One effect of the extended drought Iowa has experienced since 2021 is the loss of some private wells on farms.

That’s what happened to Alex Swanstrom last fall, when the well he used for water for his cattle went dry, forcing him to find an alternate source.

“We’re lucky. A big rain in September plus the monstrous amount of snow we had recharged the well enough to let us water our cattle in the south lot over the winter,” said Swanstrom, a Wapello County Farm Bureau member.

For the north lot, the larger of the...