News release July 29, 2002
Fonterra Suppliers now list for free at Live.ex
Fonterra suppliers listing to buy dairy livestock on Fencepost.com's Live.ex online trading system can now do so for
free. Previously there was a listing fee of $75.
Fencepost.com Livestock Online manager Dave McPherson says the aim is to add value for Fonterra suppliers.
"By removing the listing fee for buyers, we expect to improve our buyer-seller ratio from its present one-to-five, to a
ratio that is much more balanced," he says. "That way, we expect to have more successful deals made between Live.ex
dairy users by increasing the volume of usage."
More than 1,500 farmers have registered to use Live.ex, the service that matches buyers and sellers of stock nationwide
and which is part of Fencepost's Livestock Online service.
Live.ex enables farmers to deal direct with each other not only saving time and money but also possibly improving animal
welfare due to the fact stock doesn't have to travel to and from saleyards, Mr McPherson says.
The service is available to all farmers but only Fonterra suppliers - sharemilkers and shareholders - are being offered
the free buyers' listings.
"Live.ex offers farmers a tool to independently facilitate their livestock buying and selling with other farmers around
NZ and is a pretty straight forward way of eliminating what can be a huge cost from the livestock sale and purchase
process. The future of this industry lies in farmers having the options of what level of service they require - and
paying for it accordingly."
Mr McPherson says buyers list their preferences, and the system looks at that information and matches buyers' and
sellers' attributes and scores them according to pre-defined aspects.
"The beauty of Live.ex is in its flexibility and intelligence," Mr McPherson says. "Unlike most Internet database
systems it is capable of matching attributes that buyers might not have even thought about.
"For example, if you're a buyer and you input your requirements the system would take a comprehensive view of what
you're after.
Lets say as a buyer you stated you were looking to buy 50 Friesian in-calf heifers in the Waikato, with a minimum
Breeding Worth of 90 and were looking to pay around $1000.00. What you didn't say - or perhaps even think of - was that
if the right heifers came along that met your criteria - with a Breeding Worth of 120 and a price tag of $900.00 in the
Manawatu - that you would seriously consider them.
"Live.ex gives you the best matches that meet your requirements, and the opportunity to consider a number of attractive
options," Mr McPherson says.
Farmers interested in seeing what Live.ex can do can try a live demonstration using actual data at www.fencepost.com.
The 1,530 farmers who have registered to use Live.ex have listed to buy or sell over 350,000 head of stock since its
launch.
More than 70 per cent of the listings have been to buy or sell dairy livestock.
There are no changes to Fencepost's successful Prime.ex service - the online tendering service between livestock sellers
and meat processors. That service remains free to sellers while the meat companies pay a 'headage' that is substantially
less than that charged by other third parties.
ends
Issued for Fencepost.com by Pead PR
Contacts:
Kris Nygren, CEO, Fencepost.com, tel: 0-9-336 0250 kris.nygren@nzfencepost.com
Deborah Pead, Pead PR, tel: 0-9-918 5550, deborah@peadpr.co.nz