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.
When you ask Dr. Troy Rowan how he ended up in the world of cattle genetics, he’ll tell you he “came to the field from the field.”
Rowan, now an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, grew up surrounded by cattle on his family’s Charolais operation in Iowa. His family has been farming and ranching there for more than a century — long enough for the rhythms of agriculture to get in his blood.
During a CLEAR Conversations podcast, which was filmed at the 2025 State of the Science Summit held at UC Davis, Anna Trillingsgaard from the Embassy of Denmark shared how their ambitious plan came to be and what it means for farmers, the environment, and the global agricultural community who is watching closely.
The University of California, Davis is set to host the 2026 State of the Science Summit: Reducing Methane from Animal Agriculture on June 16-18, 2026, at the ARC Ballroom. Organized by the UC Davis CLEAR Center, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Spark Climate Solutions, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, this three-day conference aims to address one of the most pressing environmental challenges: reducing methane emissions from livestock.
Weaning can be a stressful time for piglets and this stress can lead to sickness, especially with gut infections caused by harmful bacteria like E. coli, leading to diarrhea and slow growth. A recent study explored whether adding two specific amino acids—L-glutamate and L-aspartate—to piglets’ diets could help them grow better and stay healthier.
When it comes to talking about methane and cattle, few people can make the science sound both accessible and hopeful quite like Dr. Sara Place. A former UC Davis graduate student and now an associate professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University, Place has built her career around understanding how livestock can be part of the climate solution — not just part of the problem.
When Tracy Sellers joined the California Cattlemen’s Association’s (CCA) Sorting Pen podcast this fall, host and CCA Communications Director, Katie Roberti introduced her as someone who has spent a career helping the public better understand where their food comes from.
UC Davis air-quality scientist and livestock emissions subject matter expert, Dr. Frank Mitloehner, was prominently featured in a recent Carbon Brief analysis, where he offered expert insight into the worldwide debate over how methane’s climate impact should be measured. Carbon Brief is a UK-based website that cover climate science, climate policy and energy policy.
