On Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, a steer, another name for an ox, was auctioned off at the Great Frederick Fair’s Youth Livestock Auction for a record-breaking $26,000. The previous record had sat at $25,000. 19-year-old Peterson Cattle Enterprises owner Maddie Peterson had been the one to raise the champion steer. She first got “The Gambler,” as the steer was called, in 2024 when he weighed 700 pounds. The Gambler weighed 1,422 pounds when sold.

On that day, Peterson experienced a surge of emotions at the Frederick County Fair auction as her steer exceeded all expectations. “It’s just hard,” Peterson said when interviewed. “It’s my last year and I wasn’t expecting to go that high.” Months of hard work and meticulous dedication all led up to this moment for the young exhibitor. The prices intensified between the last two bidders at the auction; ultimately, “The Gambler” was bought by the Northern Virginia-based Pike Hill Capital Partners for the record-breaking amount.

Although the auction itself is a fun event, the Youth Livestock Auction serves another purpose in motivating Maryland youth into joining the livestock business. According to Josh Ruby, emcee of the Elevated Auction Company, “The numbers are lower than ever in the beef industry.” He continued with, “We need these Future Farmers of America. We need this youth that wants to take up this cattle industry.” The Youth Livestock Auction allows children from Elementary to High School ages to participate. When a person turns 19-years-old, they age out of the Youth Auction. The $907,000 raised from this year’s auction was distributed to the youth who participated as a way to show them that the livestock industry is profitable.

Due to this profit, many young people in Maryland are discovering a passion for raising and auctioning off livestock. Alyssa Slimmer, the owner of the 2024 grand champion steer, described her experience winning, “It was so exciting because it’s your last year. You always want to go out with a bang.” Slimmer aged out of the youth auction in 2024 after her champion steer had sold for $12,000. Slimmer had been raising livestock and participating in auctions for the past 10 years. Along with older teens, younger children also participate. According to the Youth Auction guidelines, the youngest age a child can participate at is eight-years-old. Piper Seiss, a participant in the 2024 youth auction, was a fourth grader when she auctioned off her steer, Peanut Butter, for $6,500. Peterson, like the other participants, put months of work into raising her steer and it paid off in the form of $26,000. “If you’re willing to work for it,” Peterson explained. “Eventually, it will come through for you.” Next year, the Great Frederick Fair Youth Auction may not see another record sale, but maybe a new record in the number of passionate participants.

Sources

• Bid Elevated. 26 Mar. 2024, bidelevated.auctiontechs.com/auction-detail/

     172277721966af7e830400c. Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.

• Wolf, C. J. (2025, January 30). GFF youth program rules. The Great Frederick

     Fair. Retrieved October 3, 2025, from https://thegreatfrederickfair.com/

     wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GFF-Youth-Program-Rules.pdf

• Youth Livestock Auction Breaks Record with Sale of $26K Grand Champion Steer

     [Frederick]. 20 Sept. 2025. YahooNews, www.yahoo.com/news/articles/

     youth-livestock-auction-breaks-record-035900863.html. Accessed 29 Sept.

     2025.

• YahooNews. 24 Sept. 2024, www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/

     overall-grand-champion-steer-sells-035900826.html. Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.