I was invited to the American Farm Bureau (AFBF) Convention in January to give a keynote at the Communicate, Connect, and Influence program hosted by the AFBF Promotion & Education Committee. I also led a couple of breakout sessions on this very topic: having those tough conversations. Here’s what we learned… Our conversations about agriculture and food production frequently escalate into arguments at key moments — moments where we feel we have been aggrieved, mistreated…

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Sustainable thinking for sustainable agricultural systems.  This week, I was part of an organized symposium at the 10th International IPM Conference in Denver, Colorado. The session was organized by my friend and colleague, Amy LeMay, from Brock University in Canada. Our session brought together scientists and social scientists from public and private settings to explore...

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The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is popping up on the media radar again. Because of this, I thought it timely to re-post some of old news to provide a bit more context to the new news. FOIA. For me, it’s personal. May, 2016. Several weeks ago, I was notified by my alma mater (the University of Saskatchewan) that the US Right to Know (USRTK) had submitted an Access To Information Act (ATIP) request seeking…

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We have an information banquet at our finger tips.  It’s a feast for the eyes and the ears; a smorgasbord of colour, content and a constant (sometimes annoying) presence in our lives.  Information has become the new flavourful, colourful commodity that dominates our lives and it’s shared on a fast-moving and highly-connected supply chain. Here are some statistical ‘appetizers’ for you: 3.5 Billion people use social media every dayFacebook is the most widely used platform…

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Hello Build Up Dietitians community! Thank you for inviting me into your virtual living room this Friday, July 24th at noon EST to chat about DISINFORMATION! To prepare for our lively discussion, feel free to check out the sources below… 1) blog post, 2) academic paper, 3) SciPod podcast, 4) twitter threads. 1) This blog post from LinkedIn The bad stuff is always easier to believe: disinformation, modern ag, and societies is a good introduction…

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Here is a link to my latest post in LinkedIn. Excerpt: “What I have grown to understand is it is short-sighted for any of us to debate the outcomes of any case in any part of the world without first having a deeper discussion about litigation norms, cultures, and practices. Norms, cultures, and practices vary by country and jurisdiction.”

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Highlights: Transitioning from the public sector researcher into a new position in the private sector is challenging – both professionally and personally. Learnings: being different is an asset, being vulnerable can lift you up, asking for help is OK, and maintaining a sense of self in the face of adversity can come with great rewards. —— Four years ago today, I started my job as Social Sciences Lead with Monsanto. The decision to transition from…

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Last year, I was invited to share my science communication story at CropLife Canada’s Spring Dialogue Days. It was great to be standing in front of a crowd of 150+ of my peers, friends, and colleagues in the capitol of my homeland. I was home and all was right with the world. In the days leading up to the event, however, I struggled to find the right blend of life events and lessons-learned to share…

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32 years ago today, Blair and I were in a serious car accident. It was soon after we were (first) married and I was pregnant with our first son. You don’t know our son Abraham because Abraham didn’t survive. As I often do, I like to write my way through things. It helps me to understand myself and the world that I live in. I’ve always journaled. And some of my journal entries I’ve turned…

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