A warm start to February in Iowa gave way to bitterly cold conditions later in the month.

The USDA says those cold temperatures and measurable snowfall stressed livestock and led to concerns about increased mortality during calving and lambing, with increased feed and bedding use and issues with water availability in parts of the state.

Soil moisture levels are still a potential problem ahead of planting, but that could be at least partially alleviated by February’s snowfall.

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