A 16-year-old from Sunset saw his grand champion steer draw a record-breaking winning bid of $227,000 Friday, October 2, at the State Fair of Texas' 78th annual Big Tex Youth Livestock Auction. The buyer's winning bid topped the previous auction record of $200,000.
The steer, named Roger, belonged to Jett James, a Wise County 4-H member, according to the Wise County Messenger. The outlet reported that James took home the grand prize for Roger at the fair, building on a stretch of competitive wins that included grand champion steer honors earlier in 2026 at the San Antonio Stock Show, where his steer sold for $188,888. In March, James also won reserve grand champion honors for his steer at the Wise County Youth Fair, where his brother, Ace, took the local contest.
According to CBS News Texas, the $227,000 sale set a new record for the State Fair's youth livestock auction. The sale took place at the Briscoe Carpenter Livestock Center, where the auction has been held as part of the fair's broader youth livestock programming. That programming also included a youth livestock show in Dallas on October 1, according to seed reporting from the Dallas Morning News.
Big Bids Across the Barn
James' steer wasn't the only animal drawing serious money at the auction. The grand champion market barrow sold for $44,000, while the grand champion lamb and grand champion goat each fetched $43,000, per the Dallas Morning News. The grand champion broiler chicken rounded out the day's top sales at $27,000.
The auction opened with a prayer and the national anthem, and Bill Hall, who has served as auctioneer for 34 years, called the bids, according to the same report. State Fair of Texas president Mitchell Glieber told the paper the day was meant to honor the young competitors, saying, “Today is about celebrating our young exhibitors and their very bright futures.”
Where the Money Goes
Every dollar raised on auction day goes directly to the youth exhibitors, with remaining proceeds supporting the Big Tex Scholarship Program, according to the State Fair of Texas. Auction proceeds that exceed a student's predetermined maximum animal payment are donated back into that scholarship fund, the Dallas Morning News reported, and the program benefits both livestock-event competitors and students attending high schools in the Fair Park area.
The fair, founded in 1886 and running 24 days each year, says it has now awarded more than $30 million in auction awards and college scholarships, per the Dallas Morning News. That figure builds on past totals: the State Fair has said auction awards and scholarships surpassed $24 million as of 2018, and in 2024 the Big Tex Scholarship Program alone awarded more than $1.3 million in new college scholarships to 225 students across Texas, the fair's own site notes. That same year, the fair's livestock and agricultural events hosted more than 13,190 livestock entries.
Other Young Exhibitors, Other Lessons
Aubrey Underwood, 17, used water and electrolytes to rehydrate her pig before judging, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Wyatt Gandy, a 16-year-old Grandview High School student with eight years of showing experience, purchased his steer, Batman, in March 2026 and cared for more than a dozen cattle alongside his 12-year-old brother, Eli, ahead of the fair. Batman weighed 1,300 pounds and placed fifth at the State Fair youth livestock show, earning the State Fair of Texas brand on his right shoulder. Gandy, the first in his family to show cattle, told the paper, “Anything can happen when you work with animals,” adding, “There are no days off, really.”
A Bigger Stage in Houston
The Dallas sale, while a record for the State Fair of Texas, still trails the scale of Texas' largest livestock auction. At the 2026 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in March, the Grand Champion Junior Market Steer sold for $1.5 million, according to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Reserve Grand Champion steer Ryan, shown by Jett Hale of Miami FFA, sold for $750,000, and that auction reported total purchase commitments of $9.6 million. Even against that backdrop, the Dallas sale stands as the highest price ever paid at the State Fair of Texas' own youth auction, and another milestone in a season already marked by record bids for Jett James and his steers.
