I just received the following email. I've received similar scams in the past, but this one is specific to cattle:

Dear friend,

I am writing this letter in other to inform you of a business that will benefit both of us immensely as long as you will make up your mind to co-operate accordingly but before going into details, i want you to take note that this business is not a child's play or something to toy with rather it is a business that will give us the opportunity to make lots of money.

I have been unjustly treated by my partner in a transaction so, i seek your help, attention and genuine co-operation to our mutual benefit and i believe that you will not let down the trust and confidence i am about to repose on you. i have been working in an import and export firm that pays me about two hundred dollars per month for the past ten years. i worked with this company as the product sourcing manager.

Between the 17th - 19th of Feb., 2012 a seminar was held in Bouake, Cote d’Ivoire of which i attended. While in the seminar, i was opportune to meet a farmer who introduced himself to me as the PRESIDENT and CEO of his company, he is an accomplished and widely known millionaire farmer in this part of the region. Apart from his farms here in Abidjan, he has cattle farms in MALI, SENEGAL, GUINEA, BURKINA FASO AND CHAD REP.
above all, he is one of the greatest supplier of cattle, beef and other dairy products in this part of west Africa region . On knowing my profession, he took me into confidence by informing me about the purchase of a particular but very rare medicine for his cattle.

He informed me about the huge amount of money he spends on the purchase of this very important cattle medicine. Precisely, he pays us$2,000 per carton of the medicine. He asked if my organization can source for a cheaper supplier for him. Back in my office, I discussed this proposal with my boss and he decided to handle the supply by himself. We carried out a market research and discovered that we could purchase this medicine cheaper somewhere in Europe for us$575.00 per carton. We moved a proposal to the farmer to supply him this vaccine at us$1,500.00 per carton of which he accepted. My company made a very big financial breakthrough when we started supplying this vaccine to this wealthy farmer.

As these supplies progressed, and my boss made so much money from the contract, i requested my boss for an increase in my salary. My boss was so upset at my request that he sacked me without benefits after ten years of dedicated workmanship. I was so desperate that i went to farmer and informed him that i have a foreign contact that will be willing to supply him this same product at US$1,250 per carton.

The farmer in turn, confided in me that he is about to place order for 2000 cartons of this same medicine following a suspected outbreak of disease in his farms. i assured the farmer that my foreign contact will be in the position to manufacture and supply to him this vaccine at a company rate of us$1,250 per carton. in fact, i convinced the farmer that my former boss usually buys the medicine from my foreign contact and that is why he sales to him at a higher price.

However, i informed the farmer that he will have to pay cash in advance before my foreign contact will supply this vaccine to him. right now, he has stopped all communications with my boss. i therefore wish to present you as my foreign contact so that you can handle the supplies to farmer.

If you can handle the contract, kindly contact me immediately for details and negotiations on what is going to be my commission. We will get the medicine from the producers at us$575 and supply to the farmer at us $1250 per carton of 12 bottles (500ml). Kindly be notified that at no point in time should you let this cattle farmer to know the contact of our real source of this product in Europe so that they wouldn't by pass us to deal directly with them.

Yours sincerely,

Francois Jean