ETA: Basically, I'm willing to handwave that the buyers had need of an actual herd, for whatever reason, rather than simply meat or breeding material.

Also that "Benny" had a herd he had to get rid of and it was more profitable to smuggle it to another planet than to slaughter there and then.

If we assume ultra cheap and efficient power production and the manufacturing advances that go along with it (and readily available private interplanetary travel and the humongous cities we've seen on the Inner Worlds both support this), it may be that organic goods such as live cattle have a lot more value relative to mechanical ones as compared to our own culture.

it may be that organic goods such as live cattle have a lot more value relative to mechanical ones as compared to our own culture.

They might, but it would still be cheaper to transport semen and ova rather than the whole steer. Think of it as a cow kit.

it would still be cheaper to transport semen and ova rather than the whole steer.

Depends on how soon you need the steer, doesn't it?

Still? Long term solution, rather than short. Perhaps reserved for massive importation, rather than short hauls.

Plus, there might be cultural reasons for live cattle on that moon/planet.

Think of it as a cow kit.

You would need trained people to do the AI, and either actual live cows to implant the fertilized egg in, or some spiffy technological womb-machine. So maybe that herd of cows Benny was selling were all girls, with calf-beds for rent.

there might be cultural reasons for live cattle on that moon/planet

Yep - how else are you going to buy a wife, if you can't trade cattle for her?

Yep - how else are you going to buy a wife, if you can't trade cattle for her?

Very true. Or steal the wife and buy the cattle...

Of course, they could trade a cow for magic space beans.

Or they could use the cows to create an army of cybernetic milk-producing killing machines.

Did this get posted?

More Australian Serenity screenings.