In South Dakota, the government shutdown has blocked federal financial help for cattle ranchers whose herds were devastated by a historic early blizzard this month. The storm blasted western South Dakota with 70-mile-an-hour winds and more than three feet of snow. The cattle had yet to grow their winter coats. As many as 100,000 died of hypothermia, drowning and other causes. The exact number of deaths is unknown; the federal agency tasked with tallying them is currently shut down.