“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.
"You are a gift to agriculture – you do an amazing job connecting non-ag folks to agriculture in a relatable and logical way that's welcoming and opens the door to a deeper understanding.”
- Lana Frantzen, PhD, RDN, DairyMAX
Sure, grocery prices are through the roof, but are farmers paying the ultimate price? This insightful podcast gives dietitians, consumers, and farmers insight on the impact of inflation around the food plate.
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 world. Agriculture companies must strictly follow local and international regulatory guidelines and conduct hundreds of safety studies before launching a product.
Utah cattle producer Brady Blackett explains artificial insemination in cattle, why grass-fed beef isn’t nutritionally superior, how AI improves animal welfare and feed efficiency, and the surprising connection between cattle reproductive science and human fertility medicine.
Pick a pumpkin – but what kind? A self-proclaimed Professor of Pumpkinology, John Ackerman is the owner and operator of the farm bearing the same name that has been in his family for over a century. And while you may hear “pumpkin” and think of the jack-o-lantern variety, he and his wife grow 100+ pumpkin breeds!
Derek Josi is approaching one million social media followers as a dairy farmer who doesn’t ignore misinformation – because silence makes it worse. He addresses the dairy case questions consumers are actually asking: is there pus in milk, what do water usage statistics really mean, and are dairy alternatives nutritionally equivalent to milk?
Dr. Folta emphasizes that technology has given us access to the safest, most abundant food supply in human history, and this access is worthy of appreciation – not fear. He wants dietitians to look for the evidence behind mRNA and genetics in food, rather than believing clickbait. As new technology continues to help strengthen our food system, communicating the science behind it will strengthen consumer trust.
Dustin Moore is a dietitian active in research, education, and public health communication who thinks it’s time for RDNs to circle the wagons around agriculture. His favorite topics of discussion include food production, agriculture, public policy, and culture.
Anyone else feeling overwhelmed? Michele and Eliz talk ranging conversation about stress, overwhelm, uncertainty, and choice in 2021. Much of their conversation is based on Eliz’s new book, “Stress-Proof Your Life” in this final episode of the food bullying podcast. Listen in as they say farewell and help you deal with the stress of a pandemic and beyond.
This episode features a wide-ranging conversation with a veterinarian about how farmers care for their animals, the challenges of being a vet, and the story of Fairlife Milk.
We’ve all seen the ads for pet food featuring happy dogs with happy owners who buy the very best food for their furry family members. But is that food better? How do you know what is best for your pet? Does grain-free dog food make sense or are you being food bullied into buying a boutique brand that offers less nutrition? Our guest, veterinarian Tammy Lons, gives us the scoop on the facts about pet food.
How do we honor the people who produce our food when most of us never set foot on a farm or ranch? Our guest this week suggests the key is educating yourself about the benefits of food and choosing what you want without giving into what other people may think. Joe Anderson, an Idaho farmer, talks gluten, GMOs, and getting firsthand perspective.
Life on the farm may be a mystery for those of us in urban and suburban areas. One of the best ways to understand where food comes from is to meet the people who grow it. Meet our Food Bullying Podcast editor and find out about her life as a farm kid. Farm kids balance school, sports, service clubs, and helping on the farm. She shares what she’s learned showing dairy cattle in 4-H, including how stubbornness and leverage can move a ton.
This episode’s guest and her husband are millennials and third generation dairy, beef and crop farmers in Michigan. They are working hard and using technology, including robots, to secure the future of their farm. Ashley Kennedy shares insights on being a working mother, fostering a positive attitude toward food, and what exactly robots are doing on their farm.
Do you feel guilty for not being able to afford the “better” food label? Food Science Babe is back for a rousing game of “Guess What I Saw in the Grocery Store?” Super foods, non-GMO, and other food bullying labels cause unnecessary guilt. “Food doesn’t have morals – food isn’t good, food isn’t bad.” Erin, a chemical engineer and a food scientist joins us for an eye-opening discussion about food labels, guilt, and her experience as a mom feeding a child with special needs.
In this special Mother’s Day edition, Michele and Eliz are joined by Grace Greene, Eliz’s daughter. In a nod to the West Wing Weekly Podcast, Grace leads a “Big Block of Cheese” format to turn the tables on her mom and Michele. To peals of laughter, Grace asks questions on a range of topics including how her mom was a food bully, GMOs, selective breeding, the non-GMO butterfly, and using your own food standards.
The COVID-19 pandemic calls for agriculture to offer our neighbors reassurance about the stability of their food supply. Show compassion in the face of fear. Demonstrate resiliency by talking about coping with the very real struggles agriculture faces. Connect on a human level. Help build confidence in the food system. Isn’t now the time to offer hope and be a bright spot for someone else?
Are dairy farmers crazy? Maybe, but it’s because they always put their cows first. Derrick Josi, known as TDF Honest Farming, is an Oregon dairy farmer encouraging other farmers to bridge the gap with consumers – and understand the divide goes both ways. He talks about his little brown cows, while Michele accuses him of being a cow racist. Derrick shares the mental health impact of bullying by activists, how he actually cares for cows, and the work that goes into producing healthy milk.
Artificial insemination. Vegetarian choices. The Oscars. STDs. Greenhouse gas emissions. Baby calves. Nursing. Starbucks. Nutrient density of food. Personal choices.
If those topics don’t add up to a civil conversation in your mind, listen in for a model on how to have a discussion around food and the environment that’s respectful and informative with someone different than you.
“Misrepresentation that affects farm families through agricultural policy” is what food bullying looks like to to Oregon State Representative Shelly Davis. She shares her experiences as an elected official, building consensus by reaching across the aisle, and what she saw with the #TimberUnity movement in Oregon. “Your voice matters” – especially when combined with others.
“Do you think our psychology around food is skewed not just because sometimes we can be hypocritical in our choices but because what we want to believe isn’t always true?” It’s tough to have a meaningful conversation with others in today’s overly emotional food arena. Millennial dietitian Leia Flure explains the steps to maintaining respectful discussion and making personal choices about what you eat. She suggests more critical thinking is needed in food-based decisions by being analytical and verifying information.
Why is it so easy to call farmers names...
There’s a lot of pressure on farmers to do the best that they can to not only protect our environment, but also have a sustainable business. Most of the time, we are not giving farmers space to thrive, but often dictating what they should and shouldn’t do. Theresia Gillie is a soybean and wheat farmer from Minnesota, helping listeners understand what it is like to be a farmer-and how food bullying hurts the families growing our food.
Hunger. Food Banks. Giving to the food insecure – and not just at Thanksgiving or through the holidays. “Hunger is not seasonal.” Plus an honest look at food expiration dates, how they’re not regulated, and food waste.
“Don’t let the stress about having the right food ruin your health.” Lisa Baker-King notes that our bodies are different and you don’t have to follow a particular weigh loss journey just because it works for someone else. It’s important to go with what works for you and your body. “Don’t assign an emotional value to the scale or to the food that you’re eating.”
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 react to it.
"To make the best better" involves a lot of...
Last night brought the unfortunate news about...
Meet Tyson Roberts, a vegetable grower...
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Most adults don’t take the time to remember the lessons of their childhood games, but there are a wide variety of creative tools available on the farm.
In a society where we embrace rodents as cartoon...
If you’ve never experienced a fair from the inside, it’s like final exams and Christmas all wrapped into an intense one or two weeks filled with more sweat and dirt than you can imagine. It’s both exhausting and exhilarating. I have been involved in fairs my entire life, but am always amazed watching 4-H and FFA members learn life lessons through the trials of diligently preparing a project, talking with a judge and then nervously anticipating the outcome. Sometimes, the ribbon is blue. Other times it’s red. And if they’re lucky, the coveted purple or pink ribbons may be put on a project.
The reality is that ribbons fade and are eventually stashed away in boxes, forgotten about. It’s the stories behind the ribbons that are remembered for a lifetime. A look at the care and respect young people give their animals behind the scenes at the fairgrounds.
Does social media still give you a headache? Feeling frazzled by Facebook? Troubled by Twitter? Michele would really love to hear your ideas about what you need to learn next about any of the social networking tools to build better connections between farm gate and consumer plate. We’re developing some virtual learning products here at Cause Matters Corp. as a part of the continued emphasis on improving agvocacy skillsets-vote to add your ideas.
Greg Peterson, of Peterson Farm Brothers fame, talks about the use of technology on the farm and the choices across the world in how to raise food. Watch to hear the insight he’s gained from traveling and working with farmers who choose organic, GMO and conventional farming practices.
Why should farmers and dietitians work together? Building bridges between the people growing food and those making nutrition recommendations is critical. Watch Michele talk with registered dietitian Cara Harbstreet.
Get your food information straight from farmer Brian Scott, as Michele Payn visits with him in his Indiana field. This video covers intellectual property, technology and if farmers are controlled by corporations, as well as links to a live streaming interview.
Humor evokes emotion. Emotion results in human connection. Connection piques curiosity. We don’t have to explain the complex business of farming in one line; we simply have to create a human connection.
Last month we announced 15 Cause Forward awards will be given to organizations working to bring clarity and reduce confusion about how food is grown. The first three awards have been given, including a county Farm Bureau from Michigan, an integrated food and agriculture company in Canada and an association in Indiana. Do you know of a group who would like to join Michele to help grow an understanding of how food is grown?
What comes to mind when you think of harvest?...
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.
As the saying goes “If you are more fortunate than others, build a longer table, not higher fences.” If you are fortunate enough to be in agriculture, it’s time we figure out how to build a bigger table and include those without farm and ranch roots.
As a farm woman, do you feel like you speak a different language than other women? You’re often in boots, sweaty or wearing “odor of manure” perfume. You live and work in man’s world. How can you connect with people who live in the city, call a cul-de-sac home, or have no idea how itchy chaff in the bra is? It’s simpler than you might think – connect on commonalities. Rather than focusing on where you live, what you do and why it makes you different – consider what you have in common with others. Michele’s guest post on Pink Tractor.
Explaining the lifelong benefits of 4-H to a people who have never experienced it firsthand is nearly impossible. Yes, the paperwork is grueling and the hours are countless, but nothing can replace the pride in a 4-her’s face on a job well done, watching them learn the importance of helping others and seeing young people find their passion in life.
A personal look from Michele at the frustration of dealing with sick dairy cattle and the compassion farmers use in caring for their animals. True animal welfare involves great deal of human compassion, science and frustration.
Former CNN White House correspondent Frank Sesno talks with Michele Payn about communicating agriculture, telling the farm story and connecting with younger generations.
Food is important, as is where it comes from, but neither is as important as the people around the table. Michele’s #foodthanks in 2013 goes to the humans who make this discussion matter, with ideas on how to make that personal connection.
The power of a story delivered with absolute passion. Watching an MD dentist touch the hearts of a room of attention-deprived professional speakers provided a great reminder of how a personal story can bring others to a cause. “Torchbearers will run with the torch until they fall and then they will pass the torch to others.”
An inside look at the new Fair Oaks Pig Adventure and visitors’ impressions of a modern hog farm. Michele believes these experiences – and conversations with farmers – are critical to changing people’s reference point on animal care, farm environmental practices and technology.
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 connecting farm to food.
Legacy is about leaving an impact that lives on beyond your years. As Mother’s Day approaches, Michele reflects on watching her legacy come to life as her daughter buys her first calf. How are you contributing to your legacy and those who come after you?