Introducing Ohio’s Golden Owl

Alex Zimmer serves as the agricultural educator and FFA advisor at Buckeye Valley High School, a satellite program of the Delaware Area Career Center (DACC). At the 98th Ohio FFA Convention, Zimmer was named this year’s Ohio Golden Owl Award winner. The award stands as a premier honor in Ohio agricultural education.

Throughout his 12 years at Buckeye Valley–DACC, Zimmer has approached teaching with the mindset of a lifelong learner. ​​Although his background is in production agriculture, Zimmer entered his current profession without prior FFA or agricultural education experience. His high school did not offer those programs, but that absence never discouraged his interest in agriculture.

“For me, the motivation to teach came from passion for the industry and wanting to see young people get involved in agriculture,” he said. “The traditional high school environment seemed like the best place to be to make that impact.”

After completing his undergraduate degree at The 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 ever since.

Today, Zimmer teaches approximately 100 students each day and offers a diverse lineup of agricultural education courses. Middle school 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.

When casting a vision for students in the classroom, Zimmer points to Buckeye Valley’s vision statement: “Where tradition meets innovation.”

“The drive to make sure that students are getting an innovative experience that is timely to what the agriculture industry is right now is incredibly important to me,” Zimmer said. “The partnership between Delaware Area Career Center and Buckeye Valley Local Schools is really what makes that possible.”

Mr. Zimmer’s students have excelled at the highest levels, earning national proficiency award recognition, top Career Development Event finishes, and this year, an impressive 36 Ohio FFA State Degrees and 17 American FFA Degrees.

Zimmer credited the support of fellow educators, school administrators, alumni, and the Delaware County community for helping sustain the success of the Buckeye Valley–DACC program throughout his career. He also emphasized that the award reflects the collective efforts of agricultural educators across Ohio.

“There are hundreds of ag teachers across the state doing exactly what they need to do for their students and communities,” he said. “None of us do this work alone.”

Zimmer and other agricultural educators help guide students’ success both during class and beyond the school day. Their dedication often extends into their communities, where they invest countless hours and personal resources into supporting student growth and achievement.

Seeking to recognize the profound impact of these educators, Nationwide, Ohio FFA, Ohio Farm Bureau, Farm Credit Mid-America, and AgCredit have annually honored 10 agricultural educators throughout Ohio as Golden Owl Award honorees since the 2018-19 school year. From those 10 honorees, one educator is selected as Ohio’s Golden Owl Award winner and named Ohio Agricultural Educator of the Year.

This year’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 was named this year’s “Golden Owl.”

The other nine honorees for this year’s award included Ryan Avers (Woodmore), Shanna Finnegan (Firelands), Roy Dria (Jackson), Cody McClain (Seneca East), Carmen Hartzell (Mississinawa Valley-MVCTC), Deanna Karpuz (Southwest Licking), Taylor Ryan (Indian Valley), Brian Cummings (Hillsboro Great Oaks), and Marcheta Ferguson (Northwest-SCCTC).

Each of those honorees earned their school’s agricultural education program $1,500 to be used toward classroom instruction. The Ohio Agricultural Educator of the Year earned $5,000 and the coveted Golden Owl Award trophy at the 98th Ohio FFA Convention in May.