ABSTRACT
Finally, after all the work that has been put into soils, crops and livestock, the farmer has to make sure that the yields are utilized as beneficially as possible — converted either into money or into animal feed, food and other utilities for use in kind. This chapter is about farmers' selling, with a focus on food, but the reasoning is valid for the sale of fibres and bio-energy products as well. We will consider the general characteristics of agricultural markets and discuss farmers' roles as market actors. Furthermore we will touch on the unpredictable nature of agricultural markets as a consequence of nature's impact on the business; on some aspects in view of economic theory; and on problems due to information gaps and poor infrastructure.
