Darren Keating, Royal Melbourne Show, discusses agriculture for 2023

Royal Melbourne Show agriculture executive general manager Darren Keating said visitors and exhibitors could look forward to more engagement opportunities and an animal nursery at the heart of the show.

"We've got animals in all places around the show," he said.

"We have about 20 per cent more agriculture this year, we have more buildings with more animals in them.

"It's about the rural experience as well as the farming, but that's in addition to our regular competitions, our best in show and the blue ribbon."

Mr Keating stepped into his role in February after an extensive career in food, fibre and livestock industries, and grew up on a Berrybank mixed-farm.

He said this year's show hoped to provide greater engagement for city visitors and children to better understand agriculture.

"The best thing we can do for as far as an advocacy position goes, is give people in the city the opportunity to get up close with animals and have positive experiences with them," he said.

"From the public perspective there's more places you can see working dogs, pony rides, the nursery is a big favourite and that's now going to be in the heart of the show.

"We'll have machinery on site, we do have an activity that is around getting kids to handle grain and start to see how to grind the grain up and how it transforms from a cereal in the paddock to something on your plate.

"It gives kids the interaction to really engage which is wonderful."

Mr Keating said exhibitors would be back to business as usual, with Limousin and Suffolks being the cattle and sheep features for 2023.

"[Exhibitors can expect] business back to usual, our sheep, cattle, horse and alpaca exhibitors will have the regular competitions going on there for our best in show," he said.

"Our Limousin are the feature of the cattle and the Suffolks are our sheep feature."

More than 120 entries from across Victoria will be on show in the fleece sector, and more than 500 exhibits are gearing up for the beef sector.

Fleece committee chair Roger Wilkinson said the 2022 black and coloured fleece competitions laid solid foundations for this year, and would use the same scale points as white fleeces.

"Our new approach recognises that black and coloured fleeces are a commercial product as much as they are a hobby product, and that black and coloured sheep breeders have improved the wool on their sheep so much over the years, Dr Wilkinson said.

"Having tried it last year and proved that it works, we are continuing with it.

"We are not the first show to use this scale of points, but we would be one of the first."

Meanwhile, the equestrian sector will celebrate its biggest prize pool in history with the Garryowen Equestrienne Turnout offering $11,000 in its 89^th year.

Suffolks will experience additional classes and prizes this year, with entries for the breed closing tomorrow, August 10.