(AP) — State officials say ranchers in northwest Nebraska fared better than originally thought in the wake of an October blizzard that killed at least 2,200 cattle.

Director of Agriculture Greg Ibach said Wednesday that the region’s economy will recover, and the effect is small relative to Nebraska agriculture as a whole. Ibach says the state worked with rendering facilities and local landfills to help dispose of the carcasses.

The storm in early October dumped several feet of snow on the western Plains, and caused tornadoes in eastern Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa. Tens of thousands of cattle were killed in western South Dakota.

Gov. Dave Heineman says Congress needs to pass a new farm bill, which previously has made disaster assistance available to compensate producers for their losses.