Originally published in the September/October 2026 print edition of the Old Line Farmer, Maryland Farm Bureau's newspaper

By Helen Quill

Two days before driving to Cambridge for the Maryland Farm Bureau Annual Convention and Ag Ambassador contest, I didn’t even understand the discussion question. I stared and stared at the bolded words on my computer screen with no idea where to begin. For those of you who are unfamiliar, last year’s discussion meet question was, “Technology has made the world more interconnected than ever, creating new avenues for communication with policymakers. How can digital engagement be leveraged to effectively connect Farm Bureau members with their local, state, and national elected and appointed officials?”

I was hung up on the first word, “technology.” I was under the impression that the question wanted me to come up with ways for Farm Bureau to better connect with the community through technology in order to increase engagement, awareness, and membership.

I kept thinking to myself, “Farm Bureau already seems to have a really strong social media presence, great photography and videography, and lots of email communication with its members, why are they asking teenagers for more optimization techniques?”

What took me about 20 read-throughs of the question to understand, was that Farm Bureau was not concerned with their social media presence, they were concerned with connecting their members to policymakers. Essentially, they wanted to build a stronger community for their membership by leveraging technology.

Once again, I was stumped. Two days away from competition, not the slightest idea about policymaking, and the petrifying fear that I would make a fool of myself by speaking a bunch of nonsense at convention. I was in the middle of college applications, on the verge of quitting this contest, of asking my parents not to take me to Cambridge at all. However, as the Howard County Ag Ambassador, I had to represent my local Farm Bureau the right way. I convinced myself that this had to be something study-able, it had to be something I could find resources for. 

If I have learned one thing about Farm Bureau in my time as an ambassador, I have learned that they provide immense resources. I first went to the Old Line Farmer podcast and listened to every episode I could on policy including interviews with government officials. I took chicken scratch notes and came up with pieces of information to string together into an opening statement.

The most effective thing I did, however, was discover one punchy fact. That’s it, one fact. I spent one night researching the ins and outs of this question. Two days later, waiting outside the room for discussion meet, I cried. I was terribly nervous and convinced that I was the least prepared in the room. I was scared out of my mind, but I did it anyway. I did it with shaking breath into the microphone and with trembling hands gripping my pencil while I wrote my speaking points. But, I stuck to my facts, I spoke clearly and with strength behind my voice, I heard my fellow contestants’ statements, and I responded to their arguments, and redirected the discussion when it moved off-topic. I went from crippling anxiety to sharp confidence in minutes, and it only took a few hours of preparation and a dedication to my title.

Winning the contest is not all about how many times you have given oral reasons in livestock judging or spoken at your town’s board meetings, it’s about understanding. As an ambassador, it is my job to understand the agricultural issues that face our community, to speak on those problems, and to help others stay in the loop. It was my willingness to approach a problem from different angles that allowed me to win this title.

Farmers do not solve a problem in one go. They try something, ask a friend, create new devices with barn scraps, and try again. My tip to future competitors: keep trying. Care about learning. Care about your agricultural community so much that you decide to rise to the occasion for them.

The goal of a discussion meet is not to push your agenda, it is to discuss: to come to a conclusion with a group of educated, young agriculturalists and to help advocate for your local, state, and national farmers. So, enjoy the process, build your network, and read the question one more time for good measure.