The South African beef industry has seen enormous growth in exports over the past couple of years, generating an estimated US$144 million in 2017.

High maize prices and a downward spiral of beef prices are putting pressure on cattle farmers and could see many in the beef industry going out of business.

I am ending this week, not by highlighting an agricultural story that dominated the news headlines – as it is typically the case — but some encouraging developments for the South African beef industry.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease is caused by the Foot-and-Mouth disease (FMD) virus, an aphthovirus. Seven distinct serotypes occur (A, O, C, S.A.T.1, S.A.T.2, S.A.T.3, Asia 1), each with several subtypes.

It begins, as it often does, with the quiet. A misty dawn, the low murmur of hooves on hay.

Every day, producers work hard to protect their crops from threats they can see – drought, pests, diseases, weeds. But some of the biggest risks are the ones that arrive quietly,
often unnoticed, until the damage is done.