Young people from across Colorado raised more than $506,000 by auctioning 94 animals at the State Fair Junior Livestock Sale, Colorado State Fair administrators said in an announcement.
The 2026 Colorado's Electric Cooperatives Junior Livestock Sale took place at the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo. The event gave top student exhibitors from 4-H and Future Farmers of America a chance to sell their animals to the highest bidders, the announcement said.
The top-selling animal was the Grand Champion Market Beef, raised by Shawn Rothe of Weld County, which sold for $62,000 to Jake Jabs and the Denver Rustlers.
Money from the auction goes directly to the youth who raised and showed the animals, helping them fund future educational or agricultural goals, according to fair administrators.
"By purchasing an animal, the generous buyers at the Junior Livestock auction are investing in the future of agriculture, local communities, and youth development," Colorado Agriculture Commissioner Kate Greenberg said in the announcement.
The Junior Livestock Sale is a tradition that highlights the hard work young people put into raising animals and the importance of agriculture in Colorado's economy. The event also helps connect rural youth with urban supporters.
"The Junior Livestock Sale represents the culmination of a season's worth of hard work, dedication and responsibility," said Colorado State Fair General Manager Andrea Wiesenmeyer. "Each participant should be incredibly proud of the time and care they have invested in raising these animals. We are also deeply grateful to the generous buyers and supporters who return each year to celebrate these young people and invest in the future of Colorado agriculture."
Funds raised at the auction provide crucial financial support and recognition for youth, according to the announcement.
The sale included beef cattle, hogs, lambs, goats, chickens, rabbits and turkeys. Here are the youths who raised Grand and Reserve Grand Champion animals.
Grand Champion: Shawn Rothe, Weld County, purchased by Denver Rustlers for $62,000
Reserve Grand Champion: Tenley Becker, Phillips County, purchased by Sam Brown Family for $25,000
Grand Champion: Trent Mauck, Douglas County, purchased by Denver Rustlers for $7,000
Reserve Grand Champion: Dylan Stone, Weld County, purchased by Occidental Petroleum for $4,500
Grand Champion: Karlina Tanin, Douglas County, purchased by Denver Rustlers for $30,000
Reserve Grand Champion: Klayton Carroll, Rio Blanco County, purchased by Sam Brown Family for $10,000
Grand Champion: Kahlen Tolle, Weld County, purchased by Sam Brown Family for $14,000
Reserve Grand Champion: Sawyer Phipps, Phillips County, purchased by Denver Rustlers for $7,500
Grand Champion: Jamie Schafer, Elbert County, purchased by Mark Arndt & Marlin Eisenach for $2,500
Reserve Grand Champion: Jamie Schafer, Elbert County, purchased by Fair Ladies for $2,000
Grand Champion: Hayden Garcia, Rio Blanco County, purchased by Colorado State Fair Commissioners for $2,250
Reserve Grand Champion: Leah Sirochman, Rio Grande County, purchased by PB&T Bank for $2,250
Grand Champion: Trent Mauck, Douglas County, purchased by Colorado State Fair Foundation JLS Alumni Buying Group for $2,750
Reserve Grand Champion: Trent Mauck, Douglas County, purchased by Fair Ladies for $1,500
This story was created by Jessica Skropanic, [email protected], with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Colorado youth earn $506,000 at state fair livestock auction