11/29/05 LMA internet auctions

American Rancher November 29, 2005 The Livestock Marketing Association is offering a new way for its members to sell livestock and people to buy them. It's a new internet based system at LMAauctions dot com. Right now over a dozen livestock auction markets are participating in the system, and more are coming. LMA president Randy Patterson, says LMAauctions dot com was developed at the request of members. Patterson: "They were looking for another marketing tool to better serve themselves, both buyers and sellers. Let's face it producers have a lot of options on how they can market their livestock. And if our member markets want to stay competitive they have to look at different ways to help their customers." Patterson says the internet based sales bring additional value to members and their customers. Patterson: "The internet sale when it's done with people who know marketing, like the members of ours that run markets everyday, they expose the producers' cattle to more than just the buyers sitting ringside. It puts the cattle into a bigger field of buyers to look at them." Still, Patterson doesn't see internet livestock auctions entirely replacing live auctions. Patterson: "No sir. I don't think that is a factor. This is just another tool. It will appeal to some and there are some it won't appeal to. It is not going to be for everybody. It is just another tool that LMA has come up with to have livestock marketing members have an other way of selling their cattle." I'm Bob Hoff.