STAFF REPORT
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FORT WORTH – White Castle, the 1,459-pound European crossbred steer exhibited by 13-year-old Caiman Cody from Hood County 4-H, sold for a record-smashing $550,000 Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s annual Junior Sale of Champions.
The stock show’s previous record for the grand champion steer was 2023’s $440,000, spent by the Fort Worth insurance brokerage Higginbotham, which was also in on Saturday’s bidding for White Castle.
Last year, the grand champion went for $375,000.
The money left White Castle’s exhibitor, Caiman Cody of Tolar, virtually speechless.
“Just unreal,” he told reporters. “I can’t even explain it.”
The Fort Worth auction is unusual among youth livestock sales in that 100% of the proceeds go to the youth who show the animals.
OTHER CHAMPION AUCTION PRICES
Grand Champion Barrow – $123,000 to Standard Meat Co., Fort Worth, a longtime bidder for the auction’s top pigs.
Reserve Grand Champion Barrow – $70,000 to Kimberlin Ranch.
Grand Champion Lamb – $90,000 to the Ladies on the Lamb nonprofit and Andrews Distributing, which combined last year to buy the reserve grand champion lamb.
Reserve Grand Champion Lamb – $35,000 to Ladies on the Lamb.
Grand Champion Goat – $50,000 to LKCM Headwater Investments and Luther King Capital Management.
Reserve Grand Champion Goat – $30,000 to Big City Crushed Concrete.
Stock Show Syndicate officials said the auction raised $10.2 million by its close late in the afternoon.
WINNERS FROM ELLIS COUNTY
Brigham Deborde of Bardwell earned Reserve Grand Champion and Division IV Reserve Champion with SSUL Charmer 4548M ET in the Limousin division at the 2026 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo on Jan. 24.
Brindley Boston, an Ellis County 4-H member from Waxahachie, Texas earned Reserve Champion Shorthorn Steer in the Junior Steer Show at the 2026 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo on February 5 and 6.
Charley Duncan Jr. of Waxahachie earned Reserve Summer Heifer Calf Champion with LHB Emma 2505 in the Angus division at the 2026 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo on Jan. 24.
Brindley Boston (photo not supplied) also earned Reserve Champion Heifer Calf with Brindley’s Pride ET in the Other Recorded Breeds division at the 2026 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo on Jan. 24.
Levi Buchanan of Waxahachie (photo not supplied) earned Reserve Grand Champion Heifer and Reserve Champion Senior Heifer with JSUL Reba’s Stunner in the Other Recorded Breeds division at the 2026 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo on Jan. 24.
