Blinn student John See IV experiencing the other side of the Ag Mechanics Project Show

Freshman from Snook goes from exhibitor to being part of ag mechanics judging team

March 19, 2024

John See IV gets to see the upcoming Blinn College Agricultural Mechanics Project Show from another side.

See, a freshman agricultural mechanics student on the Brenham campus, has been among the thousands of contestants who have participated in the contest over the years. As a high school senior last year, he and fellow Snook High School students Seth Groce and J. Beaux Hruska entered their 40-foot triple axel trailer into the competition. While it didn’t get any top awards at the Blinn contest, it won at the Burleson County Fair and placed third overall at the State Fair of Texas.

As a Blinn student, See will be among those helping with this year’s contest, scheduled for Wednesday, April 24, at the W.J. “Bill” Rankin Agricultural Complex. More than 150 projects are expected to be entered.

The early entry deadline is Friday, April 12. High school FFA participants can register at www.judgingcard.com/Registration/Info.aspx?ID=17370. 4-H members can email rocksann.marburger@blinn.edu for registration forms.

See is also no stranger to working with his hands. In high school, he built a set of gates, a fire pit with a grill, two utility trailers, a hay “spear” to move large round bales, and a 20-foot fertilizer trailer.

“I like the finished product,” he said. “It’s a whole process that you have to go through.”

At Blinn, See gets to work with state-of-the-art equipment and be mentored by instructors like Ben Burroughs, a Blinn Agricultural Sciences professor who has been superintendent of the ag mechanics show since 2019.

“He is a great student to have on the Ag Mechanics judging team,” said Burroughs. “His past experiences, knowledge, and overall poise help him accomplish his goals in judging. He is willing to help in any way possible and is always the first to volunteer.”

See said he chose Blinn because it was close to home and has an outstanding agricultural sciences program. He plans to transfer to Texas A&M University in College Station or Tarleton State University in Stephenville after graduating from Blinn.

He has several options in mind after earning a degree.

“I want to either sell ag equipment or be an ag teacher,” said See.

Blinn’s Agricultural Sciences Program is approximately four times the size of any other two-year agricultural program in the state and is based at the W.J. “Bill” Rankin Agricultural Complex on the Blinn-Brenham Campus. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu/agricultural-sciences.

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.