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21 August, 2026
Ekka Podium Finish for Texas Local Katie Trounce
Local young cattle judge Katie Trounce has achieved a major milestone on the state stage, securing third place in the 2026 Queensland Ag Shows State Stud Beef Young Judges Final held at the Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) this month.
Katie’s journey to the state podium started with a very strong performance at the Goondiwindi Show in May.
Her victory in Goondiwindi advanced her to the Darling Downs Sub-Chamber Finals, hosted at the Bell Showgrounds on Saturday, 30 May. The regional final presented a highly competitive arena, featuring individual champions from across the region’s 19 show societies, alongside a formidable multi-team contingent from the Warwick’s SCOTS PGC College Cattle Team.
In a tightly contested Stud Cattle Judging division, Katie outperformed a talented field, including SCOTS PGC competitors Natalie Mulcahy and Laila Riley, who finished second and third respectively. By clinching the first-place regional title, Katie earned the honor of being the sole representative for the entire Darling Downs Sub-Chamber at the state finals in Brisbane.
The Vytelle-sponsored State Final at the Ekka brought together 11 elite regional finalists from across Queensland. Competitors were tasked with visually evaluating a line-up of stud beef cattle, ranking them according to strict breed standards, and presenting their oral reasoning to an expert panel of overjudges.
Following a rigorous judging process, Amy Collins of the South-West Queensland Sub-Chamber claimed the state title, with Jessica Beddows of the South Burnett Sub-Chamber placing second. Katie’s third-place finish stands as a testament to her hard work, dedication, and precision in livestock evaluation.
The Texas community is incredibly proud of her outstanding achievement and the dedication she has shown throughout the 2026 show season.
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