Dublin ISD is inviting the community to a barn raising bash Saturday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. in the Dublin Secondary cafeteria, offering the opportunity for a fun evening while supporting a brighter future for the Dublin FFA program.
Dublin School Board recently approved moving forward with the construction of a new barn with a 96’x 90’ arena, a classroom, swine stalls on the southern side and adaptable pens on the northern side and more. The board approved moving money from the fund balance as they started and Prime Metal Building agreed to offer the metal for the project at a significant discount.
The district still needs help in realizing a project that would mean better opportunities for the school and its students.
“You don’t just have a barn with four walls,” said FFA teacher Sophie Hayhurst. “You’ve got to fill it, there’s got to be stalls, there’s got to be hoses, there’s got to be an arena so this barn raising bash is to help construct the interior of that barn.”
“[Ag teacher Derek] Dunlap has done a lot of research and taken a lot of time to ensure the building we’re designing truly has the FFA member and their project in mind,” Hayhurst added.
Dunlap said the design has been five years in the making as Dublin ag teachers have toured other schools and listened to designs that worked and didn’t.
Both Dunlap and Hayhurst said the biggest benefit will be the educational opportunities having animals on-site can afford.
“Most of the time for ag science, we’re watching videos and slide shows,” Dunlap said, adding that getting hands-on in tagging an animal or administering shots offers a better idea of what to expect.
“The FFA motto is ‘learning to do, doing to learn,” he said. “It’s not really concrete until you’re really doing it.”
“A lot of these kids may not have gotten to work with livestock,” said Hayhurst. “We’re hoping kids will be inspired and pursue a career in production livestock. That’s exactly what the shop and the greenhouse bring right now. We want to have kids learning and they can say, ‘yes, that’s what I want to pursue’ or ‘I thought I would’ve liked that better.’” Dunlap appreciated what the former Dublin ISD barn offered its kids but said there were issues with temperature control, keeping flies out and mainly the distance from the campus.
Dunlap said the former facility, around 3 miles from the Secondary School, was too far from the campus for freshmen or sophomores who couldn’t always get travel daily to care for their animals.
Dunlap noted that swine have a particularly demanding feeding schedule so having them on campus will allow them to meet those needs so the animals can grow well and be competitive.
He also added the design of the barn will be at an angle with swine to the south, blocking any northern winds in the fall/ winter and adaptable pens for animals with hair (cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits) on the northern side to block hot southern winds and offer shade.
“You don’t want pigs out in a norther,” he said. “A pig will shiver 10-15 pounds off itself in one night just by being cold. In the summer time, you don’t want southern winds coming in and warming cattle up.”
Hayhurst said it will also be helpful if a student notices a problem with their animal since the teachers will have the ability to help check during the day.
Hayhurst said the large space also offers an allweather space for everything from banquets to competitions. DISD has been hosting a CDE contest in February that has been growing with several events packed in close proximity. A floral competition is having to be moved offsite due to overwhelming participation, and will be held this year at Double N Cowboy Church. A build-off competition is being hosted in the student parking lot this year as teams are presented with a picture and undertake a large ag mechanics project to match it. The new facility will offer an ideal space for all of these, rain or shine.
The facility is designed to match a growing demand and attract even more into the program. With this in mind, Dunlap said there’s room for expansion if/when they need it, but the offering will be much more immediate.
Guests will get to discuss plans and tour the facilities at the Oct. 17 event while enjoying a homemade meal featuring carnitas and live music from GT Watts and Dublin ag students who play in the Dublin ISD band.
Watts will also act as auctioneer. Hayhurst said local businesses have provided a great variety of silent and live auction items from a live feeder pig to a duck hunt. “There’s a little something for everyone,” she said.
Donations are being accepted for the item through this week as they compile a list to promote the event.
Business sponsorships are also available ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 (the highest of which offers overall naming rights for the building.)
For more information or to make a donation, find Dublin FFA on Facebook.