Producers with cattle that are genetically superior for growth rate and carcass desirability can receive a premium through intelligent marketing of young cattle or by retaining ownership all the way to the packing house rail. Also, packers know the value of superior carcasses and will pay less than it is actually worth and so the producer of superior cattle is still subsidizing the lower end. Regardless of how growth is defined or what method is used to measure it, an understanding of how cattle grow is a major factor in successful beef production. A knowledge and recognition of those production characteristics controlled by genetics and those largely influenced by environment are invaluable in making the right business decisions. And so a knowledge of how and why cattle grow as they do can make you a better cattleman and your ranch a more profitable operation.
Growth begins shortly after the egg is fertilized and individual cells divide and multiply.
At first these cells appear to be identical but at about 10 days they begin to grow differently and cell differentiation has begun. The embryo or fetus as it is now called forms 3 major types of tissue. The endoderm forms the lining of the digestive tract, lungs, liver, pancreas and bladder. The mesoderm forms what we call the body or carcass of the animal. Part of the mesoderm forms the skeleton, part the muscles and part the fat cells.