Denver, CO — It was a packed house for the 2026 Auction of Junior Livestock Champions, presented by Farm Credit in the new CoBank Auction Arena inside the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Livestock Center. The standing room only crowd drove bidders to set five new records across the top 8 animals, including the Grand Champion Market Steer, topping out at $320,000.
The top 8 champion animals collectively sold for a new record of $822,500, besting the old record by $185,000. Buyers gathered to show their tremendous support of youth exhibitors, the future leaders of agriculture. The private event aired live on 9NEWS and 9news.com, highlighting the top junior market animals from this year’s National Western Stock Show.
Each year, thousands of junior market animals compete with only 108 advancing to this year’s auction, as the highest-placing entries. The auction is the final sale for these champions, with proceeds directly benefit the junior exhibitors. A majority of each winning bid goes to the young exhibitor, who raised the animal, while 10% of each sale supports the National Western Scholarship Trust, which helps fund education in agriculture and related fields.
Placements and marketings beat expectations, but declining on-feed totals and feeder constraints keep the supply story supportive for cattle prices into 2026. Dr. Derrell Peel, with Oklahoma State University, joined us to break down cattle-on-feed numbers and provide his broader market outlook.
January 23, 2026 04:40 PM
·
USDA Rural Development Director for Kentucky, Travis Burton, joined us to discuss the Princeton facility (formerly Porter Road Meats), now backed by the USDA, and its role in expanding domestic meat processing capacity.
January 23, 2026 03:39 PM
·
Nearly everyone in the South Texas ag community appears extremely worried about the potential of a New World screwworm epidemic, according to a local veterinarian. RFD NEWS Correspondent Frank McCaffrey reports.
January 23, 2026 11:56 AM
·
Brian Earnest, an animal protein economist with CoBank, shares insights into current demand trends and the challenges facing broiler production.
January 22, 2026 06:34 PM
·
Jack Hubbard, with the Center for the Environment and Welfare, shares context and perspective on the controversial letter about Prop 12 circulating in Washington and how a review shows it misled the public.
January 22, 2026 06:25 PM
·
While row crops are expected to see softer impacts, analysts say severe weather of this magnitude will not be as kind to cattle producers.
January 22, 2026 11:05 AM
·
