The Garvin County Junior Livestock Show held its first agricultural mechanics competition Tuesday.
“This is our first year kicking things off, and we will grow from here,” Steven Beck said.
Agricultural mechanics entails building items specifically for agricultural uses. Contest divisions included livestock equipment, outdoor recreation, agricultural machinery and equipment, trailers, and decorative. Participants brought completed pieces that they presented to the judge who asked them questions about their building process, design and experience.
Jacob Owens, a junior from Stratford, won Grand Champion.
“I’m happy and glad to be here,” he said. “I came in thinking I wasn’t going to win, then I did.”
Owens works for his uncle at a cattle feedlot in Rosedale, where he has gained experience in a variety of tasks, including welding.
His ag teacher encouraged him to compete in the contest, and the trailer he built was inspired by one owned by his teacher. Owens also built a rack for saddles and other horse tack. Both pieces won division championships.
Kevin Espinoza, a senior, and Rylan Close, a junior, received the reserve champion honor for building a cedar table.
The Pauls Valley duo built the table frame at a welders’ rodeo in Marietta. They had six hours to build the frame based on blueprints.
Back in Pauls Valley, they were able to use old wooden bench seats from the gymnasium to add a tabletop and benches. They painted the metal black and stained the wooden tabletop. They also readjusted the frame to lower the tabletop.
One bench is attached to the table, while the other is freestanding.
“My grandma is in a wheelchair, so the bench is movable to make it handicap- accessible,” Close said.
They spent $364 making the table and auctioned it at their school’s local show for $1,100.
Espinoza plans to become an automotive mechanic and appreciates the variety of skills he has learned through the ag program and contests like this.
“It’s worth it because you experience what to do and learn from your mistakes,” Espinoza said.
Ag Mechanic Contest Winners included:
Grand Champion - Jake Owens, Stratford FFA
Reserve Grand Champion - Rylan Close and Kevin Espinoza, Pauls Valley FFA
Bronze Medallion Winner - Hazen Carroll, Lindsay FFA
Showmanship Winners were:
Junior - Jake Jacobson, Pauls Valley FFA
Intermediate - Langston Claiborne, Pauls Valley FFA
Senior - Jacob Owens, Stratford FFA
