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Wayne County, NC

Cattle prices near Wayne County, North Carolina. The closest sale barn with a recent report is Smithfield NC in Smithfield, NC, about 23 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: Wayne 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 ExtremeD3 · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 4 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Smithfield NC 5-wt steers $328▼ $20 since last sale

Wayne County rain, outlook and forecast

On the Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map, most of Wayne County, NC was in extreme drought (D3); some part has been in severe drought (D2) or worse for 13 straight weeks. Over 90 days rain is at 38% of normal, and the last 30 days came in at 36% (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. FSA's 2026 LFP list includes Wayne County with up to 4 monthly payments, and Smithfield NC is the closest USDA-reported sale barn at 23 miles.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 36% of normal
  • Last 60 days 40% of normal
  • Last 90 days 38% 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 59°, low 31°, 0% rain, wind 2–6 mph
  2. Monday Sunny, high 59°, low 33°, 0% rain, wind 2–9 mph
  3. Tuesday Sunny, high 63°, low 34°, 0% rain, wind 2–7 mph
  4. Wednesday Sunny, high 66°, low 34°, 0% rain, wind 1–5 mph
  5. Thursday Sunny, high 70°, low 38°, 1% rain, wind 0–2 mph
  6. Friday Sunny, high 71°, low 40°, 1% rain, wind 0–3 mph
  7. Saturday Sunny, high 72°, 1% rain, wind 1–6 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 Wayne 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.

Wayne County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Wayne County grew about 1,307 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 147% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 890 pounds per acre. That was the 5th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 1994 at 1,695 pounds per acre; worst: 1986 at 379.

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

Wayne 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: 1,307 lb per acre, well above normal (147% of the 1991-2020 average of 890).

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 (8% 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 Wayne County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Powell Livestock Company Smithfield, NC 23 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 2026
  2. Southeastern Auction Co. Inc. Chadbourn, NC 85 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
  3. Carolina Stockyards Siler City, NC 86 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
  4. Stanly County Livestock Market Norwood, NC 119 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  5. Southside Livestock Blackstone, VA 119 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 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 Wayne County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Wayne 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 Wayne County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Wayne County was in extreme drought (D3), and the worst part was extreme drought (D3) on 86% of the county. 13 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Smithfield NC (23 mi), last report Nov 12, 2026; Chadbourn NC (85 mi), last report Nov 9, 2026; Siler City NC (86 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.