Qld and NSW names in the mix: Ekka interbreed stud cattle judges revealed

The three beef industry leaders tasked with judging the champion of champions at the Royal Queensland Show next week have been named.

Queensland's Spencer Morgan from The Grove Shorthorns at Condamine will work alongside Marty Lill from Chadwick Downs Cattle Company at Coonabarabran, NSW, and David Smith of Ben Lomond, NSW, to award the best pair, male and female at the interbreed level.

There have been 961 large breed stud cattle nominated for this year's Ekka, with judging kicking off from Friday, August 8.

The interbreed judging will kick off after the completion of judging and the parade of champions in the afternoon of Saturday, August 9.

Mr Morgan manages the seedstock and commercial beef sector of his family's operation, The Grove.

The Morgans have been breeding Shorthorns in Queensland for more than a century, with the commercial relevance of their herd solidified with wins in the RNA Paddock to Palate competition.

David Smith, together with his wife Marian, operates Smith's Kyan Brangus and Ultrablacks.

He spent 20 years as stud manager and operations manager at Palgrove, overseeing one of the nation's leading herds.

He brings extensive judging experience from both the Sydney and Brisbane Royal Shows.

Marty Lill is an international agriculture, agribusiness and genetics professional whose judging resume includes Beef Australia, the online Champions of the World competition and judging appearances in Brazil, USA and Paraguay.

Mr Lill has also been instrumental in the development of new and emerging beef markets in Latin America while running his own herd of Brafords and Red Brangus.