Rethinking Sustainable Agriculture: Where farm reality meets science
It’s time to talk about sustainable agriculture on your terms.
"Sustainable" is one of the most powerful words in agriculture – and one of the least defined. This program changes that.
Farmers and agribusiness professionals are navigating sustainability conversations from every direction: consumers demanding it, regulators mandating it, supply chains incentivizing it, and activists weaponizing it. The problem isn't that agriculture doesn't have a sustainability story. The problem is that "sustainable" has been hijacked by marketing departments who have never set foot on a farm – and the people who actually understand the environmental, economic, and social trade-offs behind real sustainability decisions are too often left out of the conversation.
This program puts them back in. Built for audiences tired of buzzwords and blame, Michele's new program helps farmers, agribusiness professionals, and commodity organizations lead these conversations with confidence, credibility, and science – not defensiveness and apology. Through real‑world stories, candid conversation, and practical tools, Michele Payn shows how to push back on fear‑based marketing and food bullying while building more productive, science‑savvy conversations about agriculture’s sustainability story.
Rethinking Sustainable Agriculture is for you if...
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- Your audience is fielding sustainability questions from supply chains, consumers, or policymakers and needs a science-based framework to respond
- You want a program that respects the complexity of sustainability trade-offs
- Your members are tired of being blamed for environmental problems they're actively working to solve
- You need a speaker who understands sustainability from the soil up – not from a marketing brief
- Your meeting attendees want to cut through the noise around “sustainable” labels and lofty promises.
Why agricultural leaders trust Michele Payn
Michele Payn, CSP – one of 900 Certified Speaking Professionals worldwide – brings a rare combination to every stage: 25+ years working across six continents with agricultural organizations and agribusinesses, two agricultural degrees from Michigan State University, and four award-winning books endorsed by Harvard Business School's Agribusiness Program, Purdue University, and the International Food Information Council. She founded two of agriculture's most influential social media communities, hosted the Food Bullying Podcast with 140+ episodes, and raised $5M+ for FFA and 4-H. She understands the business of agriculture because she's invested her life's work in it.
CSP · Four award-winning books · 25+ countries · 120+ podcast episodes · $5M+ raised for FFA & 4-H
This sustainability breakout helps participants talk through soil health, environmental consequences, regenerative ag, farm size, and more
Audiences find these solutions:
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- A clear, science-backed framework for discussing the environmental, economic, and social dimensions of agricultural sustainability
- Practical tools to explain key trade‑offs in common sustainability debates in language non‑farm audiences can understand.
- Real-world examples of how farmers and agribusinesses are already making meaningful sustainability progress – on their own terms
- Identify food bullying and fear‑based claims that distort sustainability conversations – and know how to respond.
- A story framework to connect on‑farm or business practices to meaningful outcomes for people and the planet
For meeting planners who want a different sustainability talk
Looking for a sustainability program that goes beyond buzzwords and battles? Rethinking Sustainable Agriculture is designed to connect the dots between farms, food businesses, and the people you serve. Michele customizes every keynote or workshop to your audience, blending thought leadership, data, stories, and interaction so participants leave informed, energized, and ready to lead better conversations.
Learning objectives (varies by timeframe)
After this program, attendees will be able to:
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- Define agricultural sustainability across its three dimensions – environmental, economic, and social – with confidence and precision
- Identify and counter greenwashing and fear-based sustainability marketing with science-backed responses
- Lead sustainability conversations with consumers, supply chains, and policymakers without apology or oversimplification
- Connect their specific farming or agribusiness practices to sustainability outcomes their audiences actually care about
- Communicate the real trade-offs behind sustainability decisions honestly – and compellingly
Who does this agricultural sustainability breakout serve?
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- Farmers and ranchers who want to explain their practices without getting defensive.
- Ag and food professionals who need to align sustainability narratives with on‑the‑ground realities.
- Commodity groups, cooperatives, and agribusinesses equipping members to talk confidently with customers, media, students, and community leaders.
- Dietitians, foodservice, and retail teams who sit at the front lines of consumer questions.
Available as: Keynote · Workshop · Half-day training · Virtual · Breakout session
What Michele covers in this sustainability & stewardship program
- Understanding how environmental, economic, and social realities collide in everyday decisions.
- Recognizing the difference between conventional, regenerative, and organic.
- Translating complex issues (emissions, water, animal care, technology, labor) into plain language.
- Turning your own experience into compelling, values‑based stories people will remember.
Dig deeper: Michele's Food Truths from Farm to Table – IPPY Bronze Medal winner and Amazon #1 Bestseller – gives farmers, agribusiness professionals, and consumers 25 science-backed ways to think more clearly about where food comes from and what sustainable farming actually looks like. Learn more →