Kilgore College Ag Farm

CANYON, TEXAS --- Two legendary Texas junior college agriculture programs were among seven institutions that competed head-to-head here recently on the West Texas A&M University campus.

At day’s end, Kilgore College and Blinn College shared top honors in educational activities and service project events during the Texas Junior College Agriculture Association (TJCAA) convention.

Kilgore was named the “Outstanding Chapter Award” for activities and projects conducted throughout the year. Blinn came in second and Coastal Bend, third. The Outstanding Chapter Award includes all community service activities completed by the students during the year, “Outstanding Student” results, TJCAA state officer election results, “Sweepstakes Award,” and the Scrapbook Contest. This marks the 12th year in the past 15 that Kilgore has attained the distinctive honor. Included in their 22-page application were 533 completed service activities.

Blinn came away with the “Sweepstakes Award,” a summation of competitive events held during the convention. Kilgore placed second, followed by Weatherford College, Trinity Valley Community College, Coastal Bend College, Houston Community College, and Cisco College.

On an individual basis, Ashley Sawyer, a sophomore from Blinn, was honored as the TJCAA “Outstanding Student” and will receive a $5,000 college scholarship. Runner-up honors and a $2,500 scholarship went to Tara Butler, a Weatherford sophomore. Heath Sutlive, Kilgore sophomore, was second runner-up. The Bruce McMillan, Jr. Foundation of Overton, Texas, presented both scholarships. Only second-year students are eligible for consideration in this competition.

Blinn captured the Scrapbook competition, followed in order by Kilgore, Coastal Bend, and Trinity Valley.

Kilgore dominated the Job Interview Contest with Heath Sutlive, first, and Michelle Evans, second.

Dustin Burke, Blinn, won the Prepared Speaking Contest, followed by Kilgore’s Heath Sutlive, second, and Lucy Smith, also of Kilgore, third. Amanda Edwards of Coastal Bend placed fourth.

Ninety students representing seven institutions competed in subject matter quizzes, which were prepared by the West Texas A&M agricultural faculty. The results were as follows: [Animal Science] Amanda Brown, Weatherford, first; Matt Stolz, Blinn, second; Erica Delk, Trinity Valley, third; and Tara Butler, Weatherford, fourth. [Agricultural Economics] Heath Sutlive, Kilgore, first; Ashley Sawyer, Blinn, second; Dustin Burke, Blinn, third; and Jami Gillmore, Trinity Valley, fourth. [Agronomy] Tara Butler, Weatherford, first; Amanda Robertson, Blinn, second; Lucy Smith, Kilgore, third; and Jami Gillmore, Trinity Valley, fourth.

Also, [Agricultural Mechanics] David Chudje, Blinn, first; Bill Ginn, Blinn, second; Cortney Hopper, Cisco, third; and Randall Livingston, Weatherford, fourth. [Horticulture] Greg Zindler, Houston, first; Amanda Robertson, Blinn, second; Matt Stoltz, Blinn, third; and Amanda Backlass, Houston, fourth. and [Wildlife] Cody Muske, Blinn, first; Matt Stolz, Blinn, second; Nicole Cook, Weatherford, third; and Zack Yanta Coastal Bend, fourth.

Outgoing TJCAA officers include Ashley Sawyer, Blinn, president; Robbi Russel, Cisco, first vice-president; Heath Sutlive, Kilgore, second vice-president; J.P Parkison, Trinity Valley, secretary; Michelle Evans, Kilgore, treasurer; Amanda Edwards, Coastal Bend, reporter; and Rachal Oats, Blinn, sentinel.

Students elected to lead the Association during the 2006-07 year are Jessica Hawley, Blinn, president; Kasey Jones, Blinn, first vice-president; Randall Livingston, Weatherford, second vice-president; Zach Yanta, Coastal Bend, secretary; Dayla Ragsdale, Kilgore, treasurer; Ricky Martin, Kilgore, reporter; and Amanda Brown, Weatherford, sentinel.

The 2007 TJCAA Convention will be held next spring at Abilene Christian University in conjunction with the Agricultural Consortium of Texas (ACT), which includes the Texas four-year institutions that teach agriculture.