Established Dorper breeder Christo Dorfling of Weenen added to his Royal Show record at the 2026 Dorper Regional Championship, while newcomer Luca Fardella of SJF Dorpers made an encouraging start with his recently registered White Dorper stud.

The results highlighted two KwaZulu-Natal breeding operations at different stages of their development, with Dorfling Dorpers taking the principal black-headed Dorper awards and SJF Dorpers securing the White Dorper championship honours.

Held on Friday, 9 October, at the Royal Agricultural Show's new showgrounds at Tweedie, Howick, the Dormer National Championship was a significant occasion in the Royal Agricultural Society of Natal's 175th anniversary year. The competition brought together Dormer breeders to compete for national honours, with the results highlighting the quality of animals presented in the individual classes, group competitions and championship judging.

Johnny Forbes and his Vredesig stud delivered one of the outstanding performances of the 2026 Royal Carcass Competition, claiming six prestigious awards, including the Royal Champion Lamb Carcass, and achieving a remarkable R56,450 sale at the Royal Carcass Auction. The results add another important chapter to Vredesig's growing record of success at the Royal Agricultural Show.

Marius Eksteen of Hatari Farming claimed both the Supreme Champion Ram and Supreme Champion Ewe titles at the 2026 Royal Agricultural Show, securing a remarkable double victory at the prestigious Standard Bank Gold Cup Awards held at Tweedie Hall, Howick, on Saturday evening, 10 October.

The 2026 Royal Carcass Auction has set a new South African benchmark for the price paid for a single lamb carcass, marking an extraordinary achievement in the Royal Agricultural Society's 175th anniversary year.

The SA Boer Goat Regional Championship delivered a strong start to the livestock programme at the 2026 Royal Agricultural Show, with Ilse Lombard Boerbokstoet claiming the Gold Cups for both the Grand Champion Ram and Grand Champion Ewe at Tweedie.

The Farmer’s Weekly Royal Pavilion will host three days of live cooking demonstrations at the 2026 Royal Agricultural Show, with the Farmer’s Weekly Farmer’s Feasts beginning on Wednesday, 7 October. The series will feature three Royal Pavilion exhibitors, each taking a turn in the demonstration kitchen and giving visitors the chance to see the people behind their products in action.

Livestock producers and Royal Show visitors will have an opportunity to hear from four speakers covering cattle production, nutrition, farm decision-making and regenerative grazing when the KZN Nguni Club hosts a programme of talks on Friday, 9 October.

Cattle remain an important part of the Royal Agricultural Show in 2026, with a programme following commercial beef production from stockmanship and live-animal judging through to carcass evaluation and the prestigious Royal Carcass Auction.

Off-road campers, overlanding gear, custom Land Rovers, local food and drink, leather goods, outdoor equipment, conservation, live music, tastings and plenty of fire: the KhakiBush Bull Pen, presented by KhakiBush Magazine, brings a distinctly South African mix of outdoor and country life to the 2026 Royal Agricultural Show.

For children fascinated by animals, horses, tractors, reptiles, crafts or simply finding out how things work, a day at the 2026 Royal Agricultural Show will offer plenty to discover. From 7–11 October at the new Royal Showgrounds at Tweedie Hall, Howick, the Show brings agriculture to life in a way that can be enjoyed across generations. Younger children can meet the animals, play and get creative; older children can follow the action in the arenas, explore the outdoor and machinery displays, and try something a little more adventurous; and teenagers can even start discovering where a future in agriculture, technology or engineering might take them.

Can water really be moved without electricity? How is technology changing livestock security? Could smarter use of energy help farmers manage electricity costs? And what does a career in agricultural engineering actually look like? These are some of the questions being explored at the Technology & Education Hub at the 2026 Royal Agricultural Show, where a five-day programme of short talks will bring together practical knowledge, new technology, agricultural research, education and career opportunities.

The Royal Agricultural Show opens at its new home at Tweedie Hall on Wednesday, 7 October — and everyone is invited to come and share its first evening. Entry to the Show will be FREE from 17:00 to 20:00 on Wednesday night.

Buyers, butchers, restaurateurs and members of the public are invited to attend the 2026 Royal Carcass Competition awards and Royal Carcass Auction on Saturday, 10 October, at the Royal Showgrounds at Tweedie. One of the most prestigious fixtures on the South African red meat calendar, the Royal Carcass Competition and Auction brings together excellence in livestock production, carcass quality and the commercial red meat industry.

From handcrafted lemonade and artisan preserves to Midlands confectionery, craft beer, rum, speciality meats and braai equipment, the Farmer’s Weekly Royal Pavilion will bring together an eclectic collection of makers and producers at the 2026 Royal Show. The Pavilion will be a place to linger at this year’s Royal Show, with exhibitors bringing products and ideas from across KwaZulu-Natal and beyond.

Among the livestock, machinery and action of the 2026 Royal Show, the Crafts Marquee offers visitors a different kind of Show experience — one built around creativity, patience, skill and the pleasure of watching something being made by hand.

For agricultural students, the J.R. Brewitt Floating Trophy, or “Student Cup,” is not just another trophy. It is their equivalent of the World Cup. At 10.00am on Wednesday, 7 October, two old Royal Show rivals will meet again in the Hollard Arena, when Cedara and Weston go head to head in the 2026 Student Challenge.

The Sheep section will be a major part of the agricultural programme at the 2026 Royal Show, bringing together regional and national breed competition, commercial livestock production and some of the Royal Agricultural Society’s flagship livestock events.

The full programme for the KhakiBush BraaiBoss Challenge at this year’s Royal Show is in — and this is definitely about more than throwing a steak on the fire! Prelim 3 takes place on Saturday, 10 October, and Prelim 4 on Sunday, 11 October, at the KhakiBush Bull Pen at the new Royal Showgrounds at Tweedie.

Heritage Day asks us to remember what was handed down to us. For descendants of Natal’s colonial settlers, there is a substantial inheritance worth remembering: not merely buildings, farms or institutions, but a particular record of enterprise, voluntary service, practical experiment and persistence. Few institutions illustrate it better than the Royal Agricultural Society of Natal.