NEWARK, Ill. – It’s called the Golden Owl Award and the annual honor is presented to agriculture educators who demonstrate exceptional dedication and impact on students.

Illinois, Ohio and Indiana are among 15 states which honor Golden Owl Award winners. The 2026 winners from these states are Joe Steffen (Illinois), Alex Zimmer (Ohio) and Lynette Markley (Indiana).

Steffen, an ag instructor at Newark High School in Newark, Ill., began teaching ag when he was hired at the school 33 years ago.

“Newark was my first job and it’s rare for a teacher to remain at one school for an entire career,” said Steffen, who received his master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Olivet University in 2015.

When Steffen started teaching at Newark High, his was the only FFA chapter in Kendall County.

“When I began teaching, I told the superintendent I wanted to build a program that would be recognized at the state and national level,” he said. “They turned me loose. I had the support of the community, and I built a program that I and the community could be proud of.”

In his first year, Steffen introduced a course sequence that allowed students to explore the various agricultural subjects most relevant to their interests and possibly their future. Freshmen start this journey by enrolling in an Introduction to Agriculture Industry course that develops an understanding of agriculture in their lives and introduces them to the three-circle model of agriculture education with Supervised Agriculture Experiences and the FFA.

Then, each interested sophomore, junior or senior is given the opportunity to proceed to the career pathway of their chosen interest: agriculture mechanics and technology and/or agricultural sciences, a course designed to teach students about surveying, masonry, small engines, electricity, welding and carpentry.

Throughout the years, the program has seen resurgence, with the addition of challenging, hands-on, inquiry-based courses. As time went on, Steffen incorporated agricultural business management, veterinary science, agribusiness operations, greenhouse production, landscape, horticulture science and production, and turf management into the program.

To improve on a small hoop-style greenhouse that was in place, Steffen secured over $85,000 in grants and donations to build a state-of-the-art greenhouse facility in 2010.

“My students gain real world experiences as they participate in the decision-making process for managing the greenhouse business,” Steffen said. “The school greenhouse is also an integral part of our FFA program of activities and the backbone of many of our community projects.”

Upon graduation, students in his program have at least three collegiate credit hours in agriculture, with the potential to earn as many as nine.

“Not only have these allowed students to get a head start on college coursework but also provided them with a challenging curriculum that relates to their future in the agriculture industry,” Steffen added.

“Over the past 33 years of teaching agriculture, I’ve come to understand that curriculum and instruction are not static. What may have resonated with one class may not work with the next. In the dynamic world of agriculture education, technology and information are evolving at a rapid pace. This necessitates a constant update of our educational material, ensuring that it remains current and relevant to the needs of our students.”

Steffen covets the Golden Owl Award but said the real reward is watching his students prosper.

“Most of all, I’m proud of my students’ accomplishments,” he said. “I have students who have become excellent welders, veterinarians, doctors, lawyers and more. All went through my program. Even my two sons came through the program and were Star Farmer finalists here in Illinois.”

Ohio’s Golden Owl Award drew nominations for 129 of the state’s top agricultural educators from local students, parents, fellow teachers and community members. Of the impressive array of educators, Zimmer, who serves as the agricultural educator and FFA adviser at Buckeye Valley High School, was named Ohio’s Golden Owl Award winner. Buckeye Valley High School is a satellite program of the Delaware Area Career Center (DACC).

After completing his undergraduate degree at Ohio State University, Zimmer returned for an additional year to earn his teaching license before beginning his career at Buckeye Valley-DACC, where he has remained since.

“There are hundreds of ag teachers across the state doing exactly what they need to do for their students and communities,” said Zimmer, who has taught at the school 12 years. “None of us do this work alone.”

Zimmer supervises 100 students daily, offering a variety of agriculture courses.  And for Zimmer and Buckeye Valley, it all begins at the junior level, where students can engage in an exploratory agriculture course before advancing into classes such as agriculture, food, and natural resources, agronomic systems, animal management, and business management.

“It’s important to me to make sure the students are getting that innovative experience that is timely to what the agriculture industry is doing right now,” Zimmer added.

Under his guidance, his students have earned national proficiency award, top Career Development Event finishes and earned 36 FFA State Degrees and 17 American FFA Degrees.

After 31 years of shaping agricultural leaders and mentoring students, Lynette Markely, ag educator at Argos Junior/Senior High School in Marshall County, Ind., is the Hoosier State’s 2026 Golden Owl Award winner. Markley was among 114 nominees in the state for this year’s award.

Markley has taught the last seven years at Argos Junior/Senior High school, where she has coached multiple state and national FFA teams.

At Argos, Markley offers diverse career pathways in agronomy, livestock judging, milk quality and public speaking, along with community service projects such as Feed My Starting Children, the annual FFA fish fry and a school canned food drive competition.

Those at the school said Markley listens to her students, connects their learning to community needs and helps them develop skills for productive, successful futures.

“I stand humbled because I’m among so many great ag teachers,” Markley said. “This is such a prestigious award.”

Markley attended Purdue University to study agricultural business and farm management.

“Finishing up my sophomore year, I started to really miss the FFA concept and the 4-H concept,” she said.

After reflecting on the impact her agriculture teacher had on her at LaVille High School in Lakeville, Ind., she decided to switch her major to agricultural education in her junior year. She has never looked back.

In 2014, Markley was awarded the Association for Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year, and in 2015 she earned the Indiana FFA Honorary FFA Degree.

Of equal importance to Markley is seeing a student give a firm handshake or stand confidently to give a speech despite entering her classroom as a shy and uncertain youth. Helping those students come out of their shells is among her top highlights in her career.

“Those are the students who are going to go out and impact these local communities,” Markley said.

She said the award serves as a “neat thank you” and as a reminder of the vitality of her work as an agricultural educator.

“To reflect over the last 31 years, sometimes you don’t know if you’ve made an impact. You often wonder that in your career,” she said. “I think this kind of highlighted that and said, ‘You know what? You have impacted some lives and made some differences along the way.’”

The Golden Owl Award program has provided more than $600,000 to support teachers, students, school ag programs and FFA chapters.