A farmer is the one that owns the cattle and is ready to sell it on the market demand, while the meatpacker is the one who buys the product and sells it in different parts to the end consumers.
Since they both are using the commodity market to reduce the risk, the farmer will be the one who agrees to sell the cattle in the future at a fixed rate, while the meatpacker will be the one who agrees to buy the cattle in the future at a specified price fixed by him.
