Michele Payn, CSP, connects the people and science of food and farming as principal of Cause Matters Corp. She is known for being a community catalyst, a passionate advocate for global agriculture - and antagonizing people into action.

Michele's keynote will celebrate the people, promise, and passion of agriculture, while helping attendees find hope, humor, and healing in protecting their mental health through the storms shaking the agricultural business. All while illustrating the need to connect with consumers.

Michele has worked with farmers in more than 25 countries, raised over $5 million in sponsorships for the National FFA Foundation and founded AgChat and FoodChat on Twitter. She is the author of three books: Food Bullying, a #1 best seller & IPPY gold medalist; Food Truths from Farm to Table, an IPPY bronze medal winner; No More Food Fights!; and Agriculture's Growth Calendar.

Michele's degrees are in Agricultural Communications and Animal Science from Michigan State University. She has earned the Certified Speaking Professional designation, awarded to less than 10% of professional speakers globally. She resides with her 'city slicker' husband and cow-loving daughter on a small farm in central Indiana.

Other speakers include:

Andy Curliss - SAS, Farmers under fire: playbooks, strategies and tactics of those who oppose modern agriculture

Drs. Jessica Walters and Hailey Quercia - VDACS - Poultry Disease Update

Drs. Carolyn Bissett, Dan Hadacek, and Sarah Firebaugh - VDACS - HPAI: Lessons Learned on permitting and continuity of business, depopulation and disposal, and biosecurity. Q&A session to follow

Breakout session topics:
Brooding Practices, Litter Management, Gut Health Management, Rodent Control for Breeder and Pullet Housing, Water Line Sanitation/Water Quality, and more!