With today's modern and sophisticated means of communications, more unique methods exist for putting sellers, buyers and cattle together. The telephone has long been used in locating and trading cattle. Already cattle have been sold via video and computer methods. These techniques are still in their infancy but will be more important marketing methods in the future. Cattlemen should be familiar with these techniques and consider them when deciding which marketing method to utilize. Computer marketing on a commercial day-to-day basis offers many advantages and probably will emerge as the leading method of marketing feeder and stocker cattle in the United States. Video marketing is popular, but is too costly to ever be a day-to-day marketing method. For this reason, most of the following advantages relate more to computer marketing.

Advantages:

• Exposes offering to many buyers. A computer communication network can be linked across the nation with land lines or satellite, enabling buyers from many states to see the listings of cattle and bid on those they wish to buy.
• Provides entry to small markets. Small and remote markets can list cattle over such a system and offer the cattle to buyers not normally available.
• Increases marketing efficiencies. Because delivery schedules can be coordinated over a computer marketing system, transportation can be minimized, lowering transportation costs and reducing stress on cattle. Marketing costs over a computer system also can be lowered because of potential large volumes of cattle that can be sold. Buyer's procurement costs can also be cut because computer access cost is small on a per-head basis.
• Equalizes market power. Through instant and continous market access via a computer market, both market information and competition are enhanced.
• Improves heath conditions of cattle. Fresh country cattle can be located viea the computer market, and shipped directly to the next producer, minimizing disease and stress

Dr. Davis is an extension economist and livestock marketing specialist at Texas A&M University.

He believes that the Internet has great opportunity to play a role in the future of cattle marketing, especially for feeder cattle. He says the Internet can replace video and satellite auctions if a uniform cattle description and representation standard is developed.

Dr. Davis says the company who will be successful at Internet cattle marketing will oversee the transfer of monies, will provide a performance guarantee, and will act as the clearing house for transactions.