelbyville 1 E weather station (3 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
161-day growing season
 May 1
1 year in 10 it's after May 15
 Oct 10
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 24
Hard freeze (28°F)
179-day growing season
 Apr 24
1 year in 10 it's after May 7
 Oct 21
1 year in 10 it's before Oct 4

short record Based on only 11 years of records here (30 is normal), so treat it as rougher.

Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Frankfort Capital City Ap, Shelbyville 1 E), NOAA files as of Jun 27, 2023. Fetched Nov 11, 2026.

Text me Shelby County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. United Producers Inc. Owenton, KY 30 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  2. Washington Co. Livestock Springfield, KY 38 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 10, 2026
  3. Blue Grass Stockyards Lexington, KY 42 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
  4. Paris Stockyards Paris, KY 52 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
  5. Blue Grass South Stockyards Stanford, KY 58 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 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 Kentucky

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Shelby County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Not on FSA's 2026 LFP county list as of Nov 5, 2026. FSA updates the list as drought changes.

Source: FSA LFP county file of Nov 5, 2026

What is the drought level in Shelby County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Shelby County was in no drought, and the worst part was abnormally dry (D0) on a sliver (<1%) 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 Shelby County?

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

What sale barns are near Shelby County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Owenton KY (30 mi), last report Nov 11, 2026; Springfield KY (38 mi), last report Nov 10, 2026; Lexington KY (42 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.