Australian ag hit hard by brushfires 

Livestock losses across South Australia are in the thousands, and the figure is growing due to smoke and heat as a bushfire crisis deepens, Australia’s Minister for Agriculture Bridget McKenzie said Friday. Mecardo agricultural analyst Matt Ballarat reported Jan. 3 that approximately 8.6 million head of sheep — 12% of the flock — and 2.3 million head of cattle — 9% of the herd — could be affected by the fires. Read more at Beef magazine…