Grand Champion steer’s $410K price ‘a pleasant surprise’
Allen junior who raised the winner was left ‘pretty choked up’ but still revels in moment
Cameron Conkle awoke Saturday morning momentarily unsure if his 1,300-pound Charolais steer Loki had actually won the Grand Championship at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo junior market or he’d only dreamed it.
The sight of the big trophy near the 17-year-old’s bed quickly brought the real-life victory into focus.
Hours later Saturday, Loki fetched $410,00 at the junior market auction. Conkle will pocket at least $75,000 of the money.
“I didn’t expect him to go for that much,” said Conkle, a high school junior in Allen, a suburb north of Dallas, who hopes to raise and breed Angus show cattle for a living. “That was a pleasant surprise.”
Conkle was “pretty choked up” Friday night — “there were no words to say” — for Loki to be selected above 2,387 other steer, but by Saturday he was enjoying the moment, posing for photos and hobnobbing with wellwishers. He said he’s a little sad to part ways with Loki, but “knew that was the game when I got into this.”
Jett Hale was having a tougher time of it Satursday. While the 10-year-old boy from the Panhandle town of Miami kept his emotions in check, his parents shared that he was pretty distraught to say goodbye to Pickles, his 1,288-pound Black Cross who took second place Friday night.
“Pickles definitely liked Jett best, more than his mom and me,” said Bradley Hale, his dad. “They were pretty attached.”
On the stage after the auction, Jett said he wants to go to Texas Tech University because his parents met there. He said he wants to get an animal science degree and judge livestock.
Pickles sold for $366,000 — Jett’s prize money is at least $35,000 – a new record for a reserve champion, to the Champagne Cowgirls, a group of 20 Houston-area women that formed 10 years ago. The group also bid frequently on Loki before losing out to a group of four couples.
Alan Kent, a four-time buyer and an auction committee volunteer, had hinted to Conkle Friday night this might not be their last meeting. On Saturday, he congratulated Conkle and said, “I told you I might see you again.” His wife, Julie, had predicted Loki would win Friday.
The other members of that group are Emily and Robert Clay, Becky and Kelly Joy and Debby and Jeff Young.
Conkle, who plans to attend Texas A&M and study agribusiness, acquired Loki about a year, when he was a 400-pound calf. He said he spent more than eight hours a day with him, before and after school — washing and brushing him, making sure he’s cool enough and eating right, practicing showing him. He said Loki eats about 40 pounds of food a day.
Loki’s $410,000 sale price was the seventh highest in the history of the 86year-old event. The highest was $600,001 in 2002.
The money raised at the auctions not awarded to competition winners goes to fund college scholarships and other educational endeavors.
Conkle won’t be taking too long enjoying the moment. He said he was looking forward to a party being thrown Saturday night by his sponsoring agricultural chapter, a good night’s sleep and getting back to work Sunday morning. “I want to get working with the five new babies I plan to exhibit at next year’s rodeo,” he said.