Cape Girardeau Farm Bureau County President Marvin Ludwig recently attended the Missouri Farm Bureau County Presidents' and Leadership Conferences Aug. 6-8 in Jefferson City.

Guest speaker Joel Blackwell, a media relations and lobbying consultant from North Carolina, set the tone for the Leadership Conference with a discussion on grass roots political involvement. With help from former state representative Don Steen, Blackwell gave the group pointers on how to help candidates win elections and how to get them to listen once they are elected.

"Cut through the clutter by telling a story to your senator or representative about what is happening to you that supports your call," said Blackwell. "Instead of talking about constitutional rights and legal terms, give examples through real stories. They give more weight than abstract ideas." When visiting with elected officials, Blackwell also suggested being accurate and brief.

During the conference, Farm Bureau leaders heard from Farm Bureau staff on a wide range of state and national issues. State highway accountability, tax limitation, food quality regulations and trade legislation were among many topics of discussion.

University of Missouri-Columbia head basketball coach Norm Stewart gave a light touch to the conference as he entertained the group with stories from his successful coaching career.

Missouri Farm Bureau is the largest agricultural organization in the state.