The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.
At the annual National Cattlemen’s Beef Association event, CattleCon in Nashville, host Tracy Sellers took the Clear Conversations podcast on the road. Her guest was someone who knows that event well—California rancher Tony Toso of Mariposa County. Part cattleman, part appraiser, part policy advocate, Toso represents a generation of producers who balance life on the land with leadership.
Katie Roberti sat down for a conversation that reflects both her roots and her mission. As Director of Communications for the California Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), Roberti spends her days translating the realities of ranching into language policymakers, media, and the public can understand. But her connection to agriculture is far more personal than professional.
When Dr. Kelly Nichols talks about dairy cows, you can hear the enthusiasm in her voice. As an assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Animal Science, Nichols is part of a group of researchers who are looking at one of the most complex challenges in livestock production: how to feed cows in ways that support productivity, animal health, and environmental stewardship.
From policy updates to the latest in rangeland research to how to communicate with the media, ranchers and industry leaders gathered at the 109th California Cattlemen’s Association and California Cattlewomen’s Convention to tackle the issues shaping the future of cattle production in California.
The State of the Science Summit, hosted by the UC Davis CLEAR Center, Spark Climate Solutions, California Department of Food and Agriculture and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is back June 16-18, 2026, in Davis, California.
At the UC Davis CLEAR Center, researchers spend their days asking a big question: how can we raise livestock in ways that are more climate-friendly? For PhD candidate Conor McCabe, now approaching the end of his time in the Mitloehner Lab, that question has fueled not just one research project, but a career full of early mornings, and a huge scientific effort that spans animals, microbes, and emissions.
At a time when farmland across California is giving way to housing developments, Dr. Frank Mitloehner had a clear message for those gathered a recent California Farmland Trust luncheon: protecting agricultural land isn’t just about preserving open space — it’s about securing the future of food production. Speaking as the keynote speaker, Dr. Mitloehner, a UC Davis professor and air quality specialist, reminded the audience that California remains an “agricultural powerhouse,” producing half of the nation’s fruits and vegetables and the vast majority of its nuts.
When Cal Poly Pomona hosted a campus discussion on sustainable dining, the conversation didn’t just stay at the table — it dug into the science behind the food itself. As part of the recent Protein PACT Solutions Summit, the university’s dining services department brought together experts, researchers, students, and food service leaders for an interactive panel exploring the role of animal-sourced foods in climate-smart campus dining.
