Blinn College District Agricultural Mechanics Project Show draws 173 entries
18th annual showcase draws students from 80 high school FFA chapters and 4-H clubs

April 30, 2018
Richard Lee Schilling of Fayetteville FFA was crowned grand champion of the 2018 Blinn College District Agricultural Mechanics Project Show for his 1960 John Deere 435 tractor.
The 18th annual Blinn College District Agricultural Mechanics Project Show drew 173 entries from 80 schools around the state Wednesday at the W.J. “Bill” Rankin Agricultural Complex.
Richard Lee Schilling of Fayetteville FFA was crowned grand champion for his 1960 John Deere 435 tractor.
“I am really proud to be named grand champion and I am going to try even harder next year,” Schilling said. “I really enjoy these projects. You have to work hard to come out on top. I try to do everything I can to the best of my ability, and I am constantly working to get better each contest.”
Schilling worked on the project for a total of 1,300 hours for seven days each week.
Nicko Chairez, Cesar Lopez, Miguel Aguilar, Victor Mendoza, Payden Duggins, and Jordan Lee from Kerens FFA were named reserve grand champions for their 24 by 6.8-foot cattle trailer.
“Hard work always pays off, and we put a lot of hard work into this,” Lopez said. “It felt really good to know that we actually accomplished something and we got our seniors scholarships.”
Projects are judged on workmanship, design, degree of difficulty, showmanship, and documentation, including photos of each step. Projects include agricultural machinery and equipment, livestock equipment, trailers, barbecue pits, picnic tables, metal and wood furniture, entrance gates, deer blinds, animal traps and horticulture products, engines, and reconditioned tractors and restored equipment. The show also included welding and cutting torch contests.
Sponsors included Appel Ford, Brenham Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram, Robs Run Center, Woodson Lumber Company, La Roche Chevrolet, Washington Country Tractor, The Christian Counseling Center, Gajeske Inc., Miller Welding Supply, Prax-Air, Granger, and the Blinn College Alumni and Friends Association.
The Agricultural Sciences Program is roughly four times the size of any other two-year agricultural program in the state and offers agriculture classes on all of its campuses, with the Rankin Agricultural Complex serving as the program’s hub.
In addition to its excellence in the classroom, Blinn offers extracurricular educational activities in the areas of livestock judging, agriculture club, wildlife, agriculture mechanics, horticulture and agriculture sciences.
Blinn College Ag Mechanics Project Show Results:
Welding contest winners:
1st place |
Joel Arias |
Lanier |
2nd place |
Matthew Hancock |
Caldwell |
3rd place |
Hector Guzman |
Cy-Fair |
Cutting Torch contest winners:
1st place |
Logan Nichols |
Trinity |
2nd place |
Colton Ward |
Trinity |
Ag Machinery & Equipment Classes:
1st place |
Matthew Hancock and Thomas Berry |
Caldwell |
Oxy Acetylene Cylinder Cart |
2nd place |
Lane Balcar |
LaVernia |
2002 Ford F-150 Headache Rack |
3rd place |
Julio Castellon and Nathan Nava |
Klein Forest |
Wrap Around Bumper for Dodge Ram |
Livestock & Equipment Classes:
1st place |
Hunter Chambless, Will Thompson and Tristan Wells |
Van Vleck |
30-foot Portable Cattle Chute with Hydraulic Jacks |
2nd place |
Aiden Davis and Connor Payne |
Bell County |
18-foot Forged Entry Gate |
3rd place |
Colby Swift, Cameron Vacek, Bobby Brune, Reece Kneble and Seth Steele |
Tidehaven |
28-foot Cattle Chute |
Trailer Classes:
1st place |
Nicko Chairez, Cesar Lopez, Miguel Aguilar, Victor Mendoza, Payden Duggins and Jordan Lee |
Kerens |
24 by 6.8-foot Cattle Trailer |
2nd place |
Alex Baker, Chris Carpenter and Dylan Chilantt |
Peaster |
20-foot Bumper Pull Utility Trailer |
3rd place |
Brendan Smith |
Cypress Woods |
24-foot Gooseneck Stock Trailer |
Recreation Classes:
1st place |
Aiden Davis and Connor Payne |
Bell County |
Forged Meta Bench |
2nd place |
Sarah Stanley |
Columbia-Brazoria |
Bar with Fish Tank |
3rd place |
Victoria Smith |
Thorndale |
Metal Swing with a Cedar Bench |
Restored Tractor Classes:
1st place |
Richard Lee Schilling |
Fayetteville |
1960 John Deere 435 |
2nd place |
Keaton Glass |
Gonzales |
1967 International 1206 Wheatland |
3rd place |
Austin Chavez |
Cuero |
1965 John Deere 420 |
Archives
GET CONNECTED
Media Contact
Richard Bray
Director of Communications, Media Relations, and Marketing
Blinn College District
Office: 979-209-7285
Richard.Bray@blinn.edu
Mailing Address
Marketing & Communications
902 College Ave.
Brenham, TX 77833
About Blinn College
With an enrollment of 19,581 students, Blinn ranks among the nation’s leaders in transferring students to leading four-year universities and has received national recognition for affordable educational excellence.