BLINN AG MECHANICS SHOW CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR

  

When the Blinn College Ag Mechanics Show was started, organizers enticed participation by including events like a car show and a barbecue.

Now celebrating its 25^th anniversary in April, the show has blossomed into one of the largest shows in the state, drawing almost 300 entries ranging from impressive 40-foot trailers to elaborate outdoor furniture to hydraulic animal grooming tables. Only shows in major cities like Houston and San Antonio attract more participation from FFA and 4-H students around the state.

This year’s show will be held Wednesday, April 23, at the W.J. “Bill” Rankin Agriculture Complex on the Brenham Campus.

“It wasn’t always like this,” said Johnnie Schroeder, who retired in 2017 after teaching in the Blinn Agriculture Sciences Program for 46 years. “We had a small area in a parking lot, and we had 20 or 30 entries.”

Schroeder still volunteers with the Ag Mechanics Show that he and Professor Doug Pierce started.

One of the main attractions, said Schroeder, was instructor Lawrence Hemann’s barbecue. Hemann, who died in 2011, chaired the Division of Applied Arts and Sciences and served as Blinn’s Director of Transportation.

“Mr. Hemann would cook barbecue, and everyone would want to come see the show and have some,” said Schroeder.

Pierce, who joined Blinn in 1993, said Schroeder deserves most of the credit for starting the show.

“Mr. Schroeder and Mr. Hemann took me under their wings, and I wanted to make them proud of me,” Pierce said, “so we decided to stop talking about it and do it.”

Blinn used the Houston Livestock Show as a model, with one major exception. At Schroeder’s insistence, Blinn’s contest allowed barbecue pits to be entered.

“The Houston show was so big that they didn’t allow barbecue pits. Every kid makes a barbecue pit in ag shop. A lot of them don’t have the money to work with and finance projects,” said Pierce. “That was Mr. Schroeder’s idea, and now everybody has copied us.”

Schroeder said the driving concept behind Blinn’s show is simple.

“It’s not our show, it’s Blinn’s show. It’s all about kids,” he said. “Any decision that’s made around here, the No. 1 thing we look at is ‘How is it going to affect the student?’ If it’s going to adversely affect them, then we’d better have second thoughts about it. But if it’s good for the school and they’re going to benefit from it, we’re all for it. That’s kind of what we operate under.”

Schroeder said the shows give Blinn students a chance to work with experienced judges and entrants to receive constructive feedback from those judges.

“A lot of what has made us successful is that we’ve always been willing to go the extra yard for the kids who come here,” Pierce said. “People would come in needing extension cords. We have extension cords running from one end to the other. Nobody else would do that, but we always would. They could see we did it for the love of the game and for the good of the kids.”

Pierce said he stays in contact with former students, including one who later attended Texas A&M University and the University of Wyoming.

“He told me that Blinn was the only one who makes you feel like you’re part of a family,” said Pierce. “I think that’s one of the reasons why the kids like it here. We’re always trying to help.”

Both Schroeder and Pierce credited Ben Burroughs, Ag Mechanics Professor and superintendent of the event since 2019, with expanding the show’s success.

“We know how many hours are put in behind the scenes,” Schroeder said. “What you see now … this is where my dreams have come true.”

Early registration runs through April 4 via judgingcard.com, with separate forms for the show’s cutting, welding, and project entries. Late registration will be available April 5-11. Additionally, 4-H members can email rocksann.marburger@blinn.edu for registration information.

This year, welding enthusiasts have two chances to compete. The welding contest on Tuesday, April 22, will run from 2-7 p.m. with 20 spots available, while the main contest on April 23 will offer 60 more slots, beginning at 10:30 a.m.

The popular cutting contest also has expanded, now accommodating up to 100 participants, with the competition beginning at 1:30 p.m. on April 23.

“You’ll see some really good projects and highly motivated kids,” Schroeder said.

Blinn’s Agricultural Sciences Program offers a variety of courses leading to Associate of Science in Agriculture and Associate of Science in Agricultural Business degrees. Courses include several concentrating on ag mechanics such as power units and construction.

The college also sponsors an Agricultural Mechanics Club that allows students to work on projects in a state-of-the-art facility and an Ag Club that is open to members majoring in an ag-related field. The Ag Club focuses on various areas of agriculture and allows students to explore specific interests, including ag mechanics, animal science, plant science, wildlife, and ag business.

For more information, visit www.blinn.edu/agricultural-sciences.

(Story courtesy Blinn Information)