December 31, 2024 - (Photo Album) - To finish out the 2024 year, Shelby County Ag Mechanics Foundation (SCAMF) has recently brought students from Shelby County together to work on one project in unison, and it produced results that transcend any school spirit and instead a display of camaraderie was evident in the finished product.
Ag students from Timpson, Center, Shelbyville, Tenaha and Joaquin were challenged to the build-off of the 2025 project trailer which the SCAMF will present at the end of the year during the East Texas Poultry Festival.
The Shelby County Ag Mechanics Foundation has many generous benefactors and is always seeking additional support to help broaden the horizons of the students they represent.
“Total material cost in this deal is around $11,000-$12,000 for the trailer you know and Larry Jo Eaves gives us around $6,000,” said James Raymond. “So we’ve still got around $6,000 in material cost that comes from raffle sales, so the more we can get the more that we can give back to the kids.”
Raymond is one of the members of the organization’s board in addition to Jamie Hagler, Shirel Sanders and Phillip Crelia.
Shelby County Ag Mechanics Foundation doesn’t incur any administration fees to insure all donated funds go back to the students.
Raymond said there is the potential at this time for there to be a woodworking project in the future similar to the welding project they have ongoing now.
“I think we may have someone else come on board to have a woodworking type deal like us,” said Raymond. “There’s a lot of interest in this and they didn’t know about it until I had a phone call with someone that we were doing this. They come out and thought it was a great deal,” said Raymond.
In previous years, individual schools built the trailer on a rotation and then the board said they put the idea out to the schools about getting all the schools together to participate as a team and make it equal and a wholly Shelby County trailer.
From this time forward, the trailer will also have a VIN number that will be sequential every year. 2024 is planned to have Shelby County Ag Mechanics Foundation on it with the number one, and with each subsequent year the number on the trailer will increase. A plaque will then be added with the names of the builders laser etched upon it.
After the trailer was completed, Hagler explained, the next step is to sand blast and powder coat the trailer. Once it’s returned from the step, the project participants will then have another work day where they get to finish it out.
“Putting the machine on it, the reels, leads, hoses, wiring, lights, and everything and then it’ll be a finished product,” said Hagler. “They’ve built that trailer in basically 16 hours, where in the past its taken four months.”
Raymond commented that the students were so involved in the project he had to stop them to take a break and eat.
Raymond remarked that it’s Shelby County businesses helping Shelby County kids and any businesses or individuals that would like to donate to the organization can make contact with himself, Jamie Hagler, Shirel Sanders or Phillip Crelia.
In support of the build off several business entities provided for the students. Raymond Construction provided lunch for both days of the project; CHI - Lenny Dupuis provided door prizes for the participants; Sand Hill Wrecker donated a welding machine; Steel Building Supply and Haslam Trailer sales provided materials.
The participants in the project include:
- Tenaha - John Wittenburg; Kaleb Wagstaff, Jayden Beatriz, Juan Vega
- Center - Dylan Lout, Slade Kirby, Kenneth Stone, Osvaldo Ramirez, Cristion Vasquez, Alyna Arriaga
- Shelbyville - Landon Ponder, Cameron McGee
- Joaquin - Sam Richey, Michael W. Estes
- Timpson - JT Taylor, Cole Bruister, Joshua Berry, Colton Carroll
Providing oversight to the students during the project was Billy “The Professor” Conatser.
Shelby County Ag Mechanics Foundation is always looking for additional supporters and is thankful for the continuing support of the following: Raymond Construction; JML Management; K&L Contractors; HR, Harmac Energy; Covington Lumber & Building Materials; Sand Hill Wrecker; Southern Fluid Solutions; LOS Enterprises LLC - Lease Operating Services; Farmers State Bank; NexGen; MKO Trucking; General Shelters; Center Motor Company; Ray Jones Chevrolet; SSB TX, Steel Building Supply, Inc; WCTractor; CHI; Ultra Shade Plus; Mettauer Law Firm, LLP; Few Ready Mix; Hometown Marine; Shelby County Cookers; Legend Water Services; A&D Hydraulics Inc and Batteries; 4C Electric Co.; Despino Tire; L&R Timber; Borders Poultry Supply; Wiggins Farms; Sandy Creek Land Enhancement; Binks Quick Stop; Automotive Collision Specialist.
