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Union County, NM

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CRP emergency haying & grazing: Union 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 SevereD2 · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 5 payments Burn ban Noneno ban now Dalhart 5-wt steers $413▼ $1 since last sale

Union County rain, outlook and forecast

On the Oct 27 U.S. Drought Monitor map, most of Union County, NM was in severe drought (D2), with 25% at extreme drought (D3); some part has been in severe drought (D2) or worse for 33 straight weeks. Rain has run 129% of normal over the last 30 days (above normal) and 113% over 90 days; today carries the week's highest rain chance at 81% (high 63°) and the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 7–11 leans toward near-normal rain. Union County (county seat: Clayton) is on FSA's 2026 LFP list with up to 5 monthly payments, and Dalhart is the closest USDA-reported sale barn at 60 miles.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 129% of normal
  • Last 60 days 191% of normal
  • Last 90 days 113% of normal

NOAA river forecast center rain (radar plus gauges) at the county center, Nov 1, 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 Cloudy then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, high 63°, low 49°, 81% rain, wind 20–30 mph
  2. Monday Chance Rain Showers then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, high 60°, low 39°, 36% rain, wind 20–25 mph
  3. Tuesday Sunny, high 58°, low 37°, 0% rain, wind 5–20 mph
  4. Wednesday Sunny then Slight Chance Rain Showers, high 61°, low 38°, 28% rain, wind 5–15 mph
  5. Thursday Sunny, high 57°, low 36°, 4% rain, wind 5–15 mph
  6. Friday Mostly Sunny, high 58°, low 38°, 15% rain, wind 5–10 mph
  7. Saturday Chance Rain Showers, high 58°, low 35°, 29% rain, wind 5–15 mph

National Weather Service forecast for the county center, updated Nov 1, 2026. Wind, warnings and burn bans.

Open loss windows

No open loss windows in Union 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

Union 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: 1,319 lb per acre, a little above normal (104% of the 1991-2020 average of 1,267).

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 (90% 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 Union County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Cattlemen's Livestock Auction Dalhart, TX 60 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Oct 29, 2026
  2. La Junta Livestock Commission La Junta, CO 102 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Oct 28, 2026
  3. Winter Livestock (Tuesday) La Junta, CO 104 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Oct 27, 2026
  4. Lonestar Stockyards Wildorado, TX 118 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Oct 27, 2026
  5. Clovis Livestock Auction Clovis, NM 145 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 New Mexico · County seat: Clayton

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Union County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Union 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 Oct 29, 2026

What is the drought level in Union County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Oct 27, 2026, most of Union County was in severe drought (D2), and the worst part was extreme drought (D3) on 25% of the county. 33 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 Union County?

No burn ban is listed for Union County. Check with the county before burning.

Source: official state burn-ban map, as of Oct 6, 2026

What sale barns are near Union County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Dalhart (60 mi), last report Oct 29, 2026; La Junta LJLC (102 mi), last report Oct 28, 2026; La Junta Winter (104 mi), last report Oct 27, 2026.

Source: USDA AMS Market News reports

What are the upcoming FSA and farm deadlines?

Next: Nov 10, 2026: First half of property taxes due to the county treasurer; 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.