A foot-and-mouth disease outbreak inside Namibia’s internationally recognised disease-free zone has brought livestock movements to a halt, leaving cattle farmers unable to move or market animals and threatening valuable export trade.
Meanwhile, a strengthening El Niño is already influencing decisions on farms from Southeast Asia to southern Africa.
Australian growers are racing to get overseas workers onto farms before harvest, English farmers have seen an environmental support budget exhausted within hours, and US soybean growers are still waiting for diplomatic progress with China to translate into dependable demand.
Plus, the Global Market Report examines the surge in diesel costs hitting US farmers during harvest.
Presented by Simon Morris.
This week's stories:
Africa — Foot-and-mouth disease stops Namibia’s cattle trade
Ten positive foot-and-mouth disease tests on a commercial farm near Karasburg have triggered nationwide restrictions on livestock movements and trade. For cattle producers, the immediate problem is not only disease risk but cash flow: animals intended for slaughter or sale must still be fed while farmers wait to discover when normal marketing can resume.
Asia — El Niño moves onto the farm balance sheet
El Niño is becoming an immediate business issue for farmers across several continents. More than 223,000 farmers have been affected in the Philippines, while Thai rice growers are spending money pumping irrigation water and Indonesian oil-palm producers are reconsidering fertiliser applications. Zimbabwean farmers, meanwhile, are preparing for the risk before their main cropping season.
Oceania — Australian growers race to secure harvest workers
An emergency process could speed up urgent Working Holiday Maker visa applications for overseas workers already contracted to Australian farms. Grain growers in Western Australia and cherry producers in Tasmania are among those worried that skilled workers will arrive too late. The crop, after all, will not wait for the paperwork.
Europe — England’s green funding disappears within hours
The second 2026 Sustainable Farming Incentive application window closed on 22 September after its available funding was committed in less than six hours. Farmers still dealing with mapping, land-record or computer problems were left outside the scheme, raising questions about how future environmental support should be allocated.
North America — US soybean growers await Chinese demand
The United States and China have extended their trade truce for another two months. But for soybean farmers bringing crops out of the field, the important question remains unanswered: will diplomacy translate into sustained Chinese buying? Growers must decide whether to sell, store or finance their harvested crop while they wait.
Global Market Report — Diesel hits harvest margins
US farmers face sharply higher diesel costs just as combines, tractors and grain lorries move into their busiest period. The Iowa Corn Growers Association says national on-highway diesel prices are almost 60% higher than a year ago and is seeking temporary relief, including allowing harvest-related road haulage to use tax-exempt dyed farm fuel.
Contributors
Simon Morris – presenter
Samuel Njoroge – Africa correspondent
Ananya Rao – Asia correspondent
Claire Mitchell – Oceania correspondent
Lukas Fischer – Europe correspondent
Daniel Mercer – North America correspondent
Useful links
Namibia foot-and-mouth disease outbreak (Government Update)
El Niño and Asian agriculture (Associated Press)
Philippines — El Niño agricultural losses (The Tribune)
Australia — farm workers and Working Holiday Maker visas (ABC Rural)
England — Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 (Defra)
US-China trade truce and soybean growers (American Soybean Association)
US harvest diesel costs (Iowa Corn Growers Association)
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