For Immediate Release
OMAHA – On December 9, 2025, FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel presented the Nebraska Farm Bureau with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) for its service to the people of Nebraska. Katie Olson, first vice president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau, accepted the award on behalf of the organization. The mission of the Nebraska Farm Bureau is to enrich the lives of Nebraska farm and ranch families and enhance Nebraska agriculture through meaningful advocacy, education, and leadership development.
The FBI established the DCLA in 1990 to publicly acknowledge the achievements of those working to make a difference in their communities through the promotion of education and the prevention of crime and violence. Each year, one person or organization from each of the FBI’s 56 field offices is chosen to receive this prestigious award.
“Wherever in Nebraska you might live, from Scottsbluff to Kearney to Omaha to points in between, the cyber, criminal, terrorism, and national security risk to our farms, our ranches, and our food processing facilities is growing exponentially,” said SAC Kowel. “Here in our state, agriculture is more than just an industry—it’s the backbone of our economic prosperity, it’s the foundation of our rural communities, and a critical component of our national security. We are honored to recognize the Nebraska Farm Bureau for their outstanding partnership, leadership, and foresight in securing this vital segment of our nation’s critical infrastructure.”
Significant accomplishments and contributions by the Nebraska Farm Bureau included: bringing farmers and ranchers together to tackle shared challenges, find practical solutions, and advocate for the safety and security of the agricultural industry; the Collegiate Farm Bureau, a student organization that offers opportunities for students in leadership and citizenship engagement, career development, service learning and professional networking; the Nebraska Young Farmers and Ranchers Program, which is comprised of men and women ages 18-35 who are Farm Bureau members and looking to develop their leadership skills while also meeting and networking with their peers; and the Leadership Academy, a program designed to equip the future leaders of Farm Bureau with the tools they need to successfully advocate for agriculture, connect with members, and embody the grassroots mission.
Through FBI Omaha’s sustained partnership with the Nebraska Farm Bureau, the FBI increased our ability to mitigate cyber, counterintelligence, counterterrorism, and criminal threats to the industry. The Nebraska Farm Bureau’s assistance hosting FBI Omaha’s 2024 Agriculture Threats Symposium impacted more than 400 agricultural sector representatives from 30 states who learned about current security threats in agriculture and the value of partnering with law enforcement.
“We are deeply grateful to the FBI for this recognition and for the strong partnership we share. This collaboration has allowed us to raise awareness and drive meaningful action to protect Nebraska’s farms, ranches, and food processing facilities from growing security threats. Safeguarding our agriculture and food system is essential not only to our rural communities, but to our state and national security, and we are proud to work alongside the FBI to help keep our members and our food supply safe,” said Katie Olson, first vice president of Nebraska Farm Bureau.
The FBI recognizes the important role that community partnerships play in keeping our shared communities safe. These partnerships – as exemplified by the breadth of the work by the DCLA recipients – have led to a host of crime prevention programs that protect the most vulnerable in our communities, educate families and businesses about cyber threats, and work to reduce violent crime in our neighborhoods. Learn more about the Director’s Community Leadership Award program, the FBI Agriculture Threats Symposium, the FBI’s general outreach efforts, and the Omaha Field Office on our website.