Iowa’s Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson charged the attendees of the State 4-H Conference to set challenging goals and to remain in the state after their 4-H days at the conference’s opening ceremony Tuesday morning.

The speech, delivered at Stephens Auditorium to a crowd of about 900, was highlighted by Pederson’s look back on her entrance into politics, her reflections on her days as a 4-H’er in Benton County and her insistence that former small town residents can hold important positions in Iowa.

“I’m living proof that a 4-H’er from a small Iowa town can dream big in this state,” she said.

Throughout her almost 20-minute talk, Pederson often referred to the conference’s theme, “It’s A Small World … Dream Big!”

“I’m just crazy about your conference theme,” she said.

As an example of how dreaming big can lead to accomplishing big things, Pederson outlined how she came to be Gov. Tom Vilsack’s running mate in the 1998 Iowa gubernatorial election.

While working as the senior food editor at Better Homes and Gardens magazine, she spent her free time assisting with political campaigns, she said.

Vilsack’s was one of the campaigns she was working on, and she got a call from the candidate asking her if she would mind being put on a short list of possible running mates.

Pederson said at first, she balked at the suggestion of being added to the list but said she finally gave in, figuring she wouldn’t be selected.

About 24 hours later, she was being introduced at the Democratic Convention as the other half of the Vilsack ticket.

“Some place along the line, my competitive spirit kicked in,” Pederson said.

“I went home, went to bed, stared at the ceiling and didn’t sleep a wink,” she said.

Pederson said one of the first things she did when she found out about her appointment was reflect on her life.

“When I did that, one thing I realized had a great impact on me was 4-H,” she said.

Pederson also called 1999, “an exciting time in Iowa.”

She cited the 600 software companies in Iowa and the various developments in agriculture as indicators of how the state will be important to the world in the next century.

“We are on the start of an evolution in agriculture,” she said. “And this is where it is starting.”

She compared the efforts of former ISU professor John Atanasoff and graduate student Clifford Berry, the inventors of the first digital computer, to that of scientists in Iowa currently working on crop genetics, alternative fuel and other agricultural developments.

Pederson also urged conference attendees to make their voices heard in state government matters.

She pointed out former GSB President Bryan Burkhardt’s run at a Des Moines city council seat as a sign of youth involvement in politics.

“I am hoping we see a lot more activism like that of Bryan’s from the youth of Iowa,” she said.

In conclusion, Pederson praised her audience members for their involvement in 4-H and once again reiterated the theme of the conference.

“You represent the cream of Iowa’s youthful crop,” she said. “Stay in Iowa, dream big and tell us your dreams. We’re listening.”