At the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 2023 Stakeholders Summit, the Food Bullying podcast hosts, Certified Speaking Professional Michele Payn and Registered Dietary Nutritionist Nicole Rodriguez, will discuss how partners around the plate can collaborate to reach shared goals. The 2023 event, themed “Partners in Progress: Building a Sustainable Future for Animal Ag,” is set for May 4–5 in Arlington, Virginia. An initial agenda has been posted on the event website, and early registration discounts are available through March 10. Save a seat for the 2023 Stakeholders Summit.

Today’s society often oversimplifies complex topics (including agriculture) and vilifies certain food groups, but is there a way to co-exist? In a summit session sponsored by Bayer Crop Science, Payn and Rodriguez will lead attendees through an interactive discussion that provides them with practical ideas to engage consumers in conversations about food and farming that are both meaningful and productive. The session will help attendees discover how meeting people where they are can drive conversations and engage consumers in a more impactful way, gain insight from consumer reactions to farming issues from the streets of New York City, and understand ways to capitalize on farmers and dietitians as trusted sources of information when it comes to food and farming.

“The [alliance] knows [firsthand] the benefits of connecting various stakeholders and partners across the food supply chain to achieve shared goals,” said Hannah Thompson-Weeman, president and CEO of the Animal Agriculture Alliance. “We see how easy it is for partners around the plate to be siloed and segmented based on respective areas of food production, but we also know that the most progress is made when we all come to the table for good. Michele and Nicole’s insightful session will give attendees the tools to do just that.”

Payn is an expert on farm and food, known for bringing clarity and common sense to eating choices. Payn, armed with a lifetime on the farm, science and compelling personal stories, is passionate about helping people find the truth in food and overcome misinformation. She is the founder of Cause Matters Corp., a company designed to create connections around the food plate, and has been featured in USA Today, NPR and CNN. She is also the author of "Food Truths from Farm to Table" and "No More Food Fights!" and writes from a farm in Indiana.

Rodriguez is an award-winning dietitian nutritionist based in the New York City area. In addition to serving a diverse clientele via her telehealth-based practice, she is also the co-founder of Step Bite Step, a weight loss and physical activity program. A self-described “ag-vocate,” Rodriguez is passionate about empowering individuals to feel good about the abundance of food choices at their fingertips. While Rodriguez loves working one-on-one with clients toward their health goals, she also helps spread the word about food via her brand partnerships, which have included American Dairy Northeast, the New York Beef Council, Bush Brothers and Co., General Mills, Wish Farms, California Leafy Greens and Bayer Crop Science. She has been featured in numerous outlets and publications including Good Housekeeping and Livestrong.

Be sure to check the summit website for the most up-to-date information. Follow the hashtag #AAA23 for periodic updates about the event, too. For general questions about the summit, contact summit@animalagalliance.org or call 703-562-5160.

Get involved

If you refer a friend to attend the 2023 Summit who has never attended a previous summit and they list your name as the person who recommended them when they register for the event, you will both be entered in a drawing to win a $100 gift card. Each referral will count as one entry, and there is no limit on the number of entries for referrers. The Animal Agriculture Alliance will give away two $100 gift cards during the summit — one drawing for referrers and one drawing for those who were referred. All registrations for the in-person event with a referral listed — made until online registration closes on May 1 — will be entered. Both the referrer and the person referred must be registered to claim the gift card.

Show support for the alliance’s premier event by becoming an official summit sponsor. For 2023 sponsorship opportunities, visit https://animalagalliance.org/initiatives/stakeholders-summit/. For more information, contact Hannah Thompson-Weeman at hthompson@animalagalliance.org. 

The Animal Agriculture Alliance thanks its 2023 Summit sponsors: Farm Journal, MEAT + POULTRY, Meatingplace, National Pork Producers Council, Watt Global Media, American Feed Industry Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Board, Smithfield, United Soybean Board, Dairy MAX, Farm Credit, Mountaire Farms, United Egg Producers, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Veal Association, Bayer Crop Science, Cobb-Vantress Inc., Kemin, National Chicken Council, Progressive Dairy, Protect the Harvest, Trans Ova Genetics and Eggland’s Best.

The alliance also thanks the following members for their continued support of the summit and other alliance programs: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, Zoetis, Aviagen Group, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cargill, C.O.nxt, Dairy Farmers of America, Diamond V, Genus PLC – PIC/ABS, Hendrix Genetics, Hy-Line North America LLC, Iowa Soybean Association, JBS, Kansas Soybean Commission, Merck Animal Health, Midwest Dairy, National Turkey Federation, Nutrien, Provimi North America Inc., Seaboard Foods and Tyson.

Source: Animal Agriculture Alliance