Patent ID: 7584136

Claim:
In a beef cattle marketplace comprising a buyer interface, a producer interface, and a cattle information server, each of which is communicatively connected to a network, a method for marketing cattle comprising: receiving information defining a plurality of demand profiles at the cattle information server from the buyer interface, wherein at least one of the demand profiles specifies a first pre-conditioning program for a group of cattle, a pre-conditioning program comprising criteria that govern the breeding, feeding, management, and health of cattle prior to slaughter; receiving information defining a supply profile for a group of cattle at the cattle information server from the producer interface, wherein the supply profile specifies a second pre-conditioning program for the group of cattle; verifying the supply profile by a veterinarian; comparing the supply profile to the plurality of demand profiles to determine whether a match exists between the supply profile and one of the demand profiles, based at least in part on a comparison of the first and second pre-conditioning programs; and providing an indication to one of the buyer interface and the producer interface of at least one matching demand profile in response to a match.