Ele Chew, reporter Landon Duckett, an Agricultural Mechanic (AgMec) student at Cuero High School, will showcase the flatbed he built from scratch at the 2025 Cuero Livestock Show.
“I drive a Chevy Duramax truck and I wanted to put a flatbed on it to make it easier to pull trailers. So, I built this for my AgMec project,” Duckett said.
His satisfaction and pride were evident as he recounted the journey of building the flatbed. The way he described each step of the process revealed his craftsmanship and the joy he found in creating. Starting six months ago in October, he learned how to build a flatbed in AgMec. The AgMec program develops skills in design, fabrication, construction, and restoration of farm and ranch equipment.
“I bought all this metal and made this whole bed from scratch. I didn't get anything done on it. I built everything myself,” he said.
“I learned more in building projects for FFA than in any other classes. It's taught me more about, like finances, paying for projects, and keeping my receipts for my record books. This is like real world work,” he explained.
Mr. Logan Ricks, his Ag teacher, explained the engineering skills involved in drafting blueprints. “There’s a lot of geometry used as well. The math they learn is applied here, like figuring out a certain angle or radius if we’re doing a circle,” Ricks said, as Duckett pointed out the fins on his truck bed.
Duckett was especially proud about his original brand.
“I designed it on an app called VCarve and put it into our system on the CNC table, which is a plasma cutter,” he said.
Both teacher Ricks and Duckett recognized how fortunate they were to be at Cuero’s AgMec from the perspective of a teacher and student. Duckett noted that friends in other towns did not have as many opportunities for hands-on building projects in their Ag Mec programs, possibly due to a lack of supplies.
“I think we have some of the best Ag teachers here. We get to do a lot. Like, I have buddies in other towns, and they don't get to do as much stuff in their AgMec program as we do here.
(They’re) smart and know what they're doing and can help us figure out stuff. We have a CNC table, and most schools don't have that,” Duckett said, attributing generosity to the FFA Booster Club and grants. “I think we have four of the newest MIG welding machines, the Miller 255,” he added.
Teacher Ricks especially appreciated shared access to a forklift from their maintenance department when positioning metal on a plasma table.
“Also, I think it's a lot safer too. I'd rather have a machine lift something than a bunch of students lift something. Because then, that eliminates that hazard aspect. we don't have to worry about students dropping metal on their foot,” he said.
Duckett is a senior this year. He intends to study animal science and nutrition at Tarleton State University, with the goal of creating specialized animal feed.
Be sure to see Duckett at the Cuero Livestock Show; his flatbed will be on display, and he will be showing steers.
