Rodeo Houston steer auction sets another record
The often underappreciated "livestock show" aspect of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo continued to generate record-breaking scholarship funds this year.
Why it matters: The carnival and rodeo are all fun and games, but high-dollar auctions are the meat and potatoes of Rodeo Houston's education-first mission.
Driving the news: This year's reserve grand champion steer — the runner-up — sold for $690,000 at auction Saturday.
The intrigue: That's not only more than the price of this year's grand champion but also a Rodeo Houston record for the reserve.
Zoom in: High school junior Jett Hale, from Miami, Texas, fetched the reserve record with his steer, Mike, a stunning charolais crossbreed.
The Champagne Cowgirls, a longtime group of Houston women whose rodeo fashion statements and livestock auction victories date back years, teamed up with the Tutcher Family Foundation to secure the winning bid.
Jacob Schickedanz, a 16-year-old sophomore from Perryton, Texas, sold his grand champion black crossbred steer, Kareem, for $675,000.
Flashback: The record-setting sale was a full-circle moment for Hale, 17, and the Champagne Cowgirls.
Seven years ago, when 10-year-old Hale was showing his then-reserve grand champion steer at Rodeo Houston, the Champagne Cowgirls were the winning bidders as well.
Go deeper: Rodeo Houston offers up to $75,000 of the funds generated by each individual auction to the students who showed the animal.
The rest of the money goes into scholarship and educational funds, contributing to the organization's more than $28 million in commitments for 2025.
Stunning Stat: 2.7 million people attended Rodeo Houston this year, surpassing the previous record of 2.6 million in 2017, the organization said.
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