Youth Leaders Selected to Reign Over 91st Southeast District Livestock Show

By Tobie Blanchard 

LSU AgCenter

BATON ROUGE, La. — As the Southeast District Livestock Show marks its 91st year on Feb. 5-7 at the St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds in Covington, two youth exhibitors have been selected to reign as the 2026 king and queen. This year’s royalty, Aiden Franatovich of St. Tammany Parish and Kamryn Hudspeth of Livingston Parish, bring years of livestock experience and service to their roles.

Each year, the Southeast District Livestock Show crowns a king and queen to serve as youth ambassadors for the show. Both receive a $500 scholarship and a commemorative belt buckle recognizing their achievements and will travel from barn to barn during the show to hand out awards.

Franatovich is a junior at Pearl River High School and has built an impressive portfolio of livestock and leadership accomplishments through his years in FFA. Beginning with cattle projects in 2022 and expanding into rabbits, poultry and swine, Franatovich has earned numerous district and parish titles, including Overall Rabbit Showman, Grand Champion Mini Lop Buck and multiple Best of Breed honors.

Franatovich currently serves as president of the Pearl River FFA Chapter. In this role, he leads chapter activities, mentors younger students and represents FFA at community events and town meetings. His leadership has earned him recognition such as the star chapter member award and selection to the FFA Area IV state nominating committee.

Beyond the show ring, Franatovich has demonstrated a passion for agricultural education and outreach. He has led the creation of a community garden, an ongoing service-learning project maintained by FFA members to support local families and teach agricultural skills.

“Through years of dedication to livestock, leadership and community service, I have gained more than awards,” Franatovich said. “I have learned the value of commitment, responsibility and serving others. Each step of my FFA journey has shaped me into someone proud to represent agricultural excellence.”

Hudspeth, a junior at Walker High School, has been involved in livestock and 4‑H and FFA leadership since elementary school. With a show history of more than 25 animals, including various goats and cattle, Hudspeth is known for her dedication, work ethic and determination to take on new challenges.

Her livestock achievements include Southeast District Grand Champion and Reserve Champion titles across multiple species, along with numerous parish-level awards. Hudspeth also competes in FFA events such as prepared public speaking, livestock judging, horse evaluation and dairy foods.

Hudspeth currently serves as Walker High FFA secretary and Walker High 4‑H Club president, where she leads service projects such as Fleece for Families, birdhouse construction for community groups and multiple school-based fundraisers. She also serves as treasurer of the Louisiana Junior Cattlemen’s Association.

Her passion for agriculture extends beyond competition. She works closely with mentors in the livestock community to improve her skills, particularly in goat grooming and fitting, and she often assists younger exhibitors.

“Showing livestock is the most important thing of my life next to school, FFA and 4-H,” Hudspeth said. “I like to be busy, and I love a challenge.”

Franatovich and Hudspeth will represent the Southeast District Livestock Show throughout its 91st year, promoting youth agriculture and encouraging younger exhibitors to build confidence, leadership and lifelong skills through livestock projects.