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Agricultural educators play an essential and selfless role in the communities they serve. As they prepare future generations for successful careers, many also devote countless hours and often their own resources to make a difference.

On March 14, 2022, Tim Kilpatrick, an agricultural teacher at Coshocton County Career Center, was honored as a finalist for the 2021-2022 Ag Educator of the Year honor through the Golden Owl Award.

To shed light on the contributions of Ohio’s leading agricultural teachers, Nationwide, the No. 1 insurer of farms and ranches in the U.S.¹, is honoring 10 exceptional teachers as finalists for its Golden Owl Award.

As a finalist, Kilpatrick was presented with a plaque in front of fellow teachers and students, and the Coshocton County Career Center FFA Chapter will receive $500 to help support future educational efforts. Kilpatrick will then have the chance to be crowned as Ohio’s Ag Educator of the Year in May 2022 during the 94^th Ohio FFA Convention and earn an additional $3,000 for his school’s agriculture program.

“Ohio is home to many outstanding ag teachers. We are so glad to highlight and recognize 10 honorees for their ongoing commitment to student success,” said Jessica Parrish, executive director of the Ohio FFA Foundation. “This award brings together statewide partners and the local school community to honor teachers for being a foundational part of the local FFA experience for students.”

From August to December 2021, the Golden Owl Award accumulated more than 300 nominations in Ohio from local students, fellow teachers, parents, and community members.

The Golden Owl Award is the result of partnerships between Nationwide, Ohio FFA, Ohio Farm Bureau, Farm Credit Mid-America and AgCredit, ACA. To learn more about the Golden Owl Award, visit GoldenOwlAward.com.

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Award sponsors visit Coshocton County Career Center FFA to honor Tim Kilpatrick, agricultural educator. Pictured left to right: Todd Endsley, Endsley Agency and Nationwide; Ryan Curtis, Ohio FFA; Tim Kilpatrick, Golden Owl Award Honoree; Kayla Jones, Ohio Farm Bureau; Josh Henderson, Farm Credit Mid-America; Matt Colvin, Superintendent, Coshocton County Career Center.

About the Golden Owl Award

As the no. 1 insurer of farms and ranches in the U.S.¹, Nationwide established the Golden Owl Award to honor the contributions of teachers and support their schools with additional resources to assist their continued educational efforts. This year, the award program honors outstanding ag educators in seven states: California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

1 Source: A.M. Best Market Share Report 2020

About Nationwide

Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the United States. Nationwide is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s. An industry leader in driving customer-focused innovation, Nationwide provides a full range of insurance and financial services products including auto, business, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; pet, motorcycle and boat insurance. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Ohio FFA
The Ohio FFA Association provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to more than 25,000 student members who belong to one of the more than 300 local FFA chapters throughout the state. The Ohio FFA Foundation is a cooperative effort among education, business and industry to support and inspire Ohio FFA members. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. For more information about the organization, visit ohioffa.org.