'Human connection': Why some studs will always love the royal shows

With many studs skipping the royal shows in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising costs, the value of showing cattle in the capital could be coming into doubt.

Still, there was no shortage of faces on the lawns this year.

So what's keeping breeders coming back?

The future of studs at the royal shows perhaps lies in putting the spotlight on what they offer that the online world can't - a sense of genuine connection.

Socialising by the showring

Charolais Society of Australia general manager Colin Rex said the purpose of royal shows was changing.

"I think it's great that royal shows still exist for that purpose of being a centre where people can come in and catch up with fellow breeders and see what's happening in the industry," he said.

"But the world's changing and beef cattle breeding has changed over the last 30 or 40 years - and certainly COVID had an impact. It'll be exciting to see just where we finish up as far as marketing cattle in the future."

For breeders dispersed across the country and beyond state borders, the showring is an opportunity to network and connect with both customers and clients.

Brenton Thomas, Instyle Holsteins, Cooriemungle, Vic, said events like International Dairy Week were another opportunity to get to know other breeders.

"Every year I go I meet someone new," he said. "It's a good social event, that's for sure."

Angus Australia CEO Scott Wright said the "human connection" was irreplaceable.

"It's a great place to engage the breed with the general public, it's a great place to engage with other breeders," he said.

"There's such a human element there that I don't think it'll ever be replaced."

Seeing cattle firsthand

There's no replacement for the chance to assess an animal face-to-face.

The showring offers top studs a perhaps now rare chance for physical comparison which an online video catalogue can't match.

"A royal show like the Ekka provides seed stock producers with the unique opportunity of being able to see the structure of cattle in person," RNA cattle chair Gary Noller said.

"The structure and breeding potential of an animal is key and you can only see how the best of the best stud beef cattle walk and move by attending the Ekka."

It's a sentiment echoed by breeders.

Tattykeel Angus director Graham Gilmore said many studs had fallen out of the show system because of a preference in marketing with "numbers and data".

"I'm not a great believer in data - do anything you like with data, it doesn't change the animal," he said. "The animal is what it is."

Mr Gilmore said shows were a "levelling system", and felt the evenness and quality of animals has suffered for the decline in show attendance.

But the explosion in technology has had benefits when it comes to marketing from the showring too.

With most attendees likely to have a smartphone in their back pocket, it's no surprise to see breeders taking photos of standout cattle in preparation for the selling season ahead, according to Santa Gertrudis general manager Brad Cooper.

"Straight off the back of the Ekka, our sale season really begins in earnest," he said.

"Some of them [show animals] may be offered through the season, but certainly a lot of their influence and their genetic influence will be felt right across those sale catalogues.

"When those cattle are parading around, looking as beautiful as they are, people are going to be pulling out their phones, they're going to be videoing those, they'll be sharing them on social media."

Advertising agriculture

The royal shows are often one of few opportunities for Australia's capital cities to get up close and personal with agriculture.

Mr Noller said stud showing was still a big drawcard for the general population.

"Customer research confirms that seeing large animals in a city setting is a major reason the general public attends the Royal Queensland Show in the first place," he said.

"Large animal competitions and displays play a key role in the Ekka's hugely popular agriculture education offering."

At the Canberra Show, organisers have made an effort to put an emphasis on a positive experience for both studs and crowds.

CEO Adelina La Vita said she believed low entry costs, on-site camping and the condensed three-day time frame of the show gave the show an edge over its competitors.

"We continue to have high-quality judges who are industry leaders," she said. "Canberra is seen as a royal show with the feel of the old country shows, authentic, earnest and focused on promoting agriculture."

At the end of the day, there will always be those who keep going for the pure "love" of exhibiting their cattle, as Pemberton Speckle Park owner Tim Bell puts it.

"It's a great catch-up with friends," he said.

"It's an outing to get off the farm and just get out and catch up with like-minded people and just have a good time.

"[It's a] reason to leave the farm, but you're still working with your cattle - which is what you love."