St. Martin’s Jessie Elizabeth Breaux Wins Farm Bureau Queen’s Contest

By Valerie Foman, Farm Bureau News Staff Writer

NEW ORLEANS – Louisiana agriculture just got much more attractive with the crowning of Jessie Breaux as the 2011-2012 Louisiana Farm Bureau Queen.

Breaux, a radiant brunette from St. Martinville, in St. Martin Parish, won the annual competition, excelling in a week of interviews and other activities designed to test the contestants’ knowledge of the agriculture industry. She impressed the judges with her answer to the contest question “What are some of the challenges facing agriculture today?”

“Out of all of the challenges farmers and ranchers face, an unsteady foundation for the future of agriculture is the worst,” she said. “Budget cuts to farming and agricultural programs and the average age of farmers rising are just a few of the challenges ag is facing. We need to overcome these challenges to build the future of agriculture.”

Breaux, 19, is the daughter of John and Liz Breaux. She graduated from Breaux Bridge High School in 2009 and is a third-year nursing student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She plans on pursing a nursing career in labor and delivery. Breaux was her high school’s salutatorian and received a scholarship for outstanding achievement. She is active in her church, serving as the administrator of children’s activities for W.O.W. Ministries. Breaux enjoys photography, writing, reading and cooking and aspires to publish a book on the life of blue crawfish.

Breaux will help spread this message and further ag education across the state as she begins her 12-month reign. Most Farm Bureau Queens log up to 10,000 miles during their tenure, traveling the state and nation to represent Farm Bureau at festivals, fairs and other events.

First runner-up in the Queen’s Contest was Kaitlyn Palmer, 18, daughter of Randy and Sandy Palmer of Plaquemines Parish. Second runner-up Kaylee Ann Beaubouef, 18, is the daughter of Adam and Donna Beaubouef of Avoyelles Parish. Caitlin Danielle Duhon, 18, was voted Miss Congeniality by her peers. Duhon is the daughter of Bradley and Stacey Duhon of Vermilion Parish.

The Queen’s Contest is the culmination of the Farm Bureau convention and is one of the many youth events sponsored by the Louisiana Farm Bureau’s Women’s Leadership Committee. The events are a way for young people to be a part of the group’s annual meeting, which this year attracted more than 1,200 farmers and ranchers to the Crescent City.

>> Watch the Video of the Crowning of the 2011-2012 LFB Queen