Meteorologists anticipate January and February will be cold and dry, so livestock producers should take precautions to help their animals thrive in the bitter cold.

"As March, April and May roll around, the weather more likely will continue to be wet like over half of the years during 2008 to 2015 have been," said Chris Anderson, climate risk analyst at Iowa State University.

"Last year’s dry April, except for the misfortune northwestern Iowa had with a very wet April-May, is very unlikely to be repeated this year. El Nino is gone. So, the recent trend of a wet spring is likely to return."

A cold winter and a wet spring mean livestock farmers will continue to take extra measures to ensure their animals are safe and warm, experts say.

Keep sheep dry and warm

Dan...