In Alberta when we talk about adaptability and hardiness, we immediately think of the winter as cows have to be wintered over a long period of time, and supplementary feed provided at a time when feed costs are usually high. Ideally, cows must be able to carry a fetus over the harsh winter months, be in a positive weight balance, calve unassisted, provide adequate milk for the growing calf, recover rapidly so that they can be re-bred within 60 days post partum and conform to a yearly calving interval. One breed cannot be expected to have all the necessary prerequisites and meet all these demands, but a combination of quality traits from different breeds may be combined to produce a more adapted and efficient animal. If size could be built into adaptation, cows that consume less feed or have a lower maintenance requirement, and provide optimum production levels would be ideal. As we do not see much of the carcass in a live animal, we do not worry about it until it comes back to us in dollar values.
Canadian consumers are more than likely to demand leaner beef in the future.
Although according to the present grading system an A1 carcass permits a fat cover of between 4-9 mm, this might change in the future. It is interesting to note that a new B1 grade has now been introduced in the present grading system to accommodate leaner beef. Furthermore, even the relative weight of individual muscles or groups of muscles tends to be very similar between breed groups. In effect, apart from the normal biological variation that exists between muscles of different breeds, very little change is possible in the muscle weight distribution among breeds or crosses. Two muscle groups that may change and do not quite fit the norm are those muscles in the abdominal wall and muscles in the neck region.