By Allison Peck
Three agricultural education teachers from the area are among 20 Nebraska educators receiving financial support through the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation's 2026 Dr. Allen G. and Kay L. Blezek Teacher Retention Award.
Emily Kammerer and Trevor Mann of Lincoln County, along with Kelsey Steinkraus of Chase County, are among this year's recipients. The 20 teachers will share a total of $23,500 through the program, which supports agricultural educators during their first five years in the profession.
The awards are designed to help early-career teachers continue their work in Nebraska classrooms and FFA programs. Funds can be used for continued education, outstanding student loans and other needs as teachers establish their careers.
“Early-career teachers are doing much more than teaching classes. They’re building FFA programs, developing relationships with families and communities, and helping students see a future for themselves in agriculture,” said Megahn Schafer, executive director of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation.
“We want talented educators to see a future for themselves here, too,” Schafer said. “This award helps ease some of the financial pressure that can come with those first years in the profession while recognizing the impact they’re already making.”
Award amounts increase as recipients progress through their first five years of teaching.
The 2026 recipients represent counties across Nebraska, including Lincoln and Chase counties, along with Banner, Platte, Hall, Washington, Custer, Jefferson, Nuckolls, Otoe, York, Cuming, Lancaster, Colfax, Valley and Blaine counties.
The teacher retention award is a longtime program of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation and was renamed in recognition of an estate gift from Dr. Allen Blezek.
Blezek spent his career advancing agricultural education in Nebraska. He was an agricultural education teacher, served as the first director of the Nebraska LEAD program and was a founding member of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation board of directors.
The Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation says the program supports agricultural educators as they begin their careers and helps them continue serving students through classroom instruction and FFA programs.