This year’s grand champion market steer at the Missouri State Fair hails from Princeton.

The 1340-pound crossbred steer shown by Princeton FFA member Lincoln Berndt received the slap heard around the fairgrounds Tuesday, Aug. 12 in the historic Coliseum. Berndt tells KMMO News while he and his family were looking to have their steer compete again this summer, they knew they had a unique steer that had already placed at several earlier contests.

Berndt says he’s worked with the steer and prepared him for competitions since October.

The reserve grand champion was also from the FFA division, a Charolais Composite weighting 1355 pounds shown by Samuel Jordan from Savannah. The top steers from the 4-H division were both from Pettis County. Eli DeHaan’s Mainetainer, weighing 1380 pounds, won the division, followed by a 1340-pound crossbred steer exhibited by Isabella Bennett.

The steers shown by Berndt and Jordan will go under the hammer at Saturday’s Sale of Champions. The final two entries in the sale will be selected Wednesday at the 4-H and FFA Market Rabbit show.

Samuel Jordan (left) and Eli DeHaan line up their steers for the selection of the Reserve Grand Champion at the Missouri State Fair’s Market Steer show Aug. 12, 2025. (Photo by Kyle Hill, KMMO News)