S.C. Lee Junior High student is 2021 Coryell County Teen Miss U.S. Agriculture

By BRITTANY FHOLER

Cove Leader-Press

Copperas Cove student Trinity Aulabaugh is the 2021 Coryell County Teen Miss U.S. Agriculture and will be competing for the title of Texas Teen Miss United States Agriculture in November.

Aulabaugh, 13, is an eighth grader at S.C. Lee Junior High and is involved in the Copperas Cove Junior FFA and the Five Hills 4-H programs. She has been involved in 4-H since third grade and joined the Junior FFA last year.

Agriculture is a family affair for the Aulabaughs. Trinity raises and shows pigs, while her siblings raise and show pigs as well as goats. She is the secretary for the Five Hills 4-H currently and shows at the Coryell County Fair with the Five Hills 4-H group, but she will be showing at the State Fair as a member of FFA.

Each contestant of the Texas Miss United States Agriculture Pageant has to do a service project to collect points for the pageant, whether that is a food drive, collecting soda can tabs for the Ronald McDonald House or plan events and serve as a judge for 4-H or FFA, while wearing their crown and sash.

Aulabaugh will be collecting canned food and dry goods for her project to benefit Communities in Schools.

“I chose a food drive because some people in our city don’t really have much money and much food, so I’m going to be donating the food drive cans I get to CIS [Communities In Schools] groups, and the CIS groups are going to divide them up between the kids so they have meals for the weekends,” Aulabaugh said, referring to the backpack program that sends food home with students in need for the weekend.

She currently has a location set up at the Healthy Hub in the Cove Terrace Shopping Center and will be collecting until November 19. Aulabaugh has a collection box at S.C. Lee Junior High and at Spur Nutrition in Gatesville. Those also interested in setting up a collection box can contact her mother, Bobbi Aulabaugh, at 423-802-6725.

Trinity was also invited to ride in the parade at the Texas State Fair on Sunday, October 3. 

The Texas Miss United States Agriculture Pageant will be held November 19-20, at the Frank W. Mayborn Civic and Convention Center in Temple, Texas. Winners of the Texas Miss United States Agriculture pageant will receive their sash and rhinestone sash pin, Miss United States Agriculture crown, a scholarship depending upon the age division and a prize package from the pageant sponsors. All title holders will then be encouraged to compete at the National Miss United States Agriculture Pageant scheduled for Florida in June 2022.

After coming across the Texas Miss Agriculture Pageant, Aulubaugh said she wanted to join to be a voice for agriculture in Coryell County, and especially in Copperas Cove.

“In Cove, there’s not many kids that do agriculture, and then the city itself doesn’t back the agriculture program, and so I’m doing the pageant to inform kids on what agriculture is and how they can get into it, because most of the times, in some cities, not many people back the agriculture program,” Aulabaugh said.

Terry Aulabaugh, Trinity’s father, explained that he and his wife grew up around agriculture, but as a military family, his children weren’t as exposed until later on in their childhood. As soon as they were able to and willing, the Aulabaugh children have been a part of the local 4-H group and FFA chapter.

“One of the benefits of FFA or 4-H is you get to understand agriculture in your community,” Terry said. “Kids that have never been exposed to it get a chance to learn where their food comes from, how it’s produced, how it’s raised, which also could expand to the how it gets from the farm to their table. Everything ties into agriculture.”

Trinity started showing rabbits a few years ago and took home awards for Best in Breed and Reserve Grand Champion before moving to goats and then eventually pigs.

“She’s learning what it takes, from the expenses that it comes from, the work involved, but they also get the accolades,” Terry said. “When they win, they get to go forward. If they don’t, the judges tell them what they need to work on, whether it’s showmanship or more feed, where their animals are lacking or where they’re exceeding. It’s a learning experience that all kids should, in my opinion, at least have the opportunity to do it, if it’s something that they find interesting.”

Trinity’s goal is to spread the word about what FFA and 4-H, and agriculture as a whole, can offer to the youth of Coryell County and beyond.

“It is a lot of fun because it's mainly projects that you're doing until you get to singular state fair and County Fair projects,” Aulabaugh said about being part of 4-H and FFA. “It’s mainly about community whenever you’re doing it, so you have officers and ambassadors.”