ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the major functions and functionaries of the livestock marketing system. These include buyers, graders, and regulators, all of whom define the environment within which the producer operates. As a class, facilitators fit into the principal functionaries of the system while, as a group, they receive the sharpest criticism, probably because their contribution is more ephemeral than, say, that of a buyer. Order buyers are commission agents who buy on the account of the feeder or packer. The larger feeder may find it necessary to remove sick stock promptly or risk contaminating other animals. Like packer buyers, feeder stock buyers can either work for a feeder or, indeed, may be feeders themselves. A salaried individual is too costly, even for the largest feeders who are nevertheless not in the market regularly. The livestock producer's principal contact with the market will be through buyers employed by packers and feeders.
