High School AG Projects Featured at TAMUK
Texas A&M University Kingsville
KINGSVILLE, TEXAS (News Release) - After nearly a year of work, high school students from across the state lined up their projects along University Boulevard as they took part in the 2025 Agriculture Mechanic Show hosted by the Dick and Mary Lewis Kleberg College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) on Tuesday, April 22.
This year’s event saw record attendance with 390 students from 46 different schools across 20 Texas counties ranging from the Dallas area down to the Rio Grande Valley showcasing 127 projects.
Texas A&M-Kingsville Professor of Agricultural Education and Mechanics Dr. Steven Chumbley said the competition provided a platform for a multiple project categories and student learning experiences.
“It’s an opportunity for high school students to showcase their technical skills and also their soft skill,” Chumbley said. “It’s about being able to talk, being able to showcase and sell their project. We have tractors, barbecue pits, trailers and one kid even brought custom steak knives — there was a variety of projects across a variety of categories.”
There was a total of six divisions: Farm Power & Machinery, Animal Handling Systems, Trailers, Recreation and Wildlife, BBQ Pits & Trailer & Tractor Restoration. The showcase was judged by 20 TAMUK alumni who based their criteria on craftsmanship, difficulty, quality and workmanship.
While the showcase is a competition at the end of the day, ag teachers look forward to the annual event so that their students can look for inspiration and perhaps learn a thing or two from other builds.
“One thing we teach our kids when they build their projects is to put in the hard work and dedication,” San Diego ag teacher and two-time TAMUK alum Gabriel Vera said. “At these contests, they get a little show of how other schools build projects — the magnitude and just the time and the effort.”
With a record number of students signing up, ensuring the 2025 iteration of the AG Mech Show was no small task.
For Andres Garza, a TAMUK graduate student studying agriculture science, preparing the event requires time, effort and attention to detail.
“The second this show ends, we’re preparing for the next one.” Garza said. “We’ve been preparing this show for a year. We take into consideration what was good and bad from past years. So, we try to make the sure the show is the best for the college students helping, the exhibitors and everyone involved. It’s just planning and doing all we can. We would like to thank all our donors that donate for this show.”
The annual show is in its 11th year, making it a staple for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
“In regards to recruitment and retention, this has really been a great event to help serve us,” Chumbley said. “Recruitment wise, we have several of our students who are helping lead this year who've been in our show in the past. Retention wise this is something that really gets our kids engaged. They look forward to this at the end of the year.”
