BLINN PREVIEW DAYS GIVES HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS GLIMPSE OF COLLEGE’S AG SCIENCES PROGRAM

  

The Blinn College District’s Agricultural Sciences Department rolled out the red carpet Friday for students from 10 Texas high schools, showing them what the nationally recognized program can offer as they consider their career options.

Approximately 150 students took part in the department’s preview day, touring the W.J. “Bill” Rankin Agricultural Complex and the Blinn-Brenham Campus.

Agricultural Sciences Professor Doug Pierce said the day is a way to show high school students how Blinn can provide them with technical skills or prepare them to transfer to the state’s leading four-year universities.

“We are blessed that we are the biggest junior college ag program in Texas, maybe in the nation,” said Pierce. “There are lots of kids who want to go into agriculture who are real active in FFA and they love that, but they don’t come from farms and ranches anymore.”

Blinn offers “hands-on” opportunities in classes in animal science, livestock evaluation, wildlife conservation, horticulture, agronomy, agricultural economics, marketing, food science, engine repair and agriculture construction.

“A lot of kids won’t be in production ag,” said Pierce. “Only about 2% of ag jobs are in that specialty, but if you’re going to go into sales or marketing, you need to know where those products come from so you can better promote your product from start to finish.”

During a tour of the agricultural mechanics center, instructor Ben Burroughs told students they will have an opportunity to learn a number of skills that are useful in everyday life.

Pierce, who came to Washington County in 1986 as a county Extension agent before he joined Blinn’s faculty, said the community itself is another strong recruiting tool.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been in a community where they take care of each other and get behind a cause like Washington County,” he said. “If you haven’t been outside to other places, you don’t realize how beneficial that is and how special we are to have that atmosphere here.

“I think that’s what makes Blinn College unique. You can talk about all the fancy technology you want, but it comes down to putting your hand on a kid’s shoulder and saying, ‘We’re going to take care of you. You’re going to have to perform and we’re going to push you, but we’re going to lead you through the process.”

Blinn’s Agricultural Sciences Program is approximately four times the size of any other two-year agricultural program in the state and offers agriculture classes on all its campuses. Blinn is an active member of the Agriculture Consortium of Texas and maintains close associations with department heads and representatives from all Texas agriculture universities to ensure a smooth transition for students. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu/agricultural-sciences.

Registration currently is open for the Spring 2020 semester, which begins Tuesday, Jan. 21. For enrollment information, visit www.blinn.edu/admissions.

(Story courtesy Richard Bray, Blinn Information)