The market animals Madilyn Norvell has trained and shown at the National Western Stock Show’s junior livestock auction, including last year’s Grand Champion Steer, have always felt like best friends to her. The love the 15-year-old Oklahoman develops for her animals as she prepares them for the pageantry of the auction floor makes saying goodbye at the end of the stock show that much harder, she says. Because, like other market animals, even the plush, adorable bovine winners end up butchered and sent to supermarkets. “It’s always been very difficult for me, and almost every other exhibitor in this industry, to part from their animals,” Norvell, joined by her father, said in a phone interview with The Denver Post. “It is ultimately one of the best and worst parts of showing livestock.” The industry, at the end of the day, is about selling meat meant to feed the masses, she said. It’s a lesson she learned at a young age from her parents, Beth and Tyler Norvell, who themselves trained and groomed market animals for stock shows when they were kids. As a celebration of that industry, the Stock Show’s junior livestock auction showcases fine market and breeding animals and the children and teens who care for them. Year after year, it’s the steers that draw the most attention from the public for their pint-sized figures and manicured coats of hair. The ones named Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion by the judges make a ceremonious visit at the end of the day to the Brown Palace Hotel and Spa in downtown Denver. Last year, it was Madilyn’s steer, Thunder, who took top honors at the junior show — followed by a record-breaking bid of $210,000 at auction. The family of Madilyn Norvell, second from right, and Thunder, the Grand Champion Steer at the National Western Stock Show's Junior Livestock Auction in 2025. (Courtesy of Tyler Norvell) Steers are young, neutered males raised specifically for beef. The ones that participate in the stock show were usually purchased a year in advance, said Dr. Jennifer Martin, an associate professor at Colorado State University and stock show superintendent. The Norvells’ purchase of Thunder, who they named after Oklahoma City’s basketball team, went differently. Weeks before nominations were due, the family bought the steer from Madilyn’s friend, Sadie Winne, who they said had trained him for months but was unable to show him. “He was always super friendly. He was incredible around kids. He kind of became like a best friend to me,” Madilyn said. “Not only did I have a bond with him, but my whole family had a bond with him. My best friend had a bond with him.” Madilyn’s first experience at the National Western Stock Show was in 2020, when she was 9 years old and showing market pigs. She took Thunder’s halter rope from Winne and spent days, from morning to sunset, training and pampering him for competition. A significant portion of that training involves “working” their hair, which grows long and receives attention from the judges. Washing it every day, blowing it out and adding product to make it shine helps the coat grow and adds volume, Madilyn said. A typical training routine consists of walking the animal and guiding it with a halter over the muzzle. It eats commercial steer feed that is high on carbs, proteins and fat, maybe with some molasses mixed in for sweetness, Martin said. Come show time, the steer is fluffy as a cotton ball and ready for a(u)ction. National Western Stock Show Grand Champion Steer, Thunder, at the 79th annual Steer at the Brown Palace Hotel and Spa in Denver Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. Both the NWSS Grand Champion and Reserve Champion are brought into the atrium lobby for guests to take photos with the winners and to enjoy afternoon lunch and tea. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post) The steers are entered into a weight class and ranked by a panel of three judges. Those judges inspect each animal’s build and bone structure. They dig their fingers deep into the animal’s hair. “When we think about a market animal that is going to be slaughtered and go into the meat supply chain, they’re looking for muscle, they’re looking for appropriate amounts of fat,” said Martin. “Do they balance that well? Are they attractive-looking?” The steers named Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion are then auctioned. The money goes to the winning family, with a portion going to a trust that provides college scholarships for agricultural and rural studies. The record-breaking bid for Thunder was placed by an agricultural manufacturing company founded by Buck Hutchison, a founder of the junior livestock auction who died in 2024. Given their pedigree and the stage on which they’re judged, the steers represent the best beef the cattle industry has to offer. The stock show sells them to feed lots, which take them to meat-packing plants, Martin said. Eventually, their beef goes on sale in the meat aisles of the nation’s grocery stores for a profit. It’s a bittersweet departure that resembles a coming-of-age ritual. The National Western Stock Show does its part to make it an event, honoring the Grand Champion and Reserve Champion steers in the posh surroundings of the Brown Palace the day of the auction. They are taken to feed lots the next day. Madilyn and Winne, who had accompanied her to the stock show, watched Thunder disappear and go off to an unknown destination. Madilyn’s father, a cattle industry lobbyist in his home state, has attended farewells where grown men in cowboy hats break down in tears, he said. Her daughter is a sophomore and hopes to keep showing animals for as long as she can, including alongside her younger sister at this year’s junior livestock auction Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. “The whole entire reason why we’re involved in this industry is ultimately to feed people,” Madilyn said. “I know that because of my contribution to this industry and to our community, I am able to help feed as many people as possible.” For the event’s organizers, the auction is less about the money and more about the educational experience for the young exhibitor, Martin said. “More importantly, that prize is respect from your fellow producers who are also trying to raise really high-quality animals,” she said. For the carnivore consumer, the best part could potentially be found in the meat aisle of their local grocery store. 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