Cut through the noise: Science-backed resources on food and agriculture
The food and agriculture conversation has never been louder – or more distorted. Fear-based marketing manipulates consumers, social media amplifies misinformation faster than science can correct it, and farm families are left defending their livelihoods against narratives built on myth rather than evidence. This resource library exists to cut through the noise.
Drawing on a lifetime of farm experience, four published books, two IPPY awards, 140-plus podcast episodes, and firsthand research across six continents, Michele is a speaker bringing farm-rooted, science-backed clarity to the questions that matter most. Whether you're a farmer under pressure, a consumer who wants the truth behind your food labels, a dietitian seeking credible agricultural context, or a communicator working to bridge the gap between farm and fork – you're in the right place.
Food Truths and Consumer Trust
Farm to Fork Communication
Sustainable Agriculture and Science
Farm Family Well-Being and Resilience
You've been lied to at the grocery store – and it's not an accident. Fear-based food marketing (Michele calls it Bull Speak), misleading labels, and viral misinformation have turned eating into an anxiety spiral for millions of consumers. This pillar cuts straight to the science on GMOs, hormones, pesticides, organic claims, and the marketing half-truths designed to manipulate your cart. If you're a consumer who wants to shop without guilt, a dietitian tired of debunking junk science, or a farmer who needs the facts to fight back, this is your resource hub. Real food truth lives here.
Agriculture advocacy and farm to consumer communication: tools for a productive conversation
Farmers know how food is grown. The problem is getting that knowledge to actually matter in a world drowning in noise. Effective agricultural communication isn't just about telling your story – it's about telling it in a way that connects across the farm-to-fork divide, rebuilds consumer trust, and changes minds. These resources tackle the full spectrum of ag communication: science storytelling, advocacy strategy, media skills, and farm-to-consumer messaging that cuts through the clutter. Built on Michele's 25+ years of training agricultural communicators across six continents, this is where knowledge becomes impact.
Explore Farm to Fork Communication →
Sustainable agriculture, GMO myths, and the stewardship actually practiced by farmers
"Sustainable" has been hijacked – by marketers, activists, and well-meaning people who've never set foot on a farm. This pillar gives you the unfiltered truth about what sustainable agriculture actually means: soil health, conservation practices, regenerative farming, GMO science, and the real environmental record of modern agriculture. Whether you're a farmer defending your practices, a scientist communicating research, or a consumer trying to decode your food labels, these resources replace ideology with evidence. Farmers have been feeding the world sustainably for generations. Here's the proof.
Explore Agricultural Sustainability and Science →
Farmer mental health and stress management
Farming is one of the most rewarding – and brutal – ways to make a living. One in two people in agriculture struggles with depression or anxiety, yet the culture of tough it out keeps too many farm families suffering alone. This pillar names the crisis directly and offers practical, farm-tested tools for managing stress, building resilience, and asking for help without shame. From financial pressure to social isolation to the weight of generational legacy, these resources meet farm families where they are. Because the people feeding the world deserve to be taken care of with the same compassion as their land and animals.
More about Michele
She grew up on a Michigan dairy farm, earned degrees in Agricultural Communications and Animal Science from Michigan State University, and has since wprled acrpss 25+ countries for agricultural organizations, agribusinesses, dietitians, and farm families who need straight answers She is one of fewer than 900 Certified Speaking Professionals in the world.
- Food Truths & Consumer Trust – Author of Food Bullying: How to Avoid Buying B.S. (IPPY Gold Medal) and Food Truths from Farm to Table (IPPY Bronze Medal, Amazon #1 Bestseller) – two books built around dismantling food fear with science; contributor to CNN, USA Today, and NPR on food misinformation.
- Farm to Fork Communication – Founder of #AgChat and #FoodChat, two of agriculture's most influential social media communities; Endorsed by Harvard Business School's Agribusiness Program, the International Food Information Council, and known as one of North America's leading voices connecting farm to food.
- Agricultural Sustainability & Science – Host of the Food Bullying Podcast – 140+ episodes featuring PhDs, farmers, and food scientists on GMOs, regenerative agriculture, soil health, and the sustainability claims consumers actually encounter. Michele is also the co-author of Science Story Speak with rangeland ecologist Amy Hays.
- Farm Family Well-Being – Author of Agriculture's Growth Journal, 52 practical stress management strategies written for agricultural professionals. Progressive Dairy and AgDaily columnist on stress management – and an advocate for breaking the silence around farm mental health.
The resources on this page reflect all four of those commitments – because the food system doesn't get fixed one pillar at a time.
Straight talk on food and agriculture on the Food Bullying podcast
These episodes bring farmers, PhDs, dietitians, and food scientists into the same conversation – because the people with the most credible answers are usually the ones least heard in the public debate.
Ep. 125: The Heart of the Wheat Kernel
An OSU wheat breeder explains with published research why gluten has not changed in centuries, why wheat is not GMO, and how one misleading book nearly destroyed public trust in an entire crop overnight.
Ep. 111: Holistic Animal Agriculture for Nutrition Pros
The peer-reviewed answer to "would going vegan save the planet?" – with hard emissions data, the biogenic methane cycle explained, and why cattle and fossil fuels are not the same conversation.
Ep. 75: Good Soil Is Like Chocolate Cake
A Nebraska regenerative farmer makes cover crops, carbon sequestration, and no-till farming not just understandable – but genuinely compelling. Because who doesn't like chocolate cake?
Ep. 102: Farm Monoculture Myths & Soil Nutrients
A farmer-dietitian explains how misinformation about conventional farming doesn't just mislead consumers – it reaches lawmakers and becomes bad agricultural policy.
Ep. 129: Dairy Safety and Cognitive Dissonance
A PhD microbiologist explains the actual science of bird flu fragments in pasteurized milk, the genuine risk of raw milk, and how to communicate the critical difference between hazard and risk.
Ep. 119: GMOs, Bacon & a Side of Bullying
A Minnesota hog farmer who built a loyal online following by sharing her farm story with patience and facts – until the bullying came from other farmers.
Ep. 77: Chemicals and Doctors and Food, Oh My!
A medical toxicologist and emergency physician states the science on glyphosate, pesticides, and public health directly – no agricultural spin, just a doctor's verdict.
Ep. 134: Food Demons & Dietitians as Decongestants
IFIC's Senior Director of Food and Nutrition explains why leading with listening – not facts – is the communication strategy that actually changes minds on food and agriculture.
Ep. 106: Cows with Attitude & Dairy Debates
An Oregon dairy farmer talks candidly about the psychological toll of constant public scrutiny – online attacks, misinformation, and why he keeps engaging anyway.
What others say about Michele's work...
"I loved your AI workshop – it helped me understand how to utilize artificial intelligence to better connect with consumers, what consumers need to hear from farmers, and where they are confused.Your training also taught me how to help A.I. use accurate information about agriculture." ~ Jackie Sanford, Sanford Family Beef
"Kentucky Agriculture was in need of a roadmap to the future... Michele Payn helped provide that for us. Working with the Kentucky Agriculture Council, she engaged over 300+ agricultural leaders from all across the state and coordinated working groups of leaders to surface nine themes, followed by 37 tactics, to provide us a roadmap to the future. Throughout the process, Michele kept the masses engaged and merged all the lanes into an outcome document to serve as a guiding map . Besides her knowledge and experience, she brings a dynamic ability to make everyone feel important and have their input included. ~ Dr. Tony Brannon, Kentucky Agriculture Council
Michele addressed a tough topic with empathy, humor and truth. Many of our members confided that they were apprehensive about attending a mental health session, but thanked us for including it in the program because they found it enlightening and rewarding. Others said they were grateful to have attention brought to an issue that's immeasurably impacted their lives. Some said Michele's session brought them much-needed awareness of how mental health challenges are impacting rural America. At the end of a tough year for agriculture, Michele's reminder that valuing each other as humans before anything else was invaluable and grounding. The session exceeded our expectations." ~ Sarah Gonzalez, National Grain and Feed Association
"Outstanding information that is heartfelt, touching and transformational to farmers and ranchers who need to see that sustainability is more than taking care of the land, it is also about taking care of themselves. ~ Dr. Megan Webb, Eastern West Virginia Community & Technical College
Who does Michele speak for
Michele is an agricultural speaker who shows up for the people who feed the world – and those who worry about what they eat. See the clients she's served around the globe here.
Agricultural Organizations: State & national agricultural groups, Farm Bureaus, commodity boards, agribusinesses who want communicate differently.
Farmers & Scientists: Ranchers, food producers, and researchers who need to tell their story in a skeptical, sensationalized world.
Dietitians and Healthcare: Nutrition and health professionals who want a clearer, science-based lens on farming practices and how food is produced.
Rural Communities looking for practical mental wellness tools built for the realities of rural living.