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Wake County, NC

Cattle prices near Wake County, North Carolina. The closest sale barn with a recent report is Smithfield NC in Smithfield, NC, about 25 miles away. On Nov 12, 5-weight steers (500–599 lb) averaged $327.54 per hundredweight on 41 head (USDA). Check a bid against your own costs with Ring Price.

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CRP emergency haying & grazing: Wake County is on FSA's list (since Sep 15, 2026). Check with your FSA county office first. Details · FSA list as of Nov 5, 2026.
Drought SevereD2 · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 5 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Smithfield NC 5-wt steers $328▼ $20 since last sale

Wake County rain, outlook and forecast

As of the Nov 10 Drought Monitor, most of Wake County, NC was in severe drought (D2), with 27% at extreme drought (D3), and D2-or-worse drought has held there 9 weeks running. Wake County has had 62% of its normal rain in the past 30 days and 49% over 90 days; 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. Wake County is on FSA's 2026 LFP list with up to 5 monthly payments, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Smithfield NC, 25 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 62% of normal
  • Last 60 days 56% of normal
  • Last 90 days 49% 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 Widespread Frost then Sunny, high 57°, low 32°, 0% rain, wind 3–6 mph
  2. Monday Sunny, high 57°, low 34°, 0% rain, wind 2–6 mph
  3. Tuesday Sunny, high 60°, low 34°, 0% rain, wind 2–3 mph
  4. Wednesday Sunny, high 64°, low 34°, 0% rain, wind 0–2 mph
  5. Thursday Sunny, high 67°, low 38°, 1% rain, wind 1 mph
  6. Friday Sunny, high 69°, low 40°, 1% rain, wind 1–2 mph
  7. Saturday Sunny, high 69°, 1% rain, wind 3 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 Wake 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.

Wake County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Wake County grew about 1,828 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 107% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 1,709 pounds per acre. That was the 14th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2016 at 2,064 pounds per acre; worst: 1986 at 1,038.

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 1 open

What happenedStartedTell FSA early byFSA deadline
Extreme drought (D3) reached (U.S. Drought Monitor) Nov 3, 2026Dec 3, 2026 (18 days left)Mar 1, 2027

If this cost you livestock, extra feed or hauled water, call your county FSA office now, while it's fresh. The 30-day date is a suggestion from Cownty; FSA's deadline for the notice of loss and application is the March 1 date. Log it in your Drought Ledger · Find your FSA office and phone

Text YES CLOCK for a reminder on day 21 and day 28.

Information only; not financial, tax or legal advice. FSA decides eligibility. Cownty sends nothing to FSA.

Drought-sale tax flag IRS list

Wake 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
Smithfield NC 25 miNov 12$328
Siler City NC 46 miNov 9–
Norwood NC 91 miNov 11$360
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

Smithfield NC 25 mi

Smithfield, NC
Sale of Nov 12, 2026
CattleHead$/cwt≈ $/head
Heifers 400-499 lb21321.85$1,450
Heifers 500-599 lb69300.21$1,650
Heifers 600-699 lb14257.85$1,680
Heifers 700-799 lb7243.61$1,830
Steers 400-499 lb12346.51$1,560
Steers 500-599 lb41327.54$1,800
Steers 600-699 lb27314.42$2,040
Steers 700-799 lb6315.20$2,360

USDA report (PDF) · Price history

Siler City NC 46 mi

Siler City, NC
Sale of Nov 9, 2026
CattleHead$/cwt≈ $/head
Heifers 400-499 lb6319.67$1,440
Heifers 500-599 lb3282.37$1,550
Heifers 600-699 lb1250.00$1,620
Steers 400-499 lb1420.00$1,890
Steers 600-699 lb2313.45$2,040

USDA report (PDF) · Price history

Norwood NC 91 mi

Norwood, NC
Sale of Nov 11, 2026
CattleHead$/cwt≈ $/head
Heifers 400-499 lb56347.79$1,570
Heifers 500-599 lb41313.63$1,720
Heifers 600-699 lb8284.89$1,850
Heifers 700-799 lb3251.57$1,890
Steers 400-499 lb15367.46$1,650
Steers 500-599 lb24360.00$1,980
Steers 600-699 lb8324.98$2,110
Steers 700-799 lb4315.00$2,360

USDA report (PDF) · Price history

15 more within 200 mi: Blackstone VA (96 mi), Chadbourn NC (102 mi), Rustburg VA (105 mi), Moneta VA (110 mi), Turnersburg NC (121 mi), Darlington SC (124 mi), Roanoke VA (126 mi), North Wilkesboro NC (142 mi), Dublin VA (145 mi), Shelby NC (166 mi), Radiant VA (176 mi), Harrisonburg VA (Shenandoah) (183 mi), Harrisonburg VA (Rockingham) (183 mi), Monterey VA (188 mi), Culpeper VA (189 mi).

Text me Wake County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Powell Livestock Company Smithfield, NC 25 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 2026
  2. Carolina Stockyards Siler City, NC 46 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
  3. Stanly County Livestock Market Norwood, NC 91 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  4. Southside Livestock Blackstone, VA 96 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  5. Southeastern Auction Co. Inc. Chadbourn, NC 102 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

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 · Nearest USDA hay reports (none for North Carolina): Tennessee

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Wake County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Wake 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 Nov 5, 2026

What is the drought level in Wake County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Wake County was in severe drought (D2), and the worst part was extreme drought (D3) on 27% of the county. 9 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 Wake 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 Wake County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Smithfield NC (25 mi), last report Nov 12, 2026; Siler City NC (46 mi), last report Nov 9, 2026; Norwood NC (91 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.