WHY CHOOSE COWMATCH
It
is a new decade, and the world is rapidly changing. As farmers and
ranchers, we are in one of the oldest occupations in the world, yet why
are we still marketing livestock the same old way? We have a new
generation of customers, who have grown up in the internet age. They are
accustomed to having any product they desire with just a click of a
button, delivered within a couple of days. These customers want to know
where and how their product was made, or in the case of livestock, how
it was raised and treated. When searching for an automobile they can
search by location, make, model, color, mileage, etc. Shouldn’t buying
livestock be that easy?
Most business have changed the way they market and sell products, but
livestock sales haven’t made many new advances. It’s fun to visit the
stockyard, hangout with friends, and bid on animals, but for new buyers
attending alone, it can be intimidating. Yes, there are online livestock
auctions, but for the new buyer these websites can be overwhelming, and
they are not always user friendly. Of course, there are lots of
classified ads, but it’s always risky doing business with unverified
sellers, especially across state lines. There is also the issue of
transport, as most new farmers don’t own a trailer; if they do make a
purchase, there is still the dilemma of getting their livestock back to
the farm.
Our goal with CowMatch is to help bridge the gap between buyers and
sellers. We want to create a user-friendly space that will appeal not
only to farmers and ranchers, but also to the new homesteader and hobby
farmers. We want to help buyers find exactly what they are looking for,
while helping sellers market their animals. We want to protect and
preserve heritage breeds and market them in a space where they will be
appreciated (not just lowballed because they have hair and horns). We
want to connect buyers with transportation options, so they can have
their new purchases delivered right to their door (or in this case
pasture). We hope that CowMatch will be able to make this a reality.