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Swain County, NC

Cattle prices near Swain County, North Carolina. The closest sale barn with a recent report is Knoxville TN in Knoxville, TN, about 39 miles away. On Nov 10, 5-weight steers (500–599 lb) averaged $376.00 per hundredweight on 65 head (USDA). Check a bid against your own costs with Ring Price.

Check a bid with Ring Price

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CRP emergency haying & grazing: Swain 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 Canton NC 5-wt steers $372per cwt

Swain County rain, outlook and forecast

On the Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map, most of Swain County, NC was in moderate drought (D1); 60% of the county is in moderate drought (D1) or worse, down from 71% four weeks earlier. Over 90 days rain is at 59% of normal, and the last 30 days came in at 33% (well below normal); the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans toward near-normal rain and no day in the 7-day forecast tops a 1% rain chance. Swain County is on FSA's 2026 LFP list with up to 4 monthly payments, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Canton NC, 36 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 33% of normal
  • Last 60 days 59% of normal
  • Last 90 days 59% 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 wetter than normal (40% chance of above-normal rain)

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

Next 7 days

  1. Today Mostly Clear, low 23°, 0% rain, wind 7 mph
  2. Sunday Sunny, high 42°, low 26°, 0% rain, wind 5 mph
  3. Monday Sunny, high 48°, low 31°, 0% rain, wind 2–3 mph
  4. Tuesday Sunny, high 53°, low 35°, 0% rain, wind 1–2 mph
  5. Wednesday Sunny, high 56°, low 36°, 0% rain, wind 1–3 mph
  6. Thursday Mostly Sunny, high 59°, low 40°, 0% rain, wind 2 mph
  7. Friday Sunny, high 60°, low 40°, 1% rain, wind 2–3 mph

National Weather Service forecast for the county center, updated Nov 14, 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 Swain 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.

Swain County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Swain County grew about 2,129 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 100% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 2,128 pounds per acre. That was the 20th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 1998 at 2,643 pounds per acre; worst: 2010 at 1,590.

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 Swain 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

Swain 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)

5-wt steers, nearest barns

Steers 500–599 lb, $/cwt, weekly average.

BarnLast sale5-wt steers
Canton NC 36 miNov 14–
Knoxville TN 39 miNov 10$376
Greeneville TN 55 miNov 14$381
How to read this

Each line is one barn's head-weighted average for 5-weight steers (500–599 lb) in that week; gaps are weeks with no sale or no lots that size. Past sales, not a bid.

Dollars per hundredweight ($/cwt, per 100 lb), calculated from USDA AMS Market News sale reports (Medium & Large 1 and 1-2). Not a USDA-published average. ≈ $/head = $/cwt × the middle of the weight class ÷ 100.

Guide: How to read a USDA sale barn report

Price history · Barn map · Fed vs feeder cattle

All weights at the 3 nearest barns

Canton NC 36 mi

Canton, NC
Sale of Nov 14, 2026
CattleHead$/cwt≈ $/head

USDA report (PDF) · Price history

Knoxville TN 39 mi

Knoxville, TN
Sale of Nov 10, 2026
CattleHead$/cwt≈ $/head
Heifers 400-499 lb57361.35$1,630
Heifers 500-599 lb114335.40$1,840
Heifers 600-699 lb51320.42$2,080
Heifers 700-799 lb13298.76$2,240
Steers 400-499 lb30426.98$1,920
Steers 500-599 lb65376.00$2,070
Steers 600-699 lb66353.23$2,300
Steers 700-799 lb49327.75$2,460

USDA report (PDF) · Price history

Greeneville TN 55 mi

Greeneville, TN
Sale of Nov 14, 2026
CattleHead$/cwt≈ $/head
Heifers 400-499 lb10372.53$1,680
Heifers 500-599 lb14328.58$1,810
Heifers 600-699 lb3296.56$1,930
Heifers 700-799 lb3276.67$2,080
Steers 400-499 lb3420.00$1,890
Steers 500-599 lb13381.08$2,100
Steers 700-799 lb1300.00$2,250

USDA report (PDF) · Price history

45 more within 200 mi: Sweetwater TN (57 mi), Athens TN (65 mi), Eastanollee GA (73 mi), Carnesville GA (83 mi), Williamston SC (86 mi), Crossville TN (92 mi), Shelby NC (110 mi), Laurens SC (110 mi), Athens GA (111 mi), Calhoun GA (111 mi), Albany KY (121 mi), Somerset KY (123 mi), McMinnville TN (130 mi), Washington GA (133 mi), Russell Springs KY (136 mi), North Wilkesboro NC (137 mi), Greensboro GA (139 mi), Saluda SC (Stockyards) (145 mi), Saluda SC (Exchange) (145 mi), Carthage TN (147 mi), Stanford KY (151 mi), Turnersburg NC (151 mi), Richmond KY (156 mi), Lafayette TN (158 mi), Jackson GA (160 mi), Campbellsville KY (161 mi), Carrollton GA (165 mi), Glasgow KY (169 mi), Kilpatrick AL (173 mi), Unionville TN (175 mi), Mt. Sterling KY (175 mi), Springfield KY (176 mi), Fayetteville TN (177 mi), Lexington KY (180 mi), Paris KY (187 mi), Dublin VA (187 mi), Upton KY (188 mi), Norwood NC (190 mi), Thomaston GA (191 mi), Arab AL (192 mi), Bowling Green KY (United) (192 mi), Bowling Green KY (Cattleman) (192 mi), Flemingsburg KY (198 mi), Ashville AL (199 mi), Roanoke AL (200 mi).

Text me Swain County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. WNC Regional Livestock Center Canton, NC 36 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 14, 2026
  2. Knoxville Livestock Auction Center Inc. Knoxville, TN 39 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 10, 2026
  3. Volunteer Stockyards Greeneville, TN 55 mi · sells Saturdays · latest USDA report Nov 14, 2026
  4. East Tennessee Livestock Center, Inc. Sweetwater, TN 57 mi · sells Fridays · latest USDA report Nov 13, 2026
  5. Athens Livestock Market Athens, TN 65 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 10, 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 · Nearest USDA hay reports (none for North Carolina): Tennessee

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Swain County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Swain 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 Swain County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Swain County was in moderate drought (D1), and the worst part was moderate drought (D1) on 60% 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 Swain County?

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

What sale barns are near Swain County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Canton NC (36 mi), last report Nov 14, 2026; Knoxville TN (39 mi), last report Nov 10, 2026; Greeneville TN (55 mi), last report Nov 14, 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.