THE eyes of Australia - and even across the Tasman - will be focused on the Royal Queensland Show this year as youth compete in a range of judging and parading competitions on a national level.
Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand are sending the winners of contests involving beef and dairy cattle and sheep to Brisbane for national honours.
Brisbane last hosted the national finals in 2007, the year Queensland also won the Federal Council of Agricultural Societies competition award for the state with the most points.
New Zealand won the award last year and will be a force to be reckoned with again, with a team of eight competing in all sections.
With the Queensland Council of Agricultural Societies (QCAS) running state finals as well, Ekka patrons have no better opportunity to see and hear the best Australia has to offer the future of livestock judging and parading.
National finals action gets underway on Sunday, August 10, with beef cattle parader finalists strutting their stuff at 8.30am in the showgrounds sale ring, followed by the young judges event at 9.30.
On Wednesday, August 13, the dairy cattle paraders final begins at 8.30am and the young judges final at 10am.
Elders is the sponsor of the national stud beef young judge and young parader championship; AWI for Merino sheep and fleece sections, while Coca Cola will provide bursaries for the Rural Ambassador winner and runner-up.
National finalists in stud beef cattle parading are Nancy Crawshaw (NZ), Emma Warne (Qld), Jarrod Eason (SA), Madalan Page (Tasmania), Matthew Rigano (Victoria) and Emily Gentle (WA). Judging: Jesse Joseph (NSW), Nancy Crawshaw, Jamie Hollis (Qld), Christopher Muller (SA), Hayden King (Victoria), Billi Marshall (WA), Chelsea Rayner (Tasmania).
On a state level, the Queensland Chamber of Agricultural Societies (QCAS) will be conducting Queensland finals in prime and stud beef cattle, dairy cattle, meat breeds sheep, Merino fleece and Merino sheep.
The first state final of the stud beef cattle paraders will be held on Wednesday, August 6, while the stud beef judges final takes place on Saturday, August 9, also the day for prime beef judging.
The state finalists for stud beef parading are Emily Robinson (Rathdowney), BJ Schwerin (Allora), Emily Lovett (Pomona) and Corey Dean Evans (Kingaroy), while the judging event will be between Amy Birch (Eidsvold), Emily Robinson, Alistair Scott (Highfields), Sarah Peters (Conondale), Megan Krause (Miles) and Brent David Evans (Kingaroy).
For prime beef judging, finalists are Rys Branson (Warwick), Sarah Peters, Bernadette Hodgson (Wooth), Billie-Jo Mayes (Rockhampton) and Corey Dean Evans.