Blinn College-Brenham Campus hosts area students for FFA, 4-H events

More than 1,100 students take part in FFA Leadership Development contests, 4-H Crossroads Conference

November 17, 2023

More than 1,100 area students visited the Blinn College-Brenham Campus to participate in FFA and 4-H events hosted by the Blinn College District Agricultural Sciences Program.

FFA Bluebonnet District (Area 11) held 15 Leadership Development Events (LDE) across the campus. The majority of the 400-plus students who took part in the LDE contests were from high schools in Washington, Austin, and Waller counties.

LDE allows FFA members to demonstrate their abilities in public speaking, decision making, and communication, along with their knowledge of agriculture and the FFA.

Blinn also hosted the Area 11 LDE contest for those who qualified to advance after the first round, with more than 600 students competing.

More than 100 students from 18 area counties also attended the 4-H Crossroads Conference, which included educational presentations in agriculture, veterinary technology, engineering, nursing, and technical/workforce programs. Students were given tours of Blinn facilities, including the A.W. Hodde Jr. Technical Education Center and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Innovation Building.

Crossroads is a three-day, two-night career development and youth leadership program that involves students in grades eight through 12 in projects that expose them to various career and higher education opportunities.

Agricultural Sciences Professor Doug Pierce said Blinn has always had a policy of opening its doors to students not yet in college.

“It has always been our philosophy to not let the classroom get in the way of an education,” Pierce said. “We strongly believe that in our program and do our best to exhibit that to area FFA and 4-H chapters.”

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.

Blinn offers Associate of Science in Agriculture and Associate of Science in Agricultural Business degrees that transfer to the state's leading universities, including Texas A&M, Sam Houston State, and Tarleton State. The College also offers a wide range of agricultural extracurriculars, including its nationally recognized livestock judging team, Ag Club, and Ag Mechanics Club.

For more information, visit www.blinn.edu/agricultural-sciences.