Don Close is usually located in St Louis, Missouri but today The Country's Jamie Mackay finds Rabobank's US Animal Proteins Analyst in a woolshed in Dannevirke.
Close is in New Zealand catching up with those in the rural sector and has found that Mycoplasma bovis is a subject on most farmers' minds.
M. bovis is a "big problem" for the US beef industry, which has been dealing with the cattle disease for about 20 years says Close.
Also in today's interview: Close looks into the global dynamics of the beef industry and how a big dry in the south-west States could affect beef production.
Listen below:
