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Valley County, MT

No sale barn with a published report is within 100 miles of Valley County, Montana. This page still has drought, programs and weather for the county when those are loaded.

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Drought No droughtNone · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Not listedFSA 2026 list Burn ban Checkcall the county Miles City MT 5-wt steers $427per cwt

Valley County rain, outlook and forecast

The Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map shows most of Valley County, MT with no drought. Rain has run 201% of normal over the last 30 days (well above normal); the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans toward near-normal rain and the NWS forecast peaks at a 57% rain chance on Tuesday (high 52°). FSA has not added Valley County to its 2026 LFP list, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Miles City MT, 140 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 201% of normal
  • Last 60 days not read yet
  • Last 90 days not read yet

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 drier than normal (33% chance of below-normal rain)

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

Next 7 days

  1. Today Sunny, high 55°, low 32°, 0% rain, wind 2–7 mph
  2. Monday Partly Sunny, high 54°, low 35°, 0% rain, wind 3–7 mph
  3. Tuesday Mostly Cloudy, high 52°, low 30°, 57% rain, wind 9–12 mph
  4. Wednesday Rain And Snow Likely, high 40°, low 25°, 57% rain, wind 5–14 mph
  5. Thursday Mostly Cloudy, high 39°, low 26°, 15% rain, wind 5–8 mph
  6. Friday Slight Chance Light Snow, high 38°, low 23°, 15% rain, wind 8 mph
  7. Saturday Mostly Cloudy, high 36°, low 20°, 11% rain, wind 5–8 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 Valley 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.

Valley County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Valley County grew about 984 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 116% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 846 pounds per acre. That was the 8th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2016 at 1,236 pounds per acre; worst: 1988 at 510.

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 Valley 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

Valley 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: 984 lb per acre, well above normal (116% of the 1991-2020 average of 846).

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 (72% 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 13, 2026.

Text me Valley County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Miles City Livestock Commission Miles City, MT 140 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 10, 2026
  2. Billings Livestock Commission Billings, MT 198 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
  3. Public Auction Yards Billings, MT 198 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  4. Stockmen's Livestock Exchange (feeder cattle) Dickinson, ND 207 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 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 Montana

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Valley 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 Valley County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Valley County was in no drought, and the worst part was no drought on 0% 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 Valley County?

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

What sale barns are near Valley County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Miles City MT (140 mi), last report Nov 10, 2026; Billings MT (BLC) (198 mi), last report Nov 9, 2026; Billings MT (PAYS) (198 mi), last report Nov 11, 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.