Catch-A-Calf, one of National Western's most loved traditions!
Participants come from Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming to compete in the National Western Stock Show’s longest-running program of practical beef cattle management. In just over 80 years the Catch-A-Calf Contest has awarded nearly 3,000 steers to 4-H members hailing from the western United States.
The program began in 1935 when 10 boys caught 10 sponsored calves. The contest quickly caught on, and the program grew to include 52 calves by 1942. Soon after World War II, the program settled at 40 calves per year, which is where the number continues to stand today.
The program is designed so that successful participants catch a calf, feed it, and return with the animal one year later as a market-ready steer at the National Western Stock Show. The steers are judged on production and carcass quality, while the participants are judged on showmanship, record books, and a personal interview.
The Grand and Reserve Grand Champion participants sell their steers at the Auction of Junior Livestock Champions held on the final Friday of the Stock Show.
Applications
Applications for the 2026-2027 season are now open.
Please note, this program is only open to active 4-H and FFA members ages 14-18 (who must be residents) in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska & Wyoming. Please refer to the Rules and Regulations for further information.
Applications available now. Catch A Calf Application 2026- 2027
Important Information
Rules + Regulations
- Participants must be currently enrolled in 4-H or FFA and must be a resident in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, or Wyoming. Participants must have adequate facilities to raise and handle a market steer. County Extension agents and/or FFA Advisors must certify that these standards are met.
- Contestants must be fourteen (14) years but must be under nineteen (19) years of age as of January 1, 2025 to apply for the 2026 project year. It is strongly recommended that a member not enter this contest if they plan to be away from home during the time of raising the calf.
- Any 4-H/FFA member or participant who has previously completed the NWSS Catch-A-Calf Contest is not eligible to enter again.
- Applicants entering this contest do so at their own risk and acknowledge that they could be injured by their participation. The Western Stock Show Association will not be responsible for any injuries connected with this contest. In addition, the Western Stock Show Association will not be responsible for any harm caused by the calf during the ownership period of the participant.
- Online applications and mandatory forms must be submitted by January 1, 2025. Forms must be emailed to [email protected]. Qualified participants will then be assigned an in-rodeo performance time they must participate in.
- 40 youth who participate and successfully catch a calf in an in-rodeo performance will be selected for the 2025-2026 program.
- Successful participants will be given more information immediately following the in-rodeo performance on how the rest of the year will proceed.
- Steers are sourced from 1 herd and vary in breed from year to year. They are randomly assigned to each participant, and participants must pick up the steer from a designated location in May 2025.
- The Western Stock Show Association reserves the right to take the calf away from any member who does not abide by these rules, including letter-writing and record-keeping, or does not properly feed the calf or does not take full responsibility for the calf. If any calf is taken away, returned, or forfeited, no allowances will be made for any expenses incurred.
- Catch-A-Calves will be exhibited in the special classes provided. Awards will be based upon the beef production job done by the exhibitor, the evaluation, and showmanship. Sale price may be determined for all competing calves by official market grade and yield index or at a price arranged by The Western Stock Show Association. Catch-A-Calves will not be eligible to show in the Junior Market Beef Show.
- The calf must be exhibited and sold at the 2025 National Western Stock Show, where special prizes will be offered. All prize money will belong to the member. When the calf is sold, the check for payment (minus 10% donation plus charges for Beef Board, Brand Inspection, and freight) will be sent after a final thank-you note has been sent to the sponsor with a copy to the National Western Stock Show office.
- An agreed-upon donation of 10% of the final gross selling price of the steer will be deducted by The Western Stock Show Association at the time of sale and will be treated as a donation to the National Western Stock Show. This will be placed in a revolving fund to ensure the continuation of the Catch-A-Calf program. It is agreed and understood by the 4-H /FFA member that ownership of the calf shall be a joint project with The Western Stock Show Association.
Materials + Record Book
Record Book:Â View Here
Record Book Instructions: Once you pull up the link, go to File > Make a Copy > Rename your file to LastName_CACRecordBook. From there you should be able to edit the spreadsheets. Remember, GoogleDocs auto saves every edit you make. If you would like to export the file to Excel: File > Download As > Microsoft Excel (.xlsx).
Handbook:Â View Here
National Western Stock Show:
Livestock Office
Brandi Fuller
4655 Humboldt Street
Denver, CO 80216
Phone: 303-299-5559
Email:Â [email protected]
2025 Program Results
Catch A Calf Program
January 2025
Overall Winners of the 2025 Catch A Calf Program
- Grand Champion Catch A Calf Overall – Cooper Sanchez, Sponsored by Jo Adams
- Reserve Champion Catch A Calf Overall – Garrett Tollman, Sponsored by J & K Anderstrom
- Live Placings
- Showmanship Results
- Interview, Record Book, and Production Results
- Sponsor Relations, Herdsman Award, and Don Norgren Results
- Carcass Contest
2026/2027 Applications now open.
Applications available now. Catch A Calf Application 2026- 2027 Final
Become A Sponsor
Being a Catch-A-Calf Sponsor is one of the most unique opportunities for those interested in supporting youth in agriculture.
Overview:
With over 50 current sponsors, the support of this program is unimaginable. Sponsors range anywhere from corporate businesses to families, couples, and former Catch-A-Calf participants.
What to Expect:
Each year, participants are matched with a sponsor who not only contributes to the purchase of the steer but provides insight and mentorship for the entirety of the project.
Each month, participants write & send a letter to their sponsor telling them the insights on their project and life happenings. Most sponsors interact with their participants beyond the letters, including; frequent phone calls, and emails, making visits to see the calves, and watching the participant show at their county and state shows.
The following January, during the opening weekend of NWSS, participants compete in a number of project contests, which include, record books, industry-related speeches, paneled interviews, and show their steers in showmanship and live evaluation. Sponsors are encouraged to partake in all activities with exhibitors. Catch-A-Calves are shown in the historical Stadium Arena with an awards ceremony as a culmination of the project.
Additional Info:
Catch-A-Calf sponsorship donations are tax-deductible. We also have a handful of sponsors who don’t necessarily want to correspond with a participant every month, but who still want to be a monetary sponsor. Those funds go towards buying the participants’ show supplies to help get their projects started, help make up the difference in our steer purchase prices, and fund other fun aspects and add-ons of the program.
 All of our Catch-A-Calves come from the same herd. Each year, the NWSS Staff finds a set of calves in the springtime that are approximately 500-600 lbs. and all from the same herd. Since 2023, Catch-A-Calves have been purchased from Day Cattle Company in Lubbock, Texas. In the past, we have gotten calves from Wagonhammer Ranches, Wagonhound Ranches, Peak View Ranch, Morgan Ranches, Krebs Ranch, Silver Spur, and others.
We would love to speak with anyone interested in becoming a Catch-A-Calf sponsor. For sponsorship values or other questions, please contact Jennifer with the NWSS Livestock Office at [email protected].
CAC Committee
- Ben Duke III, Chairman
- Jo Adams
- Erik Anderson
- Tom Fey
- Molly Keil
- Michelle Erickson
- Mike Pugh
- Tim Roberts
- Pat Shaw
- Bill Waneka
- Mikayla Gabel
- Dave McCaslin
- Jenn Livsey
- Carolyn Neely
- Nancy Oliver
2025-2026 Schedule
May 3-4, 2025: Steers distributed to all 2024-2025 participants – NWSS Denver, CO
November 2025:Â Catch-A-Calf fitting and showmanship clinic with Weaver Livestock
January 7, 2026 | 10 p.m. – Catch-A-Calf steers can begin arriving on the grounds
January 8, 2026 | 10 a.m. – Catch-A-Calf steers must be on the grounds.
January 9-11, 2026Â
Catch-A-Calf Activities & Show
Catch-A-Calf Contests
Presented by:Â
Contests are held in the CoBank Arena within the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Livestock Center.
Rianna Chaney, 2020 Participant
