When Michele Payn takes the stage, her message is clear: the future of agriculture lies not just in technology, equipment, or agronomy but in understanding and connecting with the people buying our products.
“The fundamental factor we have to consider is the people around the plate — the consumer,” she said today as she delivered the keynote speech at the CrossRoads Crop Conference in Edmonton. “Do they know you? Do they understand your story?”
Payn, a U.S.-based author and seasoned advocate for bridging the gap between agriculture and consumers, doesn’t mince words when discussing the challenges facing the industry. “The reality is, we don’t understand consumers. We don’t want to understand consumers. Most of us would rather be in the field or the barn than trying to explain our practices to the public.”
The Trust Gap in Agriculture
Payn highlights a critical disconnect between farmers and consumers. While 98% of Canadians recognize the importance of farmers in food security—an impressive statistic compared to the U.S., where that number is 30% lower—trust is eroding. “Four out of five Canadians are confident in your ability to meet demand, but trust in agriculture’s environmental stewardship is declining,” she warns.
Payn attributes this erosion to a cycle of misinformation and fear, which is at full speed in the age of social media. “Food has become a battleground. The rhetoric around GMOs, fertilizers, and seed oils fuels distrust. It’s a cycle that begins with disconnect, leads to fear, and spirals into bullying and misinformation,” she explains, referencing her book Food Bullying.
She challenged the audience to think about relevancy. “How are you leveraging the goodwill that still exists? How are you helping people understand the relevancy of agriculture to their lives?”
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