After Swift & Armour opened their plants in 1903 the cattlemen of Texas began trusting the financial status of the Fort Worth market. Within a year there were already twelve commission companies which were organized to serve as brokers to handle livestock brought in to sell by ranchers and farmers. These commission companies organized the sale process to the packing houses and interested buyers, and made a commission on the sale. There would be more than two dozen commission companies in the stockyards. The exact number varied from time to time. The Commission Companies were for many years major contributors to the vibrant Fort Worth agricultural business economy. Many of the most prominent livestock leaders of Texas headed up many of the commission companies in Fort Worth.