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By Kent Casson CHENOA Believe it or not, the extreme cold can be beneficial for farmers. If freezing temperatures get deep enough, they can kill insects and other harmful creatures in the soil that will give growers some peace of mind as they enter another growing season. “For a lot of the insects we are concerned about, the soil has to be about 20 degrees at four to five inches for about 10 days,” explained Marion Shier, an agronomist with United Soils in Fairbury. The ground may only be frozen down to a few inches at this point and Shier doesn’t feel the soil temperature that deep is quite at 20 degrees yet. Snow on the ground often acts as an insulator on top of the soil. ....