Published August 2, 2000
Selling and buying meet and poultry via the Internet is service who’s time has come. Ranchers negotiate higher prices for their cattle with buyers from new markets.
Agriculture has been slower to adapt to the Internet and technologies than other industries. Recent trends are changing that. The NY investment brokerage of Goldman Sachs predicts that U.S. agriculture-related e-commerce could total more than $120,000M within five years. Forrester Research projects $1,400 million million will flow through all online markets.
SellMeat.com is an intermediary on a Web site for packers, processors, traders, brokers, food service distributors and retailers. Theirs is a real-time buying and selling center for raw and processed meat products.
The business-to-business approach is a newer way for fresh and frozen meat to be bought and sold. Complete services are included on this secure trading platform. You open an account, receive a password and are ready to trade.
Account history is securely delivered through encrypted Web pages. Patterns of buying/selling compare to the market to identify profit centers and cost-saving alternatives.
Bids are accurately accounted and counter-bids instantly updated for each exchange. Overall trading trends are tracked in a transaction database and the statistics published. SellMeat’s comprehensive information site organizes product catalogs, inventory tracking, sales, purchasing, credit, shipping, receiving, reports and E-stores.
Buyers and sellers are interactive and integrated. They learn to use and customize this online marketplace to reach a larger audience and still negotiate one-on-one. It’s flexible, familiar and fully customer service staffed. Helpful, knowledgeable and ag-experienced people are available 24-hours at a toll-free phone. Call for instruction, directions and technical support. They even do Email.
Branded products, supplies and equipment are displayed with virtual storefronts. Sellers’ presence is well advertised to a large audience of buyers in the meat and poultry marketplace worldwide.
Markets outside this country are accessible and international visitors review categories in multiple languages. The shipping forms and credit verifications of export markets are arranged without hassle.
The efficiency of the bidding and ordering process increases revenues, and smaller purchasers have direct access to major packers. A free service verifies the electronic credit application.
Price and availability are negotiated online, and optional freight brokering is available. Contract Management assures buyers and sellers a steady product supply through long-term pre-committed purchases.
New and used meat processing equipment for sale is listed. Included are text descriptions, digital photographs and virtual demonstrations of the equipment.
Inventory management tracks the distribution of perishable frozen meat and poultry products. Industry trends from USDA and key trade organizations are monitored and summaries reported up-to-the-minute.
Fees for SellMeat’s services is a minimal flat fee for all online transactions. Credit management helps screen buyers, authenticate orders and verify creditworthiness through electronic form applications.
The key to the success of meat and poultry sales online is a significantly larger audience than traditional communication contacts. Buyers can sort available inventories by species, product type, supplier and fresh or frozen for clearer representation of relevant information.
CEO Wayne Rice says, “Our ultimate mission is to streamline the transactions through online services which will be more profitable to the producers and save the industry millions of dollars.” SellMeat presently has over one thousand registered buyers and sellers.
Rice has 35-years experience in this industry. He was president of Farmland Foods and Kansas City Steak Company, VP of Cargill Foods, and consultant to Premium Standard Farms and Advanced Food Company. He oversees the management of Food Masters, a meat brokerage company.
Rob Chestnut is COO, formerly VP of finance for Variform, Inc., a $300M manufacturer. Martin Helm and Jeffrey Luppens of Precision Access partner to support software development for SellMeat’s on-site training and customer support.
Meat and poultry is an estimated $250,000M industry, and SellMeat is positioned as the foremost electronic intermediary with headquarters offices in Liberty, MO.
Designed by industry veterans, SellMeat.com is one alternative that the rancher-producer should consider.