System, method, and apparatus for supply chain management

摘要

A system for managing an integrated supply chain of livestock, such as beef cattle, utilizes a networked system solution for interacting various supply chain entities via the Internet. Various livestock producers, feed yards, packers, retailers, and vendors to the livestock industry are interconnected to communicate, manage, market, and transact the livestock from birth to consumer sales at the retail level. Producers are enabled to provide source verification of their livestock to enhance the integrity of the system, and prequalify livestock for value-added retail programs. Retailers are enabled to make real-time changes to characteristics of known future supply through interactions with the decision makers during the production process.

主权项

1. A network system for managing an integrated supply chain of livestock comprising a plurality of producers each producing livestock, including feeding and caring for the livestock, a plurality of intermediaries for facilitating processing of the livestock to become finished product, and a plurality of retailers each retailing finished product derived from the livestock, the system comprising:
a network system for facilitating interaction between the producers, intermediaries, and retailers via the Internet such that the producers, intermediaries, and retailers are interconnected to communicate, manage, market, and transact the livestock, the network system comprising:
means for a system administrator to manage the network system and relationships between the producers, intermediaries, and retailers regarding the livestock, andmeans for the producers to receive a real time input from retailers, so the one of the producers can change a characteristic of a future supply of the livestock as desired by the respective retailer.