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Consumers and farmers alike will bear the brunt of the drought in the US which has sent maize prices soaring.

Several thousand farmers in Namibia’s northwestern Kunene Region are receiving drought relief from Government after a lack of rainfall severely affected cattle output in the communal area.

Livestock farmers in northern KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Zululand are desperate for rain.

The new Bioboost feeding system makes it possible to produce the equivalent of up to 30ha grazing under irrigation in a small 'container'. This means a farmer can increase productivity while reducing input costs, have a constant supply of fresh and highly nutritious feed available for livestock, and 'drought-proof' the farm, says Vivian Beukes, who developed the system. Denene Erasmus spoke to him

Sporadic rain over the summer rainfall region of South Africa resulted in pockets of drought in virtually every district in the area.

Most parts of the summer grain production region of South Africa received between 20% and 30% less rain in the 2011/12 season than the 2010/11 season.

Sporadic drought and the retail industry’s reluctance to pass on lower prices to the consumer caused a serious red meat price drop. It is feared that farmers will be forced off their farms if prices do not pick up soon.

Without financial help, 30% of the Lower Orange river area in Northern Cape's flood-hit farmers may not be able to continue operating.

Roelof Bezuidenhout, a Farmer's Weekly correspondent who farms near Steytlerville, is experiencing drought first-hand. He believes government will have to reconsider their drought aid if they want to keep farmers on the land, ensure food security and prevent permanent damage to natural resources.

Africa's biggest sugar company, Illovo Sugar, has reported disappointing earnings for its financial year ending 30 September 2010.

Meetings at Adelaide and Steytlerville indicate that farmers in the Eastern Cape are unhappy with the way satellite images are used to interpret drought conditions and earmark farms for emergency drought relief.

About R9 million of the R20 million of drought relief funds held by the Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (ECARD) for the 2009/10 financial year has been made available to service providers who supply farmers with fodder, said Agri Eastern Cape (Agri EC) vice-president Waymend Kritzinger.