(KLZA)--The Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation selected two recipients for the Agriculture Teacher and FFA Advisor of the Year award. Casey Carriker from Raymond Central High School and Ashton Bohling from Auburn High School were honored at the Nebraska FFA Convention on Thursday, April 5, in Lincoln. The winning advisors received a plaque and a $1,000 donation to their FFA chapters.

The teachers were nominated by their own students and chosen based upon their school and community involvement, leadership development in their classroom, and their ability to keep their students involved in agriculture.

“Both teachers are exceptional educators, leaders, and role models for their students,” said Megahn Schafer, executive director of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation. “Not only do these teachers go above and beyond for their students, they support the future of agriculture through encouragement of FFA leaders.”

Casey Carriker is an FFA Advisor at Raymond Central High School in Raymond, NE. Mr. Carriker uses reliable materials and hands-on activities to engage students in learning.  Carriker emphasizes to the students the importance of having passion and a connection to their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) projects to have success.

"This award is a great honor because my students had to nominate me and that shows that I am having an impact on them. Having Agriculture Education and FFA is essential for any school because it produces well rounded students that will excel after high school,” Carriker said.

Ashton Bohling is an FFA Advisor at Auburn High School in Auburn, NE. Ms. Bohling is always looking for ways to network with the community and maintain strong connections for the success of the chapter. She enlists members of her community to visit her classes and bring current, real-world examples of Nebraska agriculture. This enriches the learning experience for her students and creates strong ties to their community.

“I am honored to receive this award for doing a job that I love to do anyway,” Bohling said. “It is encouraging to know that agriculture education is supported by so many other great organizations. It is especially neat to be co-advisor of the year with Casey Carriker as we were classmates and friends throughout college.”

“We had a number of exceptional nominations this year. All of the advisors and agriculture education teachers nominated are a showcase of agriculture leaders in their communities,” Shafer said. “The students these teachers impact are the future of our great state, and we are proud to recognize their excellent service.”

The mission of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation is to engage youth, educators, and the general public to promote an understanding of the vital importance of agriculture in the lives of all Nebraskans. The Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. For more information about the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation, visit www.nefbfoundation.org.