Tristan Himes and his Grand Championship Steer, Steve, set a new record at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo on Saturday. The 1,389 pound black European Cross steer sold for a whopping all-time high record of $310,000.
Though he is only seventeen years old, Himes is an old hand at raising cattle. He has been raising and showing steers at competitions since the third grade. His steer Tex was named Grand Champion at the 2017 State Fair of Texas. His steer Nugget won the 2016 title at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.
Himes’ dedication to showing the best steer this year included giving Steve a bath every day since the beginning of August 2021 to prepare him for the show. He considers Steve like one of his best friends and said that he spent more time with Steve than he did with any of his friends at school.
“Trying to create a product that is high-quality, healthy… that’s what it’s all about,” said Himes. He is just carrying on a family tradition.
In 1984, Himes’ mother, Kody Horwood, raised her own grand champion steer, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Then in 2014, his cousin, Flint Newman, sold his grand champion steer for $200,000. “Our family’s been doing it for generations and generations. It’s just what we do. It’s what we eat, sleep and breathe,” Horwood said.
Himes, from Sterling City, plays football and is a member of the Sterling County 4-H. He plans to use his winnings to further his education. “Not many kids can say that their college is paid for when they’re 17,” he stated.
So, who bought Steve and his 1,389 pounds of glory? A group of buyers called the Steering Committee purchased the steer with the idea of possibly donating him to the Fort Worth Zoo. Dean Tetirick, one of the buyers from the Steering Committee, said that if there is no room for Steve at the zoo, then the prized steer will find a home at Tetirick’s ranch.
According to Tetirick, the group went over their budget in the bid to purchase Steve. “You get caught up in the excitement of the moment. One guy in our group, he looked down at the guy with the paddle and he said ‘If you’re not first, you’re last.’ So that’s how it happened,” Tetirick told WFAA during an interview.
I am so glad to hear this. When I was growing up the grand champion always got sold for meat. I thought if I was a young man or woman that had raised a calf clear up to a steer and had won all the many medals to be in that position, the cow would’ve been my buddy. You don’t kill your buddy. I guess back then you didn’t have a choice but to sell the winner and there’s just no way I could’ve done that.