ABSTRACT
Beef, the final product of all cattle production, is achieved through the growth process. Bulls show the most dramatic changes in muscle growth as maturity approaches. The bull, at least under range conditions, must fight for the right to mate with the available female population, and he can do this only if he changes the layout of his muscle strength. Bone is also a tissue that is very strongly influenced by functional demands, but many of the interesting changes occur before birth. Fat is not as functionally active as are muscle and bone. It is, nevertheless, vital to the survival of the animal as an energy reserve rather than in any way related to mechanical function. Both total muscle and total bone tend to grow in straight lines in relationship to the growth of the whole carcass. Muscle grows so much faster than bone that the ratio of muscle to bone continues to increase throughout life.
