Championing Agriculture: Leveraging the trust invested in farmers
Someone is asking Google about your farm right now. The AI-generated answer isn't wrong in most people's eyes - but you know the real truth of farming.
Agricultural advocacy in 2026 isn’t about the “warm fuzzies” – it’s about protecting our bottom line. This program will help leverage the trust invested in farmers and give participants a 6.5 step easy-to-remember action plan.
Farmers and agribusiness professionals are losing the food narrative to algorithms, activists, and fear-based marketing they didn't create. Facts alone aren't moving people anymore – and the folks on the other side of these arguments figured that out a long time ago. This program gives you something better than facts: a framework for building real trust around the food plate.
Championing Agriculture is for you if...
- Your members or team go quiet – or go defensive – when food myths come up
- You need a repeatable approach to advocacy, not just inspiration to go be one
- You're helping farmers or agribusiness leaders engage skeptical consumers, policymakers, or media
- You want your people talking about GMOs, chemicals, animal welfare, and sustainability with confidence instead of dread
Solutions this program delivers:
- A 6.5-step action plan your audience can actually use – not just think about on the drive home
- Neuroscience-backed communication tools that build trust instead of winning arguments
- Practical agvocacy strategies for social media, policy conversations, face-to-face moments, and AI
- Real talk on the toughest topics: GMOs, antibiotics, animal welfare, hormones, and sustainability
- Approaches tailored to your specific audience – farmers, scientists, agribusiness professionals, or all three
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, 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 and still farms in Indiana today.
CSP · Four award-winning books · 25+ countries · 120+ podcast episodes · $5M+ raised for FFA & 4-H
Learning objectives (will vary depending upon timeframe):
After this program, attendees will be able to:
- Connect their farming practices to the values consumers already care about
- Respond to food misinformation without getting defensive or disappearing into jargon
- Walk away with a personal agvocacy action plan and clear next steps
- Use AI and social media to amplify agriculture's authentic story – before someone else tells it
Not only will her lifelong passion and background in agriculture keep your audience on the edge of their seats, Michele's interactive style will get them out of their seats and talking about their experiences! This workshop or webinar is a great way to excite your audience about new and innovative ways they can use to proactively connect agriculture at a different level.
Available as: Keynote · Half-day workshop · Full-day workshop · Virtual
Dig deeper: Michele's Food Truths from Farm to Table – an IPPY Bronze Medal winner and Amazon #1 Bestseller – gives farmers and agribusiness professionals the science-backed foundation for exactly these conversations. Learn more →