Excerpt from Cooperative Marketing Alternatives for Sheep and Lamb Producers The current production-distribution system is relatively noncompetitive and ineffi cient and is continuing to move in that direction. Dwindling competition for sheep and lambs has been caused by the closing of several major packing plants. The closings have resulted in a reduction in the number of buyers competing for lambs in any given local area. The number of major plants in the United States has declined from 31 in 1970 to 20 in 1976 in response to declining sheep numbers. Even in 1970, the two largest packers in each Western and Midwestern State bought 50 to 75 percent of all lambs and in each Eastern and Southern State bought 75 to 100 percent. Because plants are currently oper ating at only 40 percent of capacity, more plants will close in the future and competition will be further restricted. Dwindling efficiency of the lamb marketing system is largely the result of low vol ume and an obsolete handling system. Lnefficiency is evidenced by an ever-widening farm retail price spread for lamb that, since 1950-52, is growing 55 percent faster than the price spread for beef and 90 percent faster than the price spread for pork. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.