Preparations are in high gear this morning for the final days of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.
Thousands of steers from around the state are moving into their pens at the Will Rogers Coliseum ahead of Saturday's big auction.
The Junior Steers and Barrows show begins Thursday night, with the final night of the auction wrapping up on Saturday.
It's half-beauty pageant, half-job interview for the thousands of head of steer participating in the show. They will be judged and ranked, and a few hundred animals will be sold.
"It's overwhelming, but it's so exciting," said Neelie Roberts, a high school senior from Lubbock who is showing her first steer this year. "Of course, we're all hoping to make a sale."
Teenagers from across Texas are setting up the livestock pens and putting down bales of hay and bags of feed.
As ranchers enjoyed a nice breakfast together before the sun came up, the steers tried to figure out what all the commotion was about.
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"They don't know where they are. They've never been to the big city," joked Wall rancher Lonnie Kellermeier.
This year, more than 3,100 steers and 2,750 barrows are entered into the competition. About 300 animals will be sold.
"Everybody wants to make the sale. But there's only a certain number of sale spots. Everyone wants one. It's real hard competition. The best of the state come here to show off how hard they've worked all year on these animals," said 18-year-old Rowdy Alls from Fisher County.
In 2013, 270 heads of steer were sold at auction. The grand champion steer weighed 1329 pounds and sold for $205,000 dollars.
Alls says the secret to success is taking care of the animals at home.
"If you don't work at home, you're not going to make the sale here," he said.
