LITTLEFIELD, Texas - Teagan Miller has found a passion for welding because of her family's history of raising pigs.
Teagan Miller's family has been working with pigs for many years. Her experience with the animals has allowed her to develop a new passion for welding along the way. Thanks to an idea from her Dad, Teagan's pig crate has won high awards at stock shows across Texas.
Growing up, Teagan knew she liked working with animals and with her hands. She has always been a part of FFA, as she's been showing pigs every year since third grade. Once she was in high school, she began courses through FFA about livestock and, eventually, mechanics. During her junior year, she realized she loved welding more than working with livestock.
She knew she wanted to build a project for the Ag Mechanics Contest at the stock shows, but she struggled to come up with the right idea. Her Dad, who transported pigs from sellers, needed a reliable crate to transfer the piglets. He came to Teagan to solve his issue, and the two worked relentlessly to create a pig crate designed specifically for his truck.
Teagan did the welding for the aluminum crate, which required TIG welding procedures. This is a much more complicated welding process compared to the MIG welding process she just learned last year. She also had to use a lot of caution welding the aluminum because it's very easy to mess up. After 225 hours of building, Teagan's project took top prizes in all five of the Ag Mechanics contests she entered. Of these, she earned first in her class and second in her division at the San Antonio Stock Show.
Now that Teagan has wrapped up the stock show season, her family will keep the pig crate so her Dad can use it for her sister's pigs. After graduation, Teagan is set to attend Texas Tech in the Fall to study mechanical engineering.