“Her presentation empowers agriculture to tell its story with credibility, respect, and impact. Michele helped me navigate tough conversations with compassion for the urbanites who have little connection to where their food comes from.”
- Jeannette Andrashewski, Canadian Canola Farmer
What drives Michele to write? ▶ Bridging the gap from farm to food with story and science.
Young farmer and agribusiness leadership keynote speaker Michele Payn, CSP equips the next generation of farmers, ranchers, and ag leaders with real communication skills, mental resilience, and advocacy tools. Bring Leading Forward to your Farm Bureau, FFA, Agriculture …
A motivational keynote sure to stir deep emotions of pride and ownership about the agricultural industry and to ignite action!
Big picture before self, the long view, execution, humilty, guts enough to accept change and ears. Michele asks if agriculture has true thought leadership and offers a few suggestions for farmers, ranchers and agricultural advocates to lead the conversation rather than …
Sarah Bedgar Wilson and Marie Bowers are leaders for agriculture that focus on the “we” factor instead of getting hung up on ego, politics and bright shiny objects. Michele writes about how they made the leap to “we” and the resulting impact they’ve had in bringing othe…
Does agriculture have the authenticity, audacity and action to really lead the conversation about food? Michele asks what the food and farming picture looks like in 2021 in this thought provoking post. She believes agriculture has fallen into a dangerous mode of reactin…
Taking a look in the rear view mirror, the leadership lessons from FFA have become clearer, reports Michele Payn in reflection about FFA. For example: Follow your passion. It’s the single most valuable life rule FFA taught me. Expect to be bored, unhappy or unsatisfi…
Leadership is passion. Without passion, a person will have very little influence as a leader.
Leadership is passion. Without passion, a person will have very little influence as a leader, particularly with the challenges in agriculture.
Rethinking Sustainable Agriculture: Making Sense of Trade‑offs from Farm to Fork It’s time to rethink sustainable agriculture – on your terms. You didn’t choose agriculture because it was trendy. You chose it because feeding people and caring for land, animals, and...
If you were reading a story about your life in twenty years, what would the pages include? Would it be a comedy, drama, mystery or science fiction? Is your story written through your actions or your attitude? As a former state FFA officer and American FFA degree...
Have you looked into agriculture’s future? Who will be making decisions about how farmers are allowed to take care of our land and animals? Not agriculture, if we can't learn to meet at the intersection of farm and food. The pandemic has proven the need for...
Belly laughs and a bond amongst ag women is a sure bet from this keynote, not to mention a new appreciation for the power of pink in farming #likeagirl.
A look inside “No More Food Fights!” through the table of contents. Foodies, dietitians and chefs will find six senses to consider in making food decisions. Farmers, ranchers and ag organizations will find 6.5 steps to engaging people around the plate.
Social Conversations Around Farmers & Food Why should you care about social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube? It’s really quite simple. Mass influence. Facebook reached 150 million users nearly three times faster than a cell phone....
When you work with Michele, you’ll benefit by working with a professional who truly cares about your organization. Whether you’re a company, not-for-profit or an individual.
Whether you’re in the barnyard, boardroom, a rural neighbor or a concerned consumer, take time to check out this advocacy info, educate yourself, and share this information with others.
Resources, examples and ideas to help you more effectively communicate why agriculture matters. Check back often for updates.
Michele’s passion and ability to translate farm to food is appreciated by media professionals looking for an insightful interview. She has shared her expertise internationally in connecting farm and food, mental health in agriculture, science communication, advocacy,...
Making knowledge matter: why agriculture's communication problem is not what you think By Michele Payn, CSP | causematters.com You have the knowledge. You have spent years – possibly decades – building it. You know what the science actually says about GMOs,...
Half of those in agriculture are dealing with depression or anxiety right now. That’s not weakness – it’s systemic pressure colliding with a culture that was taught asking for help means giving up. Find practical tools, real stories, and resources built for farm life.
Your event. Real results. Let’s build something worth talking about. Your attendees are swimming in food misinformation, farm distrust, and — for many — real mental and emotional pressure. Michele Payn, CSP, cuts through the noise with boots-on-the-ground farm...
Frequently Asked Questions about booking keynote speaker & trainer Michele Payn About Michele What makes Michele Payn the right speaker for an agricultural audience? She doesn't just understand agriculture – she lives it. Michele grew up on a dairy farm, has been...
Agricultural Communication Expertise: Michele Payn, CSP Michele Payn grew up in a calf barn and raised her daughter in one. She has spent 25 years making sure that story – and thousands like it – actually gets heard. As an agricultural communicator, CSP-credentialed...
Empowering voices from farm to food for 25 years Who we are: A cause rooted in the farm. A mission that reaches the world. Cause Matters Corp. was founded in 2001 on a simple conviction: agriculture's story matters – and it deserves to be told well. For 25 years,...
Science communication training for farm organizations, Extension, NRCS, dietitians & agribusiness – from 45-min webinars to multi-day workshops. Book Science Story Speak.
A new book revealing the $5.75 trillion secret that food marketers & celebrity spokespeople don’t want you to know, providing you tools to defend your food choices.
Discover what clients are raving about! Read testimonials from clients of Michele Payn’s presentations, training, workshops, and consulting.
Michele’s has provided virtual training on food, mental health, and agricultural issues for over a decade. She’s a speaker who engages attendees, even in the age of Zoom & webinar fatigue.
Engaging, insightful, actionable speaking for agriculture, scientists, dietitians. Michele Payn delivers dynamic talks on AI in farming, food communication, stress management, and advocacy.
Fourth-generation Alabama farmer Wendy Yeager breaks down no-till farming, GMO realities, and the financial stress squeezing family farms. A must-listen for dietitians and agricultural organizations navigating food misinformation.
The biggest misconception about my work is that agriculture companies place pesticides or biotech products on the market without testing them for safety. The fact is that agriculture is one of the most strictly regulated and thoroughly investigated industries in the wor…
A behind the scenes take on the Food Bullying Podcast
Two moms with unique insight on food and health. Michele Payn & Eliz Greene are both authors and professional speakers, but come from very different backgrounds - and like to debate. Tune in to the final episode of Food Bullying podcast season one for a candid...
A reflection on 15 years of connecting the farm gate to the food plate for Cause Matters Corp. 15th anniversary, with an eye toward the future to grow the conversation.
Amplifiers are a new level in the leadership ladder. These are the people who are able to develop motivators and inspirers – and not just be one themselves. Michele shares a blog post from thought leader Matt Church and asks committed we are to amplifying the cause of c…
Celebrating what’s right with rural America – and sharing those values with kids not on a farm. Michele’s quick pictures from the Boone County 4-H Fair dairy project and highlights of a leasing program that gives firsthand lessons about animal agriculture.
Pics are in Gallery Name of Organization: Farm Safety 4 Just Kids Social Media Channels (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube,: Facebook and Twitter YouTube account – but we haven’t used it much Reach of Organization: 1,200 community events; 169,000 kids; 8,500...
Nutrition professionals want to tackle hunger, food safety and nutrition through agriculture. By seeking closer collaboration with nutrition, agriculture can gain new insights into the food needs consumers. How can you help achieve a closer relationship between agricul…
Want to go back to the farm or already there and banging your head against the wall? Hundreds in family business have taught Jolene Brown that there is a key to stacking the odds toward generational success and family business longevity. It begins with honest answers to…
4-H gave Michele lessons in leadership, citizenship and perseverance. The proposed slashes to the Smith Lever act
will likely remove the opportunity for more young people to benefit from 4-H – and the very important life skills taught through 4-H. If you believe in any …
Did you know Facebook, Twitter, Skype and YouTube can help students learn? Amanda Sollman, a future agriculture education teacher and product of Michigan FFA, pens a guest post about her experience learning from others in agriculture. Social media has helped her be a le…
An agriculture education teacher and FFA advisor writes a guest post about the continuing need to share agriculture’s story – and defend his teaching profession. Drew Bender has found science, education and agricultural chats essential to his professional learning – an…
Sharing agriculture’s messages I was nervous – really nervous – as in, why on earth did I ever agree to do this type of nerves. While enjoying some downtime later, I realized that’s because I was afraid that i couldn’t be authentic....
Guest mom blogger MRS talks about her lack of knowledge of FFA and agriculture despite growing up in a farming community. She encourages those involved in FFA to educate others after learning of the leadership, business & communications skills her husband acquired throu…
DeEtta Bohling, guest blogger, didn’t grow up on a farm or ranch. She says a great deal of what she has learned about corn, sorghum, ethanol, and livestock has come from the farmers and ranchers she interacts with in person, on Twitter and on Facebook. She also challeng…
Have you ever been called a prostitute to your work? Michele questions why farmers and ranchers working together are labeled puppets for big ag or factory farmers, rather than seen as a grassroots movement. She believes farmers pooling their resources makes them smart b…
Get a glimpse of the family values of today’s farmers. Zach and Anna Hunnicutt live in rural Nebraska with their two young children on a farm that brings you popcorn, corn and soybeans. They spent a few minutes with Michele about why they are huge fans of social media, …
Is agriculture playing defense or taking control of the game with offense? Are we driving the ball up the court with thought leadership, taking the good shots by having conversations and giving others in the agrifood system an assist? Michele points to the need for th…
As Michele reflects on becoming a mom, she questions the lessons we’re teaching the next generation in agriculture. Is it possible we try to fix things that aren’t broken? Are we a little too hung up on bringing recognition to farmers and ranchers? Do we care enough to…
The first 50 of 100 reasons Michele will be giving a lot of “Foodthanks” this Thanksgiving. Great links for a variety of people around the food plate, from nutrition professionals to technology to spinach to ice cream to food producers. This agvocate filled the list wi…